# St Maarten Which Area to stay in



## Whitesandybeaches1 (Jul 21, 2010)

Location wise for things to do How far is the Oyster Bay area from downtown and is downtown the area one would want to be in. How far is Simpson Bay? I've read that Simpson bay is 15 miles from down down and Oyster bay is 3 miles and I thought that was probably wrong.


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## timesharejunkie4 (Jul 23, 2010)

SInce no one esle has replied, I'll tell you what I can. Simpson Bay is about a 15 minute drive to Phillipsburg. Oyster Bay is a little longer. The biggest differences between the 2 areas is that Oyster Bay is more isolated from shops and restaurants. Simpson Bay has a lot of restaurants and some shooping within the immediate area. To fully enjoy St. Maarten you should rent a car.


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## tombo (Jul 23, 2010)

I think that there is only one timeshare dowtown in Phillipsburg, or there might also be one in a downtown casino. Phillipsburg is great to visit and shop when cruise ships are not in port. It is a zoo when the ships unload and I avoid it. I stay at Little Bay which is within sight of Phillipsburg across Great Bay standing on the hill at Fort Amsterdam, but even though it is walkable I drive there and  to Simpson Bay. Nothing is far away on the dutch side. Drive to the Sunset bar and let the planes fly overhead landing just behind you or if you are brave stand on the beach and let the jet blast pummel you as the jets take off, then go back to the outside  bar and wait for the next jumbo jet. In fact driving around the whole island from you room and back is a trip that is easy to make more than once per visit. We would drive to orient beach in the morning, back in the afternoon one day. One day to Grand case to eat lunch at Talk of the Town and circle the whole island on the way back stopping at Marigot to see the historic fort and shop with street vendors. I have never stayed at Simpson Bay or Oyster Bay, but for convenience and being able to walk to stores and restaurants I would think that Simpson Bay would be a better choice because there is not much in the oyster pond area.

Here are some good maps of the Island.
http://www.sint-maarten.net/St-Maarten-Maps/stmaarten_Maps.html

If you have any other questions please ask. i would have answered earlier but since I never stayed at either location I was hoping those that had would respond with their experiences.


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## stmartinfan (Jul 23, 2010)

While there's a timeshare (or perhaps two) in Philipsburg, that's not the area I would want to stay, as others have commented.  I also stay at Divi and like that it's convenient to Philipsburg, the Simpson Bay area (for lots of restaurants), the Maho area (also lots of restaurants and shops) and a reasonable drive to Marigot on the French side.  Because of the way it's situated on a penninsula of land, it's also quite private and you don't get any traffic.  The units have all been recently redecorated.

There are several timeshares (Pelican, for example) in the Simpson Bay area and many people like that area because they can walk to restaurants.  I personally like going there for restaurants and other attractions, but prefer staying at a quieter resort like Divi.  

Oyster Bay is very pretty and would be more convenient for Grand Case, known for its gourmet French restaurants.  We visit that area and go to Orient Beach often during the day from Divi, but it's a longer drive than we prefer to make at night.


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## RIMike (Jul 23, 2010)

*I vote for Oyster Bay Beach Resort area too!!*



Whitesandybeaches said:


> Location wise for things to do How far is the Oyster Bay area from downtown and is downtown the area one would want to be in. How far is Simpson Bay? I've read that Simpson bay is 15 miles from down down and Oyster bay is 3 miles and I thought that was probably wrong.



I have stayed several times and several places on the island. None are very far from anything else...but the traffic is bad on the Simpson Bay side of the island.  The opposite is true on the Oyster Bay side...while it is probably 5 miles to downtown Phillipsburg, it is a beautiful, relaxing side of the island, close to Grand Case (as mentioned by another responder) and the world famous nude beaches, if you like that sort of thing. You are also close to Marigot from there than Simpson Bay, time wise, because the traffic is so much less.


