James Ozzie,
There are other instrument approaches that can be used, for example a VOR/DME approach, which is used at this airport.
I have operated to St Maarten, and it is as exciting as the photographs show. The departures are even more spectacular with each airline designing it's own procedure to avoid the mountains in the straight-out path.
If you do a search for the airport online, you will find many photographs and some movies of aircraft landing at St. Maarten, including shots whis show the hotel from which this particular photo was taken.
For info, the white markings on the runway are to indicate a displaced threshold.
H