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We have put together a few comments on St Martin's many beaches. Remember that beaches change gradually via erosion and replenishment and drastically via storms. Hurrucane Irma wiped out many beach restaurants in September 2017, especially on Orient. The information is accurate having been updated for the 2016/17 season before the storm, but tings change, mon! Reconstruction happens every day. The beaches on the east provide lots of morning sun while facing the shore and the beaches on the west will provide you with a glorious sunset into the water. Most beaches have some, if limited, amenities. There are also a number of all-inclusive resorts on the island to help you save on your vacation expenses. We have a separate section on snorkeling that has a fish identification quiz.
The map below has hot spots. Move the mouse to a beach name and click on it to get beach information and possibly some pictures. You can also try our beach finder. Tell us what would make your perfect day at the beach, and we will find the perfect beach. If you're going to the beach, get some reading material in out bookstore. There's plenty of mysteries, travel books, and a special section on the islands that includes fish identification books.
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Great Bay (Philipsburg) - You should go to Philipsburg for the shopping, casinos, and restaurants, but there is a beach and there are beach bars with plenty of facilities. After St Maarten dredged the harbor for the new cruise ship pier and terminal, much of the sand was used to replenish the beach. Thus, it is one of the longest and widest beaches on the island. Now that they have added a boardwalk they are expanding it further. The boardwalk is more of a great place to hang out and party than an idyllic tropical beach, but if that is what you want, check it out and look for great lunches at at some of the finer establishments on Frontstreet. The pano below was taken after the cruise crowd headed back to the cruise ships in the background.
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Little Bay - Next door to Great Bay is Little Bay. The Divi Peninsula separates the two. The photo on the left was shot from the restaurant at the Belair Hotel and looks along the beach to the Divi Hotel in the distance. The photo on the right is looking straight out to sea with the America's Cup 12 meter boats in the foreground and Saba in the distance.
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Kimsha Beach - This is the far eastern end of Simpson Bay Beach, on the eastern end of the channel into the lagoon. Many of the boat trips start from this area, as it is outside the lagoon. There has been quite a bit of construction here, so access is limited, but there are beach bars. Greenhouse Restaurant has recently opened an outpost here. They are open from breakfast into the evening. On the left is a lovely sunset shot taken during the evening happy hour.
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The extreme western end of the beach can be reached by driving along the western end of the runway and turning left at Alegria. Eventually one comes to a place called Zafiro (Sapphire). It's been through several iterations over the last few years but in early 2016 it was a functioning restaurant and beach bar with chairs (below right).
Simpson Bay Beach - One of the longest and nicest beaches on the island. Lots of sand and generally small waves. Great views off to Saba and on good days, Statia, and on really clear days St Kitts and Nevis. The eastern end of the beach has limited access and limited street parking. You can turn at the eastern end of the runway to reach the middle of the beach. Here you will find public access and more likely street parking near The Horny Toad Guesthouse and the Azure Hotel.
The beach in the foreground
Turn right along the beach road to reach Mary's Boon with a restaurant and Karakter Restaurant, both of which have beach bars and chairs for rent. Karakter marks the end of the road. The sunsets looking over Beacon Hill are fabulous (above right). Below left is the seawall and private sunning area at the Horny Toad. In the center is the beach at Karakter.
Looking east from the Horny Toad
Maho Bay - A little beach at the end of the runway next to big hotels. It has two attactions: The Sunset Bar offers free drinks to topless women and the low-flying aircraft. The photo on the right came from Leland Harms.
