Mullet to Maho beach

[batchbunch55]

Hey fellow cruisers. 

 

One late evening I found a post about guests going to Mullet beach for the day and then being able to walk over to Maho to see the planes and taxi back to the ship. 

 

Could anyone help me understand the process and time commitment for that plan?

 

I cant for the life of me find this post again nor anything like it. It could just be me, but I thought I would post again regardless. 

 

I am under the impression there will be FOUR ships docked the day our cruise is there. 

 

Has anyone ever done this? We are looking for a nice, family friendly beach for sometime but also want to experience the planes landing.

 

Any other recommendations?

 

TIA

[yqjoy]

This?

[RMH]

That is pretty much our itinerary every time we stop in St Maarten and it is usually the best day of the cruise.  Mullet Bay is beautiful, not crowded, and very laid back.  They do not have any fancy restaurants or day passes, so if that is what you are looking for, it may not work.  We typically take the bus from Philipsburg ($2 a person) to Mullet Bay.  The buses are all marked and easy to catch.  You pay when you exit.  Cabs are just as easy to catch, and you can get them from to port if you do not want to go into Philipsburg - but I don't know the cost.  After swimming, snorkeling, and enjoying Mullet Bay in the AM, we walk over to Maho beach - which is the next beach over - in the early afternoon when the big planes from the US and Europe start to arrive and depart.  It is an easy 15-minute walk through the golf course and the small town of Maho.  The planes are very cool and always a highlight.  Just don't set up on the beach directly across from the runway or the jet blast will blow all your stuff into the water when they take off.  After you have your fill of planes, it is easy to catch a cab or a bus at the roundabout back to Philipsburg.  Great day and if you bring your own food the total cost is about $9 for the bus and a beach chair.  Not too bad.

[batchbunch55]

Thank you both very much! 

Thats exactly the information and reassurance I was looking for. 🙂 

 

Sounds like a plan!

 

Thank you!

[soonernstlouis]

MUCH appreciate this thread & yqjoy’s link to a past thread on the subject.  I had seen a YouTube video of a guy actually recording the walk from Mullet to Maho & that gave me hope that we could avoid an additional short taxi ride.  

 

Of course the devil in me says (based on the aerial pic the older thread shows): why not cut past that motel? to the left of Mullet Beach and go past the housing on the back-side of the golf course to Maho?  I guess the additional 10 minutes saved could result in a trespassing charge, so I doubt I’d risk it.

 

Also agree that saving Maho until later in the day gives you the most plane landings.

[RMH]

On 3/3/2019 at 2:54 PM, soonernstlouis said:

Of course the devil in me says (based on the aerial pic the older thread shows): why not cut past that motel? to the left of Mullet Beach and go past the housing on the back-side of the golf course to Maho?  I guess the additional 10 minutes saved could result in a trespassing charge, so I doubt I’d risk it.

From what I understand, you are not able to access the hotels and beach from the back-side of the golf course.  I can't confirm that, but the photo in the link below does show a pretty unscalable fence which looks like it could go the entire length of the road.   The walk via the golf course is easy and it puts you right at traffic circle and the beginning of the little road that goes perpendicular to the edge of the runway.  However, if you do find it really is a short-cut, please let us know.  We would be very interested!

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@18.0406055,-63.1237408,3a,47.7y,342.39h,76.39t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOz6i8L31FZU1qCCBwk1UOjt2Z6ZMPzCoJuwTrg!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOz6i8L31FZU1qCCBwk1UOjt2Z6ZMPzCoJuwTrg%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya229.90471-ro-0-fo100!7i14000!8i7000

[mtmomof3]

I can confirm that in the past (pre Irma) you could not access Maho beach from behind the hotels and back side of the golf course when walking from Mullet Bay - the attempt at the short cut turned into a nice tour of the golf course!  It is a very easy walk however to Maho.  Just walk back to the main road from the Mullet Bay parking lot and follow the road to the right and stay right and it will lead you to Maho! 

 

I too would be interested if this has changed as we will be visiting in July.  Mullet Bay is our favorite beach but it is easier to catch a taxi back to the port from Maho!

[Libbiroed]

On 3/2/2019 at 9:06 PM, RMH said:

That is pretty much our itinerary every time we stop in St Maarten and it is usually the best day of the cruise.  Mullet Bay is beautiful, not crowded, and very laid back.  They do not have any fancy restaurants or day passes, so if that is what you are looking for, it may not work.  We typically take the bus from Philipsburg ($2 a person) to Mullet Bay.  The buses are all marked and easy to catch.  You pay when you exit.  Cabs are just as easy to catch, and you can get them from to port if you do not want to go into Philipsburg - but I don't know the cost.  After swimming, snorkeling, and enjoying Mullet Bay in the AM, we walk over to Maho beach - which is the next beach over - in the early afternoon when the big planes from the US and Europe start to arrive and depart.  It is an easy 15-minute walk through the golf course and the small town of Maho.  The planes are very cool and always a highlight.  Just don't set up on the beach directly across from the runway or the jet blast will blow all your stuff into the water when they take off.  After you have your fill of planes, it is easy to catch a cab or a bus at the roundabout back to Philipsburg.  Great day and if you bring your own food the total cost is about $9 for the bus and a beach chair.  Not too bad.

Where do you catch the bus from in Philipsburg? I would love to take the bus but have not seen the street/area that you catch the buses at.

[RMH]

22 hours ago, Libbiroed said:

Where do you catch the bus from in Philipsburg? I would love to take the bus but have not seen the street/area that you catch the buses at.

If you walk to Back Street (2 streets from the Boardwalk) there will be a small area about every 3 intersections where the buses will pick up passengers.  It is a rectangle shape painted on the street and the buses are really just min-vans with a placard in the window that says "Maho" or "Mullet Bay".  You can also just flag them down and they will pull over and stop.  You have to go Back Street, however, since that is a one-way street heading out of Philipsburg in the correct direction.  

[Libbiroed]

Thank you! This is helpful information!