Philipsburg: Maho Beach Aircraft Landings, Orient Bay, the Two-Nation Open Border, Great Bay Waterfront, Loterie Farm, and the Post-Irma Rebuilt Island
Philipsburg, the capital of Dutch Sint Maarten, is the gateway to the most internationally recognized beach aircraft experience at Maho, the French Saint Martin beach culture of Orient Bay, the unique two-nation open border sharing the world's smallest divided island, and the rebuilt resort infrastructure following Hurricane Irma.
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Maho Beach: The Aircraft Landing Experience
Maho Beach at the end of the Princess Juliana International Airport runway on the Dutch Sint Maarten side, where the commercial aircraft land at extremely low altitude directly over the beach and the jet blast from departing aircraft sends the beach visitors airborne in a spectacle that is simultaneously dangerous and exhilarating, is the most internationally recognized single beach experience in the Caribbean and the most photographed aircraft-and-beach image in aviation and travel media worldwide.
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Orient Bay: The French Saint Martin Beach
Orient Bay on the French Saint Martin side, the 2-kilometer crescent of fine white sand with the beach clubs, the restaurants, and the legendary clothing-optional Club Orient at the south end, is considered by French Caribbean beach standards to be among the finest beach environments in the Lesser Antilles, with the Ilet Pinel island accessible by a 10-minute boat shuttle providing a completely undeveloped snorkeling and picnic beach experience across the lagoon.
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The Open Border: One Island Two Nations
Sint Maarten and Saint Martin, sharing the 87-square-kilometer island that is the smallest land area in the world divided between two nations, maintain an open border under the 1648 Treaty of Concordia that allows free movement between the Dutch southern half and the French northern half without passport formality, creating the unique Caribbean experience of crossing between the Dutch Kingdom and the French Republic on a 5-minute drive. The border monument on the hill above Philipsburg marks the official transition.
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Great Bay Beach: The Philipsburg Waterfront
Great Bay Beach in front of the Philipsburg capital, the primary urban beach of the Dutch Sint Maarten, serves the cruise ship visitors from the Philipsburg harbor with the duty-free shopping strip of Front Street immediately behind the beach and the restaurants and beach bars providing the complete resort-beach-and-shopping combination in a walkable 800-meter waterfront. The cruise ship traffic brings up to 18,000 day visitors to Philipsburg on peak days.
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Loterie Farm: The French Side Eco-Reserve
Loterie Farm on the French Saint Martin side, the 135-acre private nature reserve on the slopes of Pic du Paradis, the highest point on the island, provides the eco-tourism alternative to the beach experience with the trail network through the secondary tropical forest, the Flying Dutchman rope course and zipline, and the Hidden Forest Cafe restaurant in the forest clearing. Loterie Farm is the most complete nature experience on either side of the island.
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Sint Maarten Practical: Hurricane Irma and the Rebuilt Island
Sint Maarten was devastated by Hurricane Irma in September 2017, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever recorded at landfall, which destroyed approximately 90 percent of the island infrastructure and required a 3-year reconstruction effort that has rebuilt most of the hotel and tourism infrastructure. The rebuilt Sint Maarten, with new hotel inventory and restored airport capacity, is the most fully recovered major hurricane-devastated Caribbean tourism destination.