Choosing between St. Maartens most famous beaches Great Bay Beach, Maho Beach, Kim Sha Beach, Mullet Bay Beach or Orient Bay Beach
What Famous St. Maarten Beach to Choose Best?
St. Maarten / St. Martin is blessed with some of the most beautiful and most famous beaches in the Caribbean. Measured in fame, awards and popularity, Great Bay Beach, Maho Beach, Kim Sha Beach, Mullet Bay Beach and Orient Bay Beach make up the five largest and best known ones of the island. And then there is still 32 more to explore!
With holidays unfortunately being limited, even more when you are only one day on St. Maarten with a cruise, you want to choose right. Let us guide you through these world famous beaches in comparison, so you can choose what beach fits your vacation plans and preferences best.
1. Great Bay Beach – Cosmopolitan, close by for Cruise and great for Combining with Excursions
Two mile Great Bay Beach is without a doubt the most visited beach on St. Maarten. That is not just because of its vicinity to the AC Wathey cruise port serving the island, but also because of its unique position along the small but bustling St. Maarten capital Philipsburg areas. This vicinity allows for great day trip combinations with activities like the Heritage Museum, the Rusty Parrot, Bike Tours in Town, Diving, taking a restaurant along the boardwalk or shopping in the awarded shopping capital of the Caribbean. Note: if you are a water sports person, also consider Little Bay Beach at only a mile walking distance from Great Bay. In comparison with the other four:
Great Bay Beach vs. Mullet Bay Beach
Choosing between Great Bay Beach and Mullet Bay Beach is a choice between liveliness and serenity. If you want a Caribbean beach “of your own”, choose Mullet Bay; if you like to experience the people, cultural history, activities and food the Caribbean has to offer, choose Great Bay Beach.
Great Bay Beach vs Maho Beach
Selecting your pick from St. Maartens two most famous beaches is a simple dilemma to solve: Great Bay Beach is more suitable for spending a full day, whereas seeing planes land and depart at Maho Beach is a unique experience for some fun hours. They can easily be combined in a one day St. Maarten excursion.
Great Bay Beach vs. Kim Sha Beach
Comparing Great Bay Beach and Kim Sha Beach equals a choice between a town area versus a resort area. Both beaches are cosmopolitan, bustling and have amenities galore, but it depends what atmosphere you prefer for a holiday feel. For water sport fanatics, Kim Sha is the better choice.
Great Bay Beach vs. Orient Bay Beach
Choosing between Great Bay Beach or Orient Bay Beach means a selection of a vibrant town close to the cruise pier or of a more village feel touch of the French Riviera about 30 minutes away. Both towns have amenities and beach clubs, the choice wholly depends on your preferred seaside ambiance.
2. Maho Beach – A World Famous Thrill
Maho Beach is not the biggest but for sure the most famous of these five St. Maarten / St. Martin beaches, ofcourse for its unique feature of airplanes landing and departing (almost) from this beach. Global plane watchers use its webcam daily to experience this phenomenon. But with the busy Maho area next door, there is much more to explore. Beach side Tortugas is an excellent location to both experience the planes landing and a quiter part of the beach. Restaurants like SALT, D’s Beach Bar, Roma, Spices of India and Mr Chow allow to combine your visit with a great bite out of the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean. The beach is about a 30 minutes cab or bus ride away. So in comparison with the other four beaches:
Maho Beach vs. Great Bay Beach
Maho Beach is a once in a lifetime excursion, Philipsburgs Great Bay Beach is worth spending a full shoreside day. Given the jet blasts, no wonder beach chairs and umbrellas will not be found on Maho Beach; your better choice for the latter would be Great Bay beach. But ofcourse, less of a spectacle. If coming by cruise ship, a Maho morning could combine well with relaxing on Great Bay in the afternoon as closest beach to the cruise port.
Maho Beach vs. Kim Sha Beach
Choosing between Maho and Kim Sha Beach is choosing between airplane thrills or seaside relaxation, though still in a lively surrounding. Both have in common that they are bustling resort areas. Kim Sha beach instead of airplane landings and departures boasts water activities, via Aquamania, Trisport and Eagle Tours, Maho Beach does not.
Maho Beach vs. Mullet Bay
Selecting “Airplane Beach” Maho or Mullet Bay is choosing between a lively thrill of some hours on the one hand and a day long anonymous indulgence on the other. As they are close by one another, consider to combine.
Maho Beach vs. Orient Bay Beach
Like with Mullet bay, comparing Maho Beach and Orient Bay is a dilemma of Caribbean versus Atlantic coast, a one time experience versus a more laid back beach day. Like Kim Sha, Orient Bay can compensate for missing the airport thrill with watersport adrenaline rushes.
3. Kim Sha Beach – St. Maartens Allround Stayover Activity Center
Kim Sha Beach is the bustling epicenter of the Simpson Bay and Pelican areas. As these resort areas also boast their own beaches, Kim Sha beach always has space. Amenities and nightlife can be found plenty around Kim Sha beach. Try nearby HuppeldePub bar, Replay Bar, have an Indian bite at Jais, a Mediterranean one at Al Pasha or a Mexican one at La Patrona. Aquamania provides a lot of sailing and water excursions from the Kim Sha beach area, Trisport offers Kayak tours from this beach. How Kim Sha compares to the other famous beaches:
Kim Sha Beach vs. Great Bay Beach
Comparing Kim Sha Beach and Great Bay Beach equals a choice between town versus resort area atmosphere. Both beaches have shopping, restaurant and activity options galore.
