# Simpson Bay Resort & Marina - St. Maarten



## hotcoffee (Nov 30, 2012)

After waiting six months with my search for the 8 premier quality resorts on St. Maarten and St. Lucia, I was offered and accepted a 2BR unit at Simpson Bay Resort & Marina for late July/early August 2013.  Did I make a mistake in taking this one?  What are some of the opinions and experiences of those who have been there (or know much about this resort)?  Also, any experiences good or bad would be welcome.  How is the location?  I have never been to St. Maarten.  So, every comment applicable to that resort and its location would be welcome.  Thanks.


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## JMSH (Nov 30, 2012)

The good thing about the area is that you can walk to lots of bars/place to eat. IMHO the best beaches are on the french side as well as the best restaraunts in Grand Case and Marigot. I am more partial to the french side than the Dutch side but there are no timeshare units on the french side.


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## scotlass (Dec 1, 2012)

We own at LaVista which is next door and seldom rent a car.  There is a small grocery store, The Peli Deli, that has all that we need, and there are restaurants there as well.  Once a week there is a boat that goes to Marigot if you want the French flavor, and cabs to Philipsburg are fairly cheap.  There are also boat trips around the island which originate from there.  If you want to explore the island, a one-day rental would suffice.  The resort also has its own small beach.

The only caution on this resort is the ownership.  It has passed hands a few times and I'm not sure what the status is now.  Someone who owns there would have to post to let you know the current situation.


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## hotcoffee (Dec 1, 2012)

scotlass said:


> The only caution on this resort is the ownership.  It has passed hands a few times and I'm not sure what the status is now.  Someone who owns there would have to post to let you know the current situation.



That is one of my concerns about this resort.  My search ran for a full six months with all of the top resorts on St. Maarten and St. Lucia.  II had called to offer a smaller room (studio maybe) that had come available at some resort.  I only wanted a two bedroom; so I did not pay much attention to that.  Then, they called about this opening at Simpson Bay Resort.  This resort was not on my list.  I tried to do some quick research, but was not able to come up with much negative in so short a time.  So, I took it.  I have since read the owners are very upset over the extra assessments they are being hit with.  They believe that they are footing the full bill for the ongoing rennovations occurring there.

I am hoping that owners or others knowing more about what is going on will post some information.  I am also hoping people who recently stayed there will comment.


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## stmartinfan (Dec 1, 2012)

For lots of information and up to date status on the resort, check out the St.Maartin/St. Martin forum on Travel Talk Online.  It's the equivalent of TUG for finding experts on the island.  You can use the search function to read about the ongoing legal situation, trip reports for people who have stayed there, etc.  
http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/postlist.php?Cat=0&Board=stmartin

I've been to SXM many times but never to that resort.  I know many people love staying in that area because of the ready access to restaurants, bars, etc.  I personally like to go to the area for that, but prefer to stay somewhere less congested, but that's a personal preference.  (We own at Divi Little Bay.)

I would definitely recommend renting a car, and visiting the many different beaches and areas of the island.  For most visitors, that's the charm of the island.  The beaches have quite different "personalities" and lots of fun beach bars and even gourmet dining.  the beach at Divi is nicer and less crowded than at Simpson Bay but I still would never consider just staying there for a week when there are so may other beautiful places to enjoy.  and despite the island's small size, if it's too windy on one side, it can be very pleasant across the island. Some of our favorites are Orient, Mullet, and Friar's


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## hotcoffee (Dec 1, 2012)

stmartinfan said:


> I would definitely recommend renting a car, and visiting the many different beaches and areas of the island.



I always rent a car wherever I go.  So, I will almost certainly do that there as well.  So far, regardless of where I have been, I have always found parking.  How is parking at Philipsburg, Marigot, Orient Beach, and the other beaches in general?


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## vettebuf (Dec 1, 2012)

We rented a car from the Hertz francise near the airport in September and the people from that company were nice to deal with. We had no trouble parking in Marigot or Philipsburg but that was during low season. I'm not sure how it would be in July/August. We paid for a van trip to Orient Bay offered by RI Club La Plage. Please be aware that you're driving up and down pretty steep mountains. We traded our original economy rental for another because we had to creep up the mountains. The second car didn't have that much more power.


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## hotcoffee (Dec 1, 2012)

scotlass said:


> The only caution on this resort is the ownership.  It has passed hands a few times and I'm not sure what the status is now.  Someone who owns there would have to post to let you know the current situation.



I am becoming more encouraged as I read up on everything I can find regarding the ownership issue.  It sounds like there is pretty good evidence that Hard Rock intends to buy the resort.  Since the resort is strapped for cash, someone or something must at least in part be the funding source for all of the renovations going on there, and that something might be Hard Rock.


