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It will be like nothing you've ever shot before, a perfect place to bring your partner, a great injection of winter sunshine in the Caribbean AND a chance to learn the tips, tricks and techniques to hone your post-processing skills along the way.
The shots of airliners over the beach will blow you away (pretty much 'literally'!) What's more, the hotel is ALL-INCLUSIVE and the beach is walking distance, with it's own sandy beach bar.
The St Maarten airport itself is special, a real bucket list item to shoot, with its extreme low-approach over the beach... But it gets even more crazy at St Barts, where the regional commuter types have to dive nose-first over a cliff edge to land on the tarmac at head-height! This is available as an optional extra excursion.
Aircraft at St Maarten's Princess Juliana Airport range from Boeing and Airbus wide bodies on long haul routes; medium jets like 737s, 757s, 320s etc; down to small, island hoppers like BN Islanders, Dash-8s, Caravans etc. Plus, a good number of biz-jets.
We stay 5 nights, 6 days at the 4* Sonesta Mayo Beach Hotel & Resort on a Fully Inclusive basis (all meals and drinks included).
An unforgettable photographic and leisure experience.
This joint COAP-IAAT trip, covering 23rd February to 1st March, is offered on an all-inclusive basis and has options to include flights from London or Land Only (flights to St Maarten not included), as well as Twin Share or Single Room basis.
Tour Cost with flights from London (Twin Share Room, All Inclusive, 6 days, 5 nights, including flights from London to St Maarten): From £3299
Land Only option (Twin Share Room, All Inclusive, 6 days, 5 nights, but meeting in St Maarten & flight quote from your local airport available on request): From £1745
Single Room Supplement: From £1130 (PLEASE INDICATE ON BOOKING FORM, WHICH SHOWS SINGLE ROOM BY DEFAULT)
On this exciting tour you can do as much or as little aviation has you wish, you can even photograph from the hotel, from various points around the airport, and, a 2-minute walk from the hotel along the beach, from the “Sunset Beach Bar & Grill" the perfect ‘oasis’ for anyone looking to enjoy a cool, refreshing drink and great meals!
The creativity and photo opportunities are endless!
Explore the island by hire car or bus, and the adjacent islands by boat. Take a flight with one of the local commuter airlines like St Barth Commuter (BN Islanders), Windward Express (Islanders and Twin Otters) or LIAT Caribbean Airlines (Dash-8s). Nearby is the tiny island of St Barts, famous – or infamous – because its airport’s runway starts at the top of a steep hill and ends right down by the beach! You'll never experience anything like it!
We fly on the scheduled services of KLM. The tour cost is based on flying from London’s Heathrow Airport to St Maarten via Amsterdam, but you can also fly with the airline from your local airport very easily – get in touch for a tailored quote!.
We stay 5 nights at the 4* Sonesta Beach Hotel & Resort (https://sonestastmaarten.com/) on a Fully Inclusive basis, see below:
As Sint Maarten’s largest all-inclusive resort, the room rate includes all of the following:
• Welcome drink and cold towel at check-in
• Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks each day at any of the resort’s restaurants
• International and domestic beer, wine and spirits, fruit drinks and soft drinks in all bars, including the Oasis swim-up pool bar
• Minibar refreshed daily with soft drinks and bottled water (Signature rooms and Suites include spirits and beer)
• Daytime and evening entertainment and activities at Sonesta Maho Beach Resort
• Fitness Center
• Free resort-wide Wi-Fi
• All hotel taxes, utility and service fees
This trip is also perfect to bring a partner along, or extend your stay - please contact us for a tailored quote.
Having already checked in on-line and deposited your luggage at KLM’s Bag Drop in Terminal 4 of London’s Heathrow Airport, please meet your Ian Allan Tour Manager and fellow group members who will be stood by the check-in/bag drop area. Latest recommended check-in/bag drop time is 2 hours prior to departure: 04:30.
Your luggage will be booked all the way through to Heathrow Airport and you will receive a boarding card for both flights.
• Heathrow Airport, Terminal 4, Flight: KL 1000, Departs: 06:30
• Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Arrives: 08:55
On arrival we follow the “Transfer Passengers” sign to the gate of our onward flight. Boarding should commence at 10:10.
• Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Flight: KL 777, Departs: 10:50
• St Maarten, Arrives: 14:55
We then transfer to our hotel by pre-paid taxis.
Situated on Maho Beach overlooking the Caribbean Sea, the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino Hotel is only 1 km from Princess Juliana International Airport. It features on-site dining, 2 pools, and a spa, well-equipped rooms and lots of hotel amenities.
Guest can choose between The Point Restaurant offering tropical seafood and steak; the Ocean Terrace serving all-day buffets; The Palms Grill, a beach-front café, for lunch and dinner; the Pizzeria Napoli for hand-crafted pizzas; and The Ascot Pub & Sports Bar for English pub food.
Phillipsburg, the main city in the French half of the island, is 12.5km from the hotel. The famous “Simpson Bay Beach” is 10 minutes away by taxi.
Four solid days of up-close bucket list aviation photography… To enjoy as you like. Relax on the beach, take a dip in the warm blue Caribbean water and shoot whilst you do so! Capture dramatic images of the the landing and departing aircraft from the beach or from the famous “Sunset Beach Bar & Grill”. There'll be as many angles covered as possible and we'll be holding workshops and challenges throughout!
After another morning of image creativity and learning, we transfer by pre-paid taxi to Princess Juliana Airport early afternoon and check in for our return flights; latest check-in/bag drop time is 3 hours prior to departure: 14:00.
Your luggage will be booked all the way through to Heathrow Airport and you will receive a boarding card for both flights.
• St Maarten, Flight: KL 787, Departs: 17:00
• Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Arrives: 10:00
On arrival we make our way to the departure gate of our onward flight to London. Boarding should commence at 11:05.
• Amsterdam Schiphol , Flight: KL 1007, Departs: 11:45
• London Heathrow Airport, Terminal 4, Arrives: 14:55
In Baggage Reclaim we bid each other farewell – until we meet again!
Tour Cost with flights from London (Twin Share Room, All Inclusive, 6 days, 5 nights, including flights from London to St Maarten): From £3299
Land Only option (Twin Share Room, All Inclusive, 6 days, 5 nights, but meeting in St Maarten & flight quote from your local airport available on request): From £1745
Single Room Supplement: From £1130 (PLEASE INDICATE ON BOOKING FORM, WHICH SHOWS SINGLE ROOM BY DEFAULT)
All images: Andrew Martin