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The photo on the left is a bit deceiving as there is a lot of sand, but note that it is wet. The photo on the right was taken the next day as sand filled in the pools along the shore. It's still the same in 2007 (photos below on the left): a bit of sand is here, but big rollers move it around. New construction is certainly changing the look of the beach. |
There are photos on the construction feature and photos taken from a sailing trip. This is the NW end where there are beach boys with chairs and umbrellas. They serve drinks and grill up a few things. In case you hadn't noticed, at the NW end of the beach, clothing is optional. |
These are from March of 2008 taken from the Celine as we sailed by during the regatta. They show the entire beach from the NW edge (top left) with the Cupecoy Yacht Club construction coming over from La Samanna on the left, Shore Pointe in the center, and the open area that was supposed to become The Villages at Cupecoy. This open area serves as the access to the NW end of the beach. The next shot (top right) shows Pharos on the other side of the road, behind more open area belonging to The Villages at Cupecoy, Ocean Club, and the towers of Sapphire Beach Club. There is still a private villa between Sapphire and Rainbow Beach. You can see a bit of the property in the top right photo and most of it on the left of the bottom right photo. The rest of that photo shows the still growing Rainbow Beach development with its circular staircase access to the beach.
On the bottom right is The Cliff (the tallest structure on the island) and Cupecoy Beach Club above the cliffs at the extreme SE end of Cupecoy.
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Bay Long - A long beach with the expensive La Samanna complex at one end (the white buildings at the far end of the beach) and limited access in the center to a rather rocky beach. Other than Samanna, which will not let you in, there is no service on the entire beach. In 2011 they stopped allowing access from the main road to the road going to La Samanna forcing people seeking beach access to Bay Long to use the lowlands access closer to Bay Rouge. That access has a bar across the roadway. Those in the know, know that if you pull up to the bar, it will rise up during the day if the booth is unmanned. If there is a guard, tell him you are going to the beach and he will raise the gate. At night the gate is manned and you are not allowed into the area. | ||
The beach is quite rocky in the center near the access. The rocks are somewhat visible in the photo on the left. The southeastern end near La Samanna has sand and northwestern end near the sewage treatment plant has sand. The small photo on the left is from 2015 and the other two photos are from 2017. A visit in January 2019 shows that the beach is better than ever.
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Plum Bay (prunes in French) - A pretty beach, but rocky and a bit rough. Great sunsets because it faces west. No facilities at all. The panoramic photo below is the entire left (south) part of the beach as it looks from the entrance. President Trump owns Château Palmiers (Tower of Palms). The beachside part of the estate is under the highest cloud on the right side of the pano. On the right is the right or northern sweep of the beach. That photo is from 2017. The photo of the north beach on the right is from 2019. In 2011 they stopped allowing access to the lowlands via the road going past La Samanna, forcing people seeking beach access to Bay Long and Plum Bay to enter the lowlands access closer to Bay Rouge. That access has a bar across the roadway. Those in the know, know that if you pull up to the bar, it will rise if the booth is unmanned. If there is a guard, tell him you are going to the beach and he will raise the bar. At night the gate is manned and you are not allowed into the area.
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David's Grotto or Hole is this circular hole in the cliff on a point between Bay Rouge and Nettle Bay. It reaches down 30 feet to sea level and two other holes connect it to the sea. It has suffered in various storms and may look different at this time. Below is pano of the Bird Cliffs taken in 2016.
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Nettle Bay Beach was hit hard by Irma in 2017. Le Sand and Dreams are no more. Hotel Mercure bought the remains of Ma Ti Beach and Layla's, giveing them access to open water. I wouldn't get in the lagoon. Mezza Luna seems to have weathered the storm. Here's a shot from Dreams looking toward the remains of La Belle Creole destroyed by Hurricane Luis in 1995. | ||
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Friar's Bay - A small, rather pretty and very protected cove with two beach bars: Kali's Beach Bar (foreground in the photo on the left) and Friar's Bay Beach Café (background). Kali's is Jamaican/Créole and Friar's BBC does pretty good French cuisine. They both provide chairs and umbrellas. There are also covered tables for dining on the sand. The road in 2017 is in better shape than our last visit showed. Kali's does a full moon party that packs the cars in, so be prepared to stay a while. The pano below shows how calm the bay can be.
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Happy Bay - A short walk up and over a hill at the northern end of Friar's Bay brings you to Happy Bay, a very secluded beach with few amenities (Danny provides chairs, food, and drink), but there is a grandiose project on the books. And it is still on the books in 2011, as there has not much action on the French side. They are still talking in 2017. Some people have been spotted working on their all-over sun tans at this beach. This photo was taken from Random Wind as we sailed by in Jan of 2005.
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