Solo Travel Guide to Sint Maarten (Dutch Side)

Sint Maarten is an island for being out on the water. I stayed at the Azure Hotel & Art Studio in Simpson Bay, right on the beach, but spent my days out: on a speedboat with sea turtles, at Maho Beach waiting for the jets, at brunch watching the superyachts, with a car from Sax Car Rental for everything in between.

Sint Maarten is where you land. Princess Juliana Airport sits right on the beach, and the Dutch side has the main resorts, beach clubs, and Philipsburg's duty-free shopping strip. January is peak season: clear skies, minimal rain, and the island at its most active. For solo travelers, Sint Maarten works best as a base for exploring the whole island, with day trips to the French side's beaches and restaurants being essential.

Safety on the Dutch Side

The US State Department rates Sint Maarten at Level 1, Exercise normal precautions (as of August 2024).

Worth knowing that this rating covers only the Dutch southern half. The French north is assessed separately under the French West Indies advisory, and the two can move independently, so if your trip crosses the border, which on an island this size it almost certainly will, check both on the advisory index.

Maho Beach, Simpson Bay and the resort strip are tourist-facing and busy through the day. Parts of Philipsburg and the backstreets warrant more care after dark. Licensed taxis rather than unmarked cars, and don't walk isolated streets alone at night.

Two things specific to this island are worth more attention than the crime question.

Maho Beach. The landing aircraft are the reason most people come, and the jet blast from departing aircraft is genuinely dangerous rather than a novelty. People have been seriously injured and killed being blown into the sea wall. Stand where you're told to stand.

Hurricane exposure. Irma in 2017 was a direct hit, and recovery took years. Season runs June to November and peaks August to October. On a small island with one airport, a storm means you don't leave, build slack into dates in those months.

There is no US embassy on Sint Maarten. Consular help comes via the US Consulate General in Curaçao.

Maho Beach: The Famous Plane-Spotting Beach

Maho Beach is one of the most famous beaches in the world for a very specific reason: Princess Juliana Airport's runway ends about 50 meters from the beach, and incoming planes pass directly over sunbathers at very low altitude. The jet blast from departing aircraft is strong enough to knock people down (there are fatalities on record. Take the warning signs seriously). As a spectacle it's genuinely extraordinary. The Sunset Beach Bar has a live flight board and is the best spot to watch; there's an easy group energy here that makes it comfortable to attend alone.

I first saw a jet land at Maho from the water, on a speedboat day (more on that below), and liked it enough to come back another afternoon for a second landing. Check FlightRadar24 to time your visit to the transatlantic arrivals, which tend to be the bigger planes. Departures take off in the other direction.

Boats, Brunch and Superyachts

I barely used the beach at my own hotel. I was so busy sightseeing that I went exactly once, the afternoon I arrived. The car from Sax Car Rental gave me no trouble and made that pace possible.

The best day was out on the water with Captain Bob Speed Boat: snorkeling with sea turtles, lunch on board, and that low pass of a jet over Maho Beach. For a slower morning, brunch at The Yacht Club at Port de Plaisance comes with a front-row view of the superyachts gliding in and out of the marina.

And one piece of unofficial sightseeing: a car cruising the main road with its speakers rigged so the music blasted outward for the whole street to share. Memorable, and very loud.

Cross to the French Side for Food

The best reason to visit Sint Maarten is actually to cross into Saint-Martin. Grand Case on the French side is a 20-minute drive and has one of the best restaurant streets in the Caribbean, from sophisticated French-Creole fine dining to the lolos (local BBQ shacks) that serve the best-value food on the island. If you're doing one dinner on the island, do it in Grand Case.

Orient Bay and the Best Beaches

The best beach on the island, Orient Bay, is on the French side, about 25 minutes from Maho by car or taxi, and it's worth the drive: 2km of sheltered turquoise water with beach clubs, chairs and water sports.

One rule changes when you cross, and there's nothing to tell you. The border is open (no checkpoint, no passport, often no sign) but nudity is accepted on the French side and public nudity is banned on the Dutch side. Orient Bay has a clothing-optional section at one end (the majority of the beach is ordinary swimwear); Dutch beaches have no official equivalent. Toplessness is unremarkable on the French side and not the norm on the Dutch.

On the Dutch side itself, Mullet Bay is the best beach, genuinely good sand and the quietest of the accessible options, and Simpson Bay is convenient with food and bars behind it.

Practical Info for Your Trip

• Getting there: Princess Juliana Airport (SXM) receives direct flights from many US cities, one of the most connected Caribbean airports.

• Getting around: Rent a car for full island freedom, the French/Dutch crossing requires no paperwork. Taxis are available but pricey for multiple stops.

• Currency: US Dollar (Dutch side), Euro (French side). USD is accepted everywhere on both sides.

• Best time to visit: December through April. January is peak season with excellent weather.

• Solo safety rating: Good in tourist areas. More vigilance needed than on the French side at night.

Where to go next

• the French side. A walk across an open border and a different legal system.
• Antigua, a short flight, and quieter.