Last Updated on March 27, 2026 by Adrienne
I fell in love with St. Martin on our recent visit and one of the things I loved about the island is that it’s so much more than just beaches, although it has those in spades too. Whether you want to climb a mountain, get up close with exotic birds or bop over to a different island for the day, there’s something for everyone. Here are my top 5 favorite things I did during my visit to St. Martin (and all of them are family-friendly if you’re traveling with kids!).
Watch the airplanes land at Maho Beach (“Airplane Beach”)
In the social media age, St. Martin is perhaps best known for the photos people have taken at Maho Beach of airplanes landing directly overhead. The SXM airport runways are located right next to Maho Beach (fittingly also known as “Airplane Beach”) on the Dutch side and planes come in for landing flying low right above beach-goers. It’s fun to see the small island-hopper planes that arrive approximately every 10-15 minutes and downright thrilling to see the jumbo jets that arrive less frequently.
If you want to see the bigger planes, I recommend spending the afternoon here since the jets coming from North America and Europe tend not to arrive before noon. Maho Beach also has nice waves and, planes aside, is a great spot for bodyboarding.
Tip: You can park for free at Sunset Beach Bar if you order food from there. While it wasn’t one of our best meals on the island in terms of the food, everything we ordered was decent and it’s a great spot to watch the planes land from a different perspective than you get on the beach.
Feed the birds at Parotte Ville Bird Park
If anyone in your group is an animal lover, don’t miss Parotte Ville Bird Park, where for $15 per adult/$7 per kid(cash only) you can spend as long as you want surrounded by brightly colored tropical birds like parrots, parakeets and conures. If you’re lucky, you may even get to visit their toucan, who is kept in a separate enclosure. Admission includes a large cup of birdseed and the birds are very tame and will fly up to take the food from you – they may even land on your arm or head! This was one of the highlights of the trip for my 5 year old, and I really enjoyed it too.
Tip: Parotte Ville opens at 9:30 am and I recommend getting there early if you’re staying on the island. It fills up with cruise ship crowds later in the day.
Hike to Pic Paradis, St. Martin’s highest point
I love St. Martin’s rolling green mountains, which provide a nice backdrop for the beautiful beaches. You can climb to the tallest point on the island, Pic Paradis (Paradise Peak) which is just over 1,300 feet in elevation. The hike starts at Loterie Farm, a private resort, and they charge you 10 euros per person for the privilege, which is kind of annoying, but at least they include maps and hiking poles in that price. They open at 9 am and I recommend getting there as early as possible to beat the heat. The three mile trail will likely take somewhere around 2-3 hours round trip depending on your fitness, and should be doable by most kids over the age of 5 or so. It’s well-marked except for one section near the end where you cross a dirt road. Don’t turn right towards the large gate and follow the trail next to it that heads down. Rather, you should turn left, walk along the road for a bit and look for an extension of the trail coming off on the right.
Apparently it’s pretty common to spot monkeys along the trail, but we didn’t get lucky enough to see one. We did enjoy seeing lots of butterflies on top of the mountain, and near the end of the hike we spotted some iguanas displaying orange colors for breeding season. If you want to, you could spend an entire day at Loterie Farm, which also has a restaurant, a pool with daybeds and cabanas for rent and activities like ziplining (55″ height minimum) and a children’s playground but all these activities are pretty overpriced.
Explore nearby islands like Anguilla and St. Barts
St. Martin is a jumping-off point for many nearby island countries, and you can visit gems like Anguilla, St. Barts and Saba for the day on a public ferry or tour. You could easily spend an entire week island-hopping around the Lesser Antilles with St. Martin as a home base, but I wanted to leave plenty of time to see St. Martin itself so I limited myself to one day trip. I eventually opted for the full day Anguilla Getaway tour operated by Billy Bones, which was fabulous. They took us to three of Anguilla’s most famous and beautiful beaches (Maundays Bay, Shoal Bay and Meads Bay) with time for swimming at each, in addition to a snorkeling stop at Little Bay. I felt like we really got to experience Anguilla on this tour and weren’t just checking it off a list.
Have the perfect beach day at Grand Case Beach
I know I said there’s more to St. Martin than the beach – but the beaches are really great and I had to slip one in to this list. Grand Case Beach is the perfect place for a day of lounging and playing in the gorgeous water. I’m biased because our wonderful resort Grand Case Beach Club is located on one end of this expansive beach, and so we spent a lot of time there. But I really think this is one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, and it’s calm waters make it a great choice for families with young children or adults looking to do water sports like stand-up paddle boarding.
Ready to plan a trip to St. Martin? I’m a certified travel advisor who has traveled extensively in the Caribbean and would love to help you plan the perfect beach escape to SXM or another island. I can book hotels, resorts and cruises at no extra charge to you with lots of great perks included at many properties, including room upgrades, early check-in/late check-out, resort credits and complimentary breakfast. Reach out to me today at adrienne.miller@fora.travel for more info or to start planning a trip!
This post contains affiliate links and I will earn a small commission at no extra charge to you if you book a tour through my link. I only link to tours I’ve personally taken and enthusiastically recommend. Thanks for your support of Destinations & Desserts.
