The Caribbean are truly paradise islands that everyone wants to go to. This is a nature reserve shrouded in tropical greenery and turquoise sea water. But there is a place in this paradise from which it is literally breathtaking, and not at all because of natural beauties. Maho Beach is the most unique and extreme place in the entire Caribbean. And all because this is where huge airliners go for take-off and landing over people resting, sunbathing in the sun.
A bit of geography
Maho Beach is located on the island of Saint-Martin. The island, in turn, is located in the self-governing state of Sint Maarten as part of the Netherlands. It is also worth noting that Saint-Martin is located in the north-eastern part of the Caribbean, where almost all the islands are incredibly small, but at the same time inhabited. The area has a typical tropical climate - rainy and wet summers and dry, hot winters. The islands, like green peas, are buried in the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea.
The area of Saint-Martin is only 87 square kilometers. However, due to the fact that this land is a remote province of the Netherlands, an airport was built here, receiving and releasing dozens of flights daily. As you may have guessed, their path runs through the famous Maho Beach.
Saint-Martin and its features
In itself, this tropical island is no different from the rest of the Caribbean. Like the landscapes here are typically paradise, the lifestyle is similar. Saint-Martin has a huge number of hotels (of course, they do not adjoin Maho Beach), both five-star and with a lower category of service. There are many bars, restaurants, dance floors and other tourist attractions. Since the island is a state unit of the Netherlands, the official currency here is the euro.
However, in all establishments, prices are indicated both in European equivalent and in American dollars, which are accepted everywhere. As for the language, you can understand here in English. Also common are Spanish, Anlo-Creole, French and others.
Place of tourist pilgrimage
The world famous beach "Maho Beach" - the main tourist attraction of Saint-Martin. Closely adjacent to the sand strip is a runway leading to Princess Juliana Airport. Oddly enough, but this particular feature has glorified the most ordinary tropical beach, of which there are hundreds in the world. Cargo and passenger aircraft fly over the swimming area at an altitude of 10-20 meters, almost touching the heads of curious vacationers.
It turns out that while sunbathing on a white stove or swimming in a blue water, you can simultaneously examine in detail all the planes that a nearby airport takes. Of course, it will not work to reach them with your hand, but the impression that you can do this will certainly be created. By the way, Princess Juliana Airport is included in the list of the most dangerous airports in the world, as it is in close proximity to the sea.
Arrangement and characteristics of the beach
As mentioned earlier, the beach of Maho is the most ordinary tropical place surrounded by palm trees on one side and the sea on the other. But the planes flying past him at a record low altitude made Maho a real star of social networks. Literally everyone who flies here to relax takes a selfie against the backdrop of a huge flying airliner. Many people also shoot whole videos in which the moment of approach of the plane, its passage over the sunbathing three hundred and landing on the airport runway is visible. But since this miracle does not happen every ten minutes, but strictly according to the schedule, the rest of the time should be spent in nearby cafes and eateries. Here are the standard beach bars that offer cocktails, light snacks and, of course, unlimited tropical fruits.
Precautionary measures
Many are likely to think that this place is, of course, unique and exciting, but not entirely safe. There is some truth in these words, but nevertheless, since the airport was opened on the island, there have not been a single victim among tourists. The only danger that awaits tourists on the beach of Maho on the island of Saint-Martin is the strong waves caused by the movement of aircraft. Therefore, before the liner approaches the shore, everyone is informed about this by the loudspeaker and a live broadcast of the dispatcher’s dialogue with the pilot is included.