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## stmartinfan (Dec 1, 2012)

Parking  is general very available at beaches like Orient, where there's lots of sandy spaces to park behind the beach bars.  Big exception for parking is Dawn Beach, where the Westin built an ugly building and blocked all the free parking.

In Philipsburg plan to park in one of the paid lots, because they are very quick to tow cars on the street even if it appears the spots are legal.  There's a lot at the at the end of the beach walk area (near the Greenhouse restaurant) that's convenient.  There is some free parking by the salt pond, unless the construction's going on in that area, and it's about a 4 block walk to the shopping street.  It's fine during the day but don't plan to park and walk any distance on Philipsburg at night though, for safety reasons.    

In Marigot, there's parking near the "market" area and the Marina Royale area, both of which have shopping and restaurants.

Most regulars to the island tend to use the independent car rental places, for both price and convenience.  If you search on travel talk online you'll find lots of discussions about favorites.  Most cars are small, which is actually good on the island for getting around and parking.


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## classiclincoln (Dec 1, 2012)

We stayed there in April 2012 and loved it.  Read our review in the Marketplace.  Congrats on your purchase!


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## ScubaLu (Dec 4, 2012)

*Upgrade*

We also just booked at Simpson Bay for this February. Everything I am reading says to upgrade to the villas. Seems pretty expensive-$1295.00 for this time of year. Anyone know if this is worth it?


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## hotcoffee (Dec 4, 2012)

ScubaLu said:


> We also just booked at Simpson Bay for this February. Everything I am reading says to upgrade to the villas. Seems pretty expensive-$1295.00 for this time of year. Anyone know if this is worth it?



Post how things go.  I doubt I would spend anything to upgrade.  The "B" building that shows up for my exchange is scheduled for rennovation starting in May.  So, they will have to move our reservation to one of the other buildings.  That means we will have a good chance to get moved into one of the recently rennovated buildings.  I have heard the that rennovated rooms are pretty nice.


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## pjrose (Dec 10, 2012)

We are former owners and are still on their mailing list.  We just got an email about significant upgrades that have been done recently.  They have gutted and renovated some - not all - of the older buildings.  (We bought resale units inexpensively when the Royal Resorts took over, with plan of using them for exchanging.  We got lots of good exchanges, but turned our units back to the Royals when the MFs and assessments got out of hand. )

Look here for photos:
http://www.simpsonbayresortnews.com/renovation-project/

The "villas" are completely different, modeled after the Royal Resorts in Cancun and Playa del Carmen, so will definitely be nice, but from these pictures, it looks to me like the renovated buildings are extremely nice now too!

Do what you can to get into one of the renovated buildings.

Here's the email:

_Dear Members,

We are excited to bring you up to date on developments at Simpson Bay Resort.

As you know, we have undertaken extensive renovations in the original part of the resort. Most of the units on that part of the property had not been renovated in over 20 years, and were sorely in need of complete refurbishment. We started the renovation project by gutting 80 units and replacing nearly everything with new, modern, top-of-the-line materials and furnishings. We also added air conditioning to all of the units that lacked it in the living areas, and we rehabilitated the common areas and the Caladium/Croton pool. At this point we have finished renovating the Allamanda, Croton, Caladium, and Diffenbachia buildings. We must stop there and suspend the renovation program until next year's low season to ensure we have room for everyone during high season.

The renovated units have been met with widespread acclaim. In fact, we have just learned that the renovation has been nominated for two industry awards, and we have applied for the new units to receive the highest rating from Interval International. When approved, this rating will give interval owners in these renovated units a high level of exchange power, which they have never enjoyed before. If you haven't had a chance to view the renovation photos at www.simpsonbayresort.com, please do so - we think you will be very happy with the results.

As we have stated previously, we plan to bring all of the units at the resort up to this high standard in the next three years. This is in keeping with our goal to make Simpson Bay Resort the top timeshare resort in the Caribbean, and to establish unparalleled value for our members.

We have also been working hard to make sure the resort continues to operate at the highest level. Though we have streamlined operations, ask your friends who have visited the resort recently and they will tell you the resort has never run or looked better. Thanks to an extremely dedicated staff that really cares about the members, we have been able to elevate service at the resort to levels never seen before.

We still have a way to go and a lot of work to do, and we will not rest on our laurels. We will strive to continue improving the resort in all areas. However, we are very optimistic about the direction of the resort so far. As we continue to invest in the resort's future we hope you will continue to enjoy the very best we have to offer, and that you will share your experiences with your friends and other members who might not yet realize how much we have accomplished.

Thank you for continuing to support Simpson Bay Resort.

