Fun, Sun, and jets! Edited '06
Written: Jun 02 '04 (Updated Feb 02 '06)
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Pros: Everything is close by, airplanes galore, very busy!
Cons: Airplanes, not the best beaches, very busy!
The Bottom Line: Maho is wonderful if you want a busy place, young people well enjoy it! If you want it a little bit quieter come from june to november.
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| islandalex's Full Review: Maho Bay |
Maho has taken over the island! There is so much to do here that you could easily never leave!
I have written a review on Maho Beach Hotel and Casino, so I apologise if I reppeat myself. It is all on the same area. Take a look at it if you are interested in staying here.
First of all, "Maho", on the south western end of the island, is not just a beach, but a whole area full of entertainment.
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Lets take the main road into Maho from the airport. If you are arriving in the late afternoon as most do, your drive to maho will give you a glimse of the beautiful sunset on its way! (that is my nice way of saying you are driving straight into the bright sun, I hope you arrived with sunglasses)
The airport is on your left, where you can easily see the 747's and the private jets. On your right, there are a few large billboards advertizing strip clubs and casinoes. It becomes quite clear that Maho is no sleepy village.
Maho is quite the opposite. Once upon a time Maho was just a bay at the end of the runway, with nothing of any interest. An investor decided to build a hotel, then another, then another. With the hotels came the shops, bars, restaurants, and of course casinos.
A little further down the road, on your right, is La Terasse, a newly completed timeshare hotel. From the road your first glimse of it is underground parking, a supermarket and an unfriendly wall. Well, the wall may be unfriendly, but it was the designers solution to the parking shortage in maho. The supermarket, Lido Food Express, has quickly earned a reputation of being one of the best on the island. It may be small, but it has everything!
Welcome to the first of St. Maarten's many traffic circles (roundabouts). I cant beleive how much confusion there is at this circle. Because it is in a tourist area, most cars do not know how to use it correctly. For the record, cars on the roundabout have the right of way. Once you enter the roundabout, you go counterclockwise, until you find your desired exit. Make sure you use your indicator to let everyone know that you are getting off the circle, it makes traffic flow better. This may be obvious to some... but I thought I better mention it anyway!
You can take the last exit to a less imposing development that houses sunset beach bar, or the first exit and go into the highrise (island style)heart of maho.
Lets take the first! Your best bet is to park your car (there are 2 underground parking lots) and walk around the area. If you dont want to pay for the cool shaded parking, you can drive straight through maho, and park around the golf course. It will take about 5 minutes to walk back to the shops.
There are lots of hotels there, all blending into eachother. They are all so close to the airport that they are "stepped" for airport safety. While it is not very "caribbean" it is well laid out with plenty of pedestrian areas and open terraces.
In the heart of maho there are countless shops. There are a few jewelry shops, a few cigar shops, a few beachware shops, and a few designer shops.
Hip Up, a beachware shop, is one of my favorite. It has a huge selection of bathing suits, as well as sporty casual ware. The Shipwreck shop sells books, magasines, as well as slightly less kitch souvineers.
Enough with the shoping already, lets look at the food!!! There are plenty of options. Look at the menues so you can come back for dinner. There is plenty of Italian, some French, and Cheri's cafe.
Cheri's is all american, moonlighting as "local". It is your typical kinda booring American food. It isnt bad, dont get me wrong, it just lacks creativity. Dont worry, it makes up for that with its nightly live entertainment! Hanibi is the resident sushi restaurant, it isnt bad, could use a little more inspiraton thou.
If it isnt time for dinner, get an ice cream at Haggen Daaz and take a walk to the "other side". As you exit the heart of maho there is a grocery store on your left side. It is very well stocked with excellent fresh produce. It is not necessary to make the trip to the bigger supermarkets! (Which are awsome by the way!) The parking in front of it has been dubbed "the parking lot of death" by the locals. You have to back out over 3 lanes on a blind corner. Just park underground and you dont have to worry bout it! UPDATE!!! Well, thankfully the parking lot of death has been replaced by the roundabout of confusion, so the underground parking suggestion still stands!
Enough about the supermarket, lets go see Maho bay! Just follow the signs to Sunset Beach Bar! The beach is very tempremental. While it may be on the leeward side of the island, it still gets frequented by large swells when the weather is bad. It goes from rocks to sand and back again overnight! As the road meets the beach you see the famous warning sign. Check the runway to see if any jets are taking off, in not, procede to Sunset Beach Bar!!!
One favorite pastime is standing at the end of the runway while jets are taking off and landing. I recommend you watch a few other brave souls doing this before you try! Its a ton of fun, just be careful! On saturday afternoons there are almost 50 brave souls!
There is another review on Sunset, so all I am going to say is GO THERE! Watch the band, have some booze, and watch the sunset.
Near sunset there is Bliss, Dolphin Casino, Bamboo Bernies, and the Caravanserai hotel. They are all centered around the parking lot, yay! Bliss is a restaurand/lounge/club with an awsome pool. Bamboo Bernies also has a pool, as well as a sushi bar and private "tiki hut" tables to eat at. The casino? well, its a casino, it takes your money!
After dark, choose restaurant, enjoy, just make sure you are back in the heart of maho (In front of Casino Royale) by 9 pm to see the nightly street dancing show!
At about midnight the area clubs begin busteling. Bliss is outdoors, Q club and Gizmo are indooors, Platnium features adult entertainment, and the PR restaurant, part of Platnium serves food on beds until the wee hours of the morning!
So, after a night of partying what do you do? Go to Mullet Bay Beach, it is breathtaking, or go to Marigot for a relaxed breakfast. Take it slow, there is a whole nother night if parting in Maho!
For more information on St. Maarten / Sint Martin and the surrounding islands, please take a look at my other reviews.
St. Maarten / Stint Martin
Sint Martin, French Side:
Vacation Advice From an Islander
Philipsburg, the capital of Dutch St. Maarten:
Front Street, Back Street, Pondfill
Maho, the tourist capital of Dutch St. Maarten:
Fun, Sun, and Jets!
Transportation:
Forget the Taxis
Health and safety:
French Side - A Healthy Place...
Dutch Side - A Healthy Place...
General Itineraries:
Advice from an Islander
Local Customs:
Great Island, Great People
Hotels:
Maho - A Happening Place
Great Bay Beach Hotel - Depends What You are Looking For...
Anguilla
Hotels:
La Serena - A Beautiful Gem
Airlines With Regular Flights to St. Maarten
US Airways - Delays
American Airlines - Unaccompanied Minors
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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Epinions.com ID:
islandalex
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Location: Neth. Antilles
Reviews written: 39
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
I'm an island girl. I love traveling, gadgets,and splurging on beauty products!
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