Kim Sha vs. Mullet Bay Beach
Kim Sha Beach is located in a resort area; in Mullet Bay you will find bit more nature and tranquillity. These two beaches are the least busy of the most famous five St. Maarten beaches.
Kim Sha vs. Maho Beach
This is possibly not even a dilemma, but a good combination instead – enjoy the airplane excitement on Maho, and then wind down with a towel or kayak in Kim Sha. This is a route from Maho if you came via cruise.
Kim Sha vs Orient Bay Beach
The choice between Kim Sha and Orient Bay Beach boils down to a preference between a cosmopolitan resort meets town feel versus a European seaside village atmosphere. In both cases no worries are needed about restaurants or watersports nearby.
4. Mullet Bay Beach – Scenic, Tranquil & Green
Next to its well known length, Mullet Bay Beach is very well known for the adjacent Mullet Bay Golf Course, almost ending up on the beach. Of aforementioned beaches, it is one of the most scenic ones due to its green context of the golf green and the mangrove forests on the lagoon side. Waves can be impressive here. If compared to the other beaches in this article:
Mullet bay vs. Great Bay Beach
Mullet Bay is a ln easy choice between a touch of nature and tranquillity versus liveliness. Choose what beach matches your mood.
Mullet Bay vs. Maho
If in doubt whether to visit Mullet Bay or Maho beach, this is not perse a choice, but sooner an opportunity as these spectacular shores are at walking distance from each other (5 minutes). Experience the thrill and a good lunch in Maho Beach, but lay your towel on Mullet (also so it does not get blown away by jet blast!). Enjoy lunch at Maho restaurants like Tortuga, Roma, Mr Chao and Spices of India; you pass those by in between.
Mullet Bay vs. Kim Sha Beach
Mullet versus Kim Sha Beach is a choice for some more amenities on the latter beach, whereas Mullet Bay brings more nature and tranquillity.
Mullet Bay vs. Orient Bay Beach
If you are doubting between Mullet Bay and Orient Bay: this means choosing between tranquillity and a lively village atmosphere. Both are large and relaxing, both boast beach clubs, but Orient Bay is busier.
5. Orient Bay Beach – Clothing Optional & French Feel
Orient Bay breathes French Caribbean, and exudes a feeling of southern France in Caribbean summer clothes (given its Caribbean colored architecture). This French side beach has many beach clubs, restaurants and water activities. Orient Bay Beach’s southern part is also the most well known clothing optional beach area of the Caribbean, making it stick out regionally. An Orient Bay Beach comparison to the other four beaches:
Orient Bay Beach vs. Great Bay beach
Choosing Great Bay or Orient Bay Beach equals choosing a beach with the cruise port nearby shopping options and land based activities versus a quiet beach day with a village feel. Orient Bay and Great Bay both boast the most beach clubs on island. Shopping options are less available in Orient Bay, watersports options more abundant than in Great Bay.
Orient Bay Beach vs. Kim Sha Beach
Both Orient Bay Beach and Kim Sha Beach are popular watersport meccas. Kim Sha is on the Caribbean, Orient Bay on the Atlantic side of the island. So Kim Sha is great for tranquil kayaking through Simpson Bay, whereas windsurfing and kiting is better done in Orient.
Orient Bay Beach vs. Mullet Bay
If you want peace and quiet on your beach day, both the pristine Caribbean beaches of Orient Bay Beach and Mullet Bay Beach will live up to your expectations. . They are similarly stretched miles long beaches marked with palm trees and dotted with beach bars. The difference between Orient Bay Beach and Mullet Bay Beach is that of a lively beach side village ambiance versus an even more quiet beach with lush surroundings.
Orient Bay Beach vs Maho Beach
Orient Bay Beach and Maho Beach are very different, though they both make up landmark panoramas of St. Maarten / St. Martin. Maho Beach is known for its lively atmosphere and airplanes featured experience; Orient Bay is a full beach day destination.
6. How to reach St. Maartens five most famous beaches
Did you make a choice? See below how to get to your desired beach by foot or by bus. You can also choose a taxi.
To Great Bay Beach
Great Bay Beach is within walking distance of both the cruise port and the start / end of all the St. Maarten bus lines. Quieter Little Bay Beach is also within walking distance (30-45 minutes), but on hot days a taxi is recommended.
To Kim Sha, Maho and Mullet Bay Beach
Mullet Bay Beach (approximately 30 minutes), Maho Beach (25 minutes) and Kim Sha Beach (15 minutes) are all on the bus line from Philipsburg to Maho / Cupecoy via Simpson Bay. Ask the driver to tell you when you reach your beach of choice. Though buses arrive frequently during the day, they do not operate via a timetable. Traffic can be unpredictable, especially around rush hour, so when on a cruise it is advised to plan a timely return.
Kim Sha Beach is easily reached by foot when staying in the resorts of the Pelican / Billy Folly or Simpson bay area.
Maho Beach is on the itinerary of many excursions, both in the case of sailing trips and island tours. This is not so much the case for Mullet Bay beach and Kim Sha Beach, but in case of a private tour by taxi you can always ask to stop at your beach of choice.
To Orient Bay Beach
Orient Bay can be reached by bus, but you would need to switch between the Dutch and French side bus systems either in Marigot and French Quarter. In addition, you would need to walk from the gates of the village to the beach (10 minutes). Especially when on a cruise visit, the best way to reach Orient Bay is to take a taxi. See for fares the St. Maarten taxi fares overview.
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