Sincerely,

Mark Miller

General Director 

Simpson Bay Resort
© 2012 Simpson Bay Resort & Marina._​


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## hotcoffee (Dec 11, 2012)

Thanks for posting the letter from the resort.  The unit assigned to our exchange reservation appears to be in the "B" building all the way in the back.  However, I read some posts from owners who noted that that building is scheduled for rennovation from May through October 2013.  Therefore, since our reservation is for the last week in July, they will have to move us to another building.  I might try contacting them and press for one of the rennovated buildings.

There has been a lot of encouraging news about that resort lately, and my confidence is growing that it will still be operating when we are scheduled to go there.  Some of the earlier news did not sound so go because of the labor dispute and financial issues.  But, they must have gotten an infusion of cash from somewhere to make such extensive rennovations.  Someone in another forum hinted that it might have come from Hard Rock.

If the sale to Hard Rock is completed, Simpson Bay Resort might eventually become one of the more desireable locations in the Caribbean to visit.


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## topmom101 (Dec 11, 2012)

My friends and I have been going to St. Maarten once, sometimes twice a year for the past 10 years. We used to stay in Orient Beach (French side) the first 3 years but didn't exactly feel welcomed there by the French people and decided to switch to the Dutch side where the people are much more friendly.

We always stay at the Flamingo Resort in Simpson Bay and we love it.  We only rent a car for a day or two to go to Pinel Island, Phillipsburg to shop and have dinner, and a day trip to Orient Beach.  There is so much within walking distance, I don't think you need to rent a car. Peli Deli carries everything you might need at very reasonable prices (liquor and wine dirt cheap).  The Red Piano Bar is a fun place with live music and there are several restaurants in the area as well.  

I highly recommend you take a taxi to Karakter Beach and spend the day.  The fare is only $4 per person each way.  The beach is absolutely gorgeous, the chairs and umbrellas are free as long as you patronize the little beach restaurant/bar.  You'll have a wonderful time!!!


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## jmdickie (Dec 28, 2012)

My daughter arrives at Simpson Bay Jan 5th. I have read through this thread and it sounds like there have been many updates. On the "resort ratings" section of TUG most reviews are pretty old. Can someone recommend a building to request at this time. She is booked into a 1 bedroom. 
Thanks


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## jackie (Dec 29, 2012)

We are going to be in building A.  Can anyone give any information.


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## classiclincoln (Dec 29, 2012)

We still have the most recent review from when we were there in April.  We were in the Villas, which is the center building.  It's the newest one and was great!


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## KathyA (Feb 5, 2013)

jackieweidle said:


> We are going to be in building A.  Can anyone give any information.



Building A has been renovated.  You'll have a great time.


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## LisaRex (Feb 17, 2013)

We are in negotiations to rent a 5 bdrm villa on Dawn Beach.  I see on a map that it's quite aways from Simpson Bay.  Should I target my search to that area instead? 

We are fine being in a remote area, but would like to be close to restaurants and nightlife, too.


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## JMSH (Feb 17, 2013)

There are a number of places to eat around Dawn Beach and the Westin and Oyster Bay resorts are there. The two best places IMO are Marigot and Grand Case to eat and you certainly will need a car to get there. To really enjoy St.Martin you will need a car because various areas offer various things. Dawn Beach also has a casino as the Westin


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## LisaRex (Feb 18, 2013)

Thanks for the information!


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## pedro47 (Feb 18, 2013)

What is the main currency for the island; dollars or euros ?


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## JMSH (Feb 18, 2013)

US dollars are widely accepted


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## deemac (Feb 21, 2013)

LisaRex said:


> We are in negotiations to rent a 5 bdrm villa on Dawn Beach.  I see on a map that it's quite aways from Simpson Bay.  Should I target my search to that area instead?
> 
> We are fine being in a remote area, but would like to be close to restaurants and nightlife, too.



Look at 5-bd villa owned by Roberta Valins.   "Casa Boco."  www.rentsxmvillas.com

NOTE:  (if you decide to go with her, tell her Dolores McC sent you -- btw., I get NOTHING for referring her).


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## JMSH (Mar 20, 2013)

We just got a trade for this resort for March 22nd 2014. Looking forward to it. Like the idea that the resort is attempting to make themselves the top resort in the islands!!


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## hotcoffee (Mar 20, 2013)

JMSH said:


> We just got a trade for this resort for March 22nd 2014. Looking forward to it. Like the idea that the resort is attempting to make themselves the top resort in the islands!!



I know they have applied to II for a Premier Resort status.  I thought I saw on their web site that II agreed for their rennovated buildings.  But, II still does not show them as a Premier.  It shows the Villas as a Premier, but not the resort.


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