Eleven St. Maarten Beach Bar Tips for Summer (and beyond!)
(photo courtesy Buccaneer Beach Bar)
If you say St. Maarten, you say beaches. The island’s 37 pristine sandy shores are not just an attraction for our visitors, they are part of the life of residents as spot for swimming, sporting, meeting, dining and nightlife.
No wonder St. Maarten boasts a large amount of beach bars as a great spot to spend your seaside day, meet up with friends or go out for dinner. Let us guide you through some great hidden (and less hidden) beach bar gems to visit on Dutch side St. Maarten this summer. We do so in random order, from west to east.
1. Tortuga Beach Bar – Maho Beach
No surprise that especially with large airplanes departing and arriving, famed Maho Beach where airplanes fly right over your head can be at times a noisy and busy area. Somewhat hidden, Tortuga is like a quaint panoramic lookout point, providing great views of Maho beach and planes landing over it without the crowd or noise. Sit down, enjoy the beach view and see the digital arrivals and departures lists of Princess Juliana International Airport to see when a Boeing or airbus is coming and you need to make a unique selfie.
2. D’s Beach Bar – Simpson Bay Beach
On the other end of Maho Beach, five minutes down along the runway fence beyond Morgan Resort, you find D’s Beach Bar on a wholly different and quiet beach. Again a great combination with enjoying the Maho beach plane landing sensation for a bit, but lose the crowd after. This is a place where you can spend a full beach day.
3. K Beach Club – Simpson Bay Beach
From D’s Beach Bar, a long stretched beach along the Princess Juliana International Airport runway starts until it ends at K Beach Club. Formerly known as Karakter beach bar and professionally revamped since, this cosmopolitan beachside bar / restaurant is an amazing place to enjoy your St. Maarten beach day and evening. DJs and bands can frequently be found here; see if one is playing during your stay.
4. Mary’s Boon – Simpson Bay Beach
If you are out for a relaxed Caribbean feel, try Mary’s Boon next door to K Beach Club. This is the bar / restaurant of the namesake well-known St. Maarten hotel. The sight of this Caribbean style seaside hotel bar makes you want to take off your shoes, feel the water between your toes, enjoy one (or more) of their great cocktails and await the sunset. It operates apart from the resort so it welcomes guests regardless where they stay.
5. Seaside Nature Park Bar – Cay Bay Beach
So first and foremost, this hidden beach behind St. Maarten’s energy plant GEBE is known for horseback riding tours at the well-known Lucky Stables of Seaside Nature Park. But in case you are less of a cowboy and still a saloon fan, did anyone tell you there is a little bar serving beers and snacks? You have a good reason to drink and eat at this tranquil terrace, as you indirectly support their very diverse petting zoo. If you want a St. Maarten beach bar, off the beaten track but with a cause and great sunsets and fun for kids nonetheless, here you have it.
6. The Pier Bar & Restaurant – Great Bay Beach
It could be because of the dock, it could be because it marks the far end of the Philipsburg Boardwalk, most surely because it marks a quiet but enjoyable corner of Philipsburg, The Pier on the far end of the St. Maarten capital waterfront reminisces of Otis Redding’s greatest hit. For starters, built in 2016, Walter Plantz Square is a colorful ode to St. Maarten history. Cruise Port St. Maarten funded its construction as an open air museum to preserve building styles of days gone by. A fountain in the middle of this square became a fun landmark in the map of St. Maarten kids. The bar has amenities to shower off salt and sand from the sea. Both bar and the part of Great Bay Beach in front are a well known local meeting spot for St. Maarteners in the weekends and holidays. The same accounts for evenings throughout the week; when cruise ships leave many bars in the capital close, but expect The Pier still to have the lights on.
7. Seaview – Great Bay Beach
So here is just a few easy reasons why Seaview Beach & Pool bar, the seaside front of Seaview hotel, was not to be missed out on this list:
1. Seaview is the only place in Philipsburg where you can rent your own cabana. One that comes with a good bottle of Prosecco welcoming you, private television, restrooms and room service, that is.
2. Seaview has the only pool on the boardwalk, exclusively for its visitors
3. Seaview is one of the places where locally brew craft beer Pelikaan beer flows from the draft.
4. Seaview bustles of events and initiatives. At least one every week – so also make sure this one is listed for your Philipsburg evenings.
Do we need to say more?
8. Dutch Blonde Beach Bar – Great Bay Beach
So views over Great Bay are great at Dutch Blonde Beach Bar or just “Dutch Blonde” as locals tend to call it, as is the craft beer (making for a great combined mini- craft beer pub crawl with neighboring Seaview at -pun intended- crawling distance) but there is more happening here. If you and your group are game or puzzle fanatics, or just in for a new challenge, ask if the doors to the four first Escape Rooms of the Caribbean can be opened. Created by Canadian Escape Room professionals, these look amazing and are prone to keep you busy. Do lunch or dine with “DBBBs” typical Dutch pancakes too in the meanwhile – but whilst puzzling don’t forget one of the most famous beaches of the Caribbean is outside.
9. Big Bastards Beach Bar – Great Bay Beach
So how are we going to explain why Big Bastards is one of the most fun places to spend your Philipsburg beach day. Let’s start with owners Marcel and Stephen, who know all about hospitality as former resort managers – so as a guest you clearly are in good hands. Let’s add to that their sense of humor – just see the place’s name, and where in the Caribbean can you buy a bikini saying Big Bastards, underwear claiming contents would comprise “Little bastards”? Once in a lifetime St. Maarten souvenirs for yourself, the people you love but also for those you like a tad less. (Then there are some details like good beer / chairs / umbrella deals, a unique Philipsburg breakfast menu but we presume the fans were already convinced this place earns a visit on a true Philipsburg beach day.)
10. Ocean Lounge Beach Bar
Holland House Beach Hotel is a St. Maarten institute; its proximity to important national institutions and great customer service makes it a distinguished hotel of choice for foreign dignitaries. Beyond the stairs of its property restaurant of equal fame Ocean Lounge, you find its beach bar. As you understand from above, this is your Philipsburg beach bar address for a high end service, food, champagne and wines. At the beach, that is.
11. Veranda – Oyster Bay Beach
We end our beach bar selection on the eastern point of the island, only meters from the St. Martin – St. Maarten border through Oyster Bay lagoon. Facing Oyster Bay Beach where the Atlantic rolls in, Veranda Bistro & Restaurant offers a beach side alternative to Oyster Bay Beach Resorts Infinity Restaurant. As with most golden beach bar nuggets in this list, Veranda is somewhat hidden within the resort – ask for directions at the resort gate, and we are convinced the view, cocktails and food options make it worthwhile.