TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Beacon Hill and Airplane Noise

Hello,

We are thinking of reserving a condo on Fan Coral Road in Beacon Hill during Christmas/New Year's week-(the busiest week of the year?) The building is right next to the Simpson Bay beach access steps. I keep reading that the airport is not busy at night, but I'm still wondering about the noise level during the day. I was just wondering if I could get EVERYONE'S opinion (HAHA) so I can continue to make myself crazy as I deliberate this decision. The beach looks great and the condo looks beautiful and has great reviews. One reviewer said it was noisy and now I'm down the rabbit hole! This will be our first time in SXM, and my kids are young adults, so I thought they would enjoy being near MAHO at night for the casino and bar options. Also, with what I have read about traffic, I thought it would be convenient to have the beach right there, as well as Mullet, that we can just walk to on high traffic/cruise ship days. (We do plan to explore other beaches.) So I guess my question is--just how bad is the noise? I know this is subjective but opinions please!

Thanks!

Hi. We stay at Beachside Villas , which is RIGHT next to the runway. We have never been bothered by noise from airplanes. We very much enjoy seeing the planes and we are talking one big plane every half hour or so, and various small ones. Big planes do NOT come in after about 6 PM or before 9 AM, unless they are seriously delayed.

You might want to take a look at the Princess Juliana website, and see what planes come in at what times. In general, most of the planes who come in are small jobs. There are generally about 5 or 6 big planes per day during the week and more on weekends. For that week at the end of the year, you will get a ton of private jets come in, but they are not noisy. I wouldn't be concerned about noise at all.

Also, when looking at "noise times," remember that large jets make a lot more noise landing than they do taking off (reverse thrusters deployed in a relatively concentrated area). Smaller jets, less noise, of course.

I stayed at Royal Islander (very close to the airport) recently, and the jets never bothered anybody in our party. Keep in mind the fact that most large jets arrive between noon and 3:00 PM. Departures go until about 4:30. I agree with Carol 100%.

Another suggestion might be to check out the webcams of the airport. Maho Beach and Sunset Beach Bar. Check them out during the times that you are concerned about.

IMO, your concern is understandable but unnecessary. Go and enjoy!

We’ve have stayed in the area for the past 30 years and airport noise is not a problem for us. Most of the biggest planes don’t start arriving until around noon and most of the flights have left well before most people’s bedtime. Obviously Christmas week is one of the busiest with other rich and famous private jets coming in but still not a problem.

Evening noise is near zero. Afternoon noise is a not too frequent interesting noise. Depending on when you like to wake up, the first noise you are likely to hear in a Winair prop reving at about 7:00am. Sounds like a WW2 airplane. We love it. You could probably nod back off or maybe take it as a sign that suns up and time to get moving.

We too have stayed at Beachside Villas, like Carol, and noise was never a problem.

If you're staying where I think you will be you can walk the beach down to K Bar, Mary's Boon and close by, D's. All have food, drinks, chairs on the beach.

D's serves Sunday Brunch with live music at noon Saturday music at 6pm, Wednesday, Jazz night, Friday movie night. Staying next door at Beachside Villas music is not loud and has never bothered us.,

TJ--right, that prop job is pretty noisy at 7 AM for about 30 seconds, but then I just roll over and go back to sleep.

By the way, Mullet is a LONG way to walk from Fan Coral Road. If you're pretty healthy, walking to SSBB and Maho is doable, but honestly, for Maho or beyond, just hop in the car.

We stay in Maho right next to the airport and have never been bothered by airplane noise. We hear it, but it is only during the day and we enjoy watching the planes land and take off. Nighttime sleep is never affected.

We also stay at Beachside Villas and agree with Carol's assessment regarding noise not an issue for us.

We love being able to watch the planes land and take off from both the beach and the pool area.

One of the perks, in our opinion, is that D's Beach Bar & Restaurant has built a fantastic covered observation deck, offering the perfect spot to watch the planes on the runway. So, not only is the noise not an issue, but it's actually a pleasure to observe the action.

A downside of staying in Beacon Hill area, however, is dealing with the crowds when cruise ship passengers flood the Maho Beach area. We plan our daily ventures out around that whenever possible. Usually an issue between 10 am - 3 pm. It does not deter us from staying there.

Greetings,

I spent many weeks on the other side of the airport at xmas 2024.

Its not the many jumbo jets's noise that was annoying... its that fire bell that rings a whole hour at a time.

Bring on the rior, its soon over... the bell??? Ohhh no. Once you pick up on it, it yours forever.

Also, after two xmas' at mullet, be aware of the Christmas winds, steep entry and undertow whilst accessing between large waves. Its ok if you are young and fit, but not a risk i was comfortable with.

Beach bars are highly recommended.

Have fun!

Thank you all for this info and tips! I feel better about this location. I have some follow-up questions, of course, that I will post for the experts at a later time. I value and appreciate your input.

sorry "fire bell"?? What is that?

I've never heard a Fire Bell all the times on island except for a real fire.

Thank you. We don't mind a decent walk but we will have to see. How is parking by Mullet?

Mullet has a free bumpy rocky lot along with road side parking.

I'll be honest, we stayed near the airport for two months, two years ago. We stayed near the Morgan building. The whole trip was stressful because of the continuous aircraft noise starting at 7am till 7pm.
Also, the music from Mykenos, Sunset beach bar and Sands beach bar was loud daily. The Simpsons Bay beach was rough most of the time. This year we stayed for two months in Cupecoy and the Simspson's Bay beach was non swimable the whole time, some people risked going in but it was dangerous.

Cupecoy isn't part of Simpson Bay Beach area so not sure what you're trying to say.

Scuba--Yes, Cupecoy is nowhere near Simpson Bay Beach.

CC--Noise from those beach bars doesn't have anything to do with staying in Beacon Hill.

Thank you. We would be on the other side of Beacon Hill, not near the Morgan. Also, are you talking about Simpson Bay Beach or another beach? From my understanding, Simpson Bay Beach is not very calm but I had not read that it was as dangerous as you describe.

I don't know what they are talking about either. Sometimes Simpson Bay beach can be rough, as can any beach, but I wouldn't call it dangerous. Now Mullet can be calm as bathwater, but it can be dangerous there, for sure. Not sure what they are talking about.

The conditions at Simpson Bay Beach can vary. Sometimes it is mostly calm and very swimmable and other times it can get a bit rough. All depends on weather and tradewinds. When it is rough, Mullet is generally a good alternative as it is more protected from the "elements".

You will here the noise from when the planes take off from the runway.
We stayed in Cupecoy but checked out the other beaches regularly. Cupecoy, Mullet bay and Simspson Bay beaches were rough most of the time with not many people trying to swim in them. The waves and swells were very high. We always went to Kim Sha, Pinel, Great Bay or Grand Case, which were calm most of the time.

Thank you. This is what I had thought.

It's the ocean. It changes many times in a day. It depends on the winds....sometimes calm....and then in a few moments all hell can break lose. Mother Nature at her finest.

Thank you. We will go with the flow!