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## Whitesandybeaches1 (Jul 24, 2010)

Thanks for the info, I was thinking the Simpson Bay area was where you want to be for stuff to do as far as walking distance or less expensive cab fares then say if we stayed in the Oyster Bay area. We would of course want to rent a car to check out the entire island, which I'm thinking could probably be done in a day (like Aruba) but after we check it all out we probably would not need a car thus would like to be in an area where there is stuff to do close by or via a cheap cab fare.


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## tombo (Jul 24, 2010)

Whitesandybeaches said:


> Thanks for the info, I was thinking the Simpson Bay area was where you want to be for stuff to do as far as walking distance or less expensive cab fares then say if we stayed in the Oyster Bay area. We would of course want to rent a car to check out the entire island, which I'm thinking could probably be done in a day (like Aruba) but after we check it all out we probably would not need a car thus would like to be in an area where there is stuff to do close by or via a cheap cab fare.



Get a car for the whole week. You can rent a compact for less than $175 for the whole week, and you will be glad you did. This is a beautiful island and exploring every day or at least most days by car is something I recommend. There are 30 something different beaches on the island and you need a car or big wallet to visit them and to traverse back and forth between the Dutch and French side.

This is a great St Maarten web site and an article about renting cars on St Maarten.
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Here/carrent.shtml


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## DVB42 (Jul 24, 2010)

tombo said:


> Get a car for the whole week. You can rent a compact for less than $175 for the whole week, and you will be glad you did. This is a beautiful island and exploring every day or at least most days by car is something I recommend. There are 30 something different beaches on the island and you need a car or big wallet to visit them and to traverse back and forth between the Dutch and French side.
> 
> This is a great St Maarten web site and an article about renting cars on St Maarten.
> http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Here/carrent.shtml



I agree that a rental car is a better choice. We like the Oyster Bay area a lot. It is not that far of a drive to any part of the island. We have been to Orient Beach and although it is beautiful, it is much to crowded and commercial for my taste. There are many isolated beaches that are more enjoyable.


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## stmartinfan (Jul 24, 2010)

Yes - Definitely get a car for the week.  Visiting all the different beaches is part of the appeal of SXM.  And you'll also find there are wonderful restaurants all the around the island, so you'll want access to those.  Unlike Aruba, where most things are clustered in one area, SXM has natural attractions and restaurants spread all around the island.


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## tombo (Jul 24, 2010)

stmartinfan said:


> Yes - Definitely get a car for the week.  Visiting all the different beaches is part of the appeal of SXM.  And you'll also find there are wonderful restaurants all the around the island, so you'll want access to those.  Unlike Aruba, where most things are clustered in one area, SXM has natural attractions and restaurants spread all around the island.



 We love Aruba and St Maarten both,  but after our first trip to St Maarten my wife said there are a few really pretty places on the island of Aruba, but virtually everywhere on St Maarten is beautiful. For such a small island there is so much to see and do on St Maarten, and without a car you will miss so much of it.


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## Krteczech (Aug 1, 2010)

*SXM - car is a must*

One day car rental for SXM is not enough, you should rent for the whole week no matter if you stay at Divi, Oyster BBR, Maho or Cupecoy. You will be driving every day - there is so much to see. Marigot and other areas on French side may charm you...


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## Greg G (Aug 1, 2010)

I agree with prior posters in getting a car for the whole week as there are so many different restaurants, beaches, places to see (unless you plan on staying just in one area and not venturing out from there much at all). 
The main thing to remember is never leave anything of value in your car, especially when going to beaches (that being said we've never had our rental broken into the 2 time we have visited the island).  Also be aware of mopeds as they will weave in and out of traffic (almost as if they have a death wish).  The island is small enough that it is hard to actually get lost.  They have roundabouts (circular intersections) in areas and very few traffic lights (at least the last time I was there in 2001).  Also there are bridges on both the north an south side of Simpson Bay Lagoon that they raise at certain times of the day for I think 15 minutes or so (its been too long to remember), so you may want to adjust your schedule to avoid or take this into account as traffic backs up when this happens.

Greg


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## pointsjunkie (Aug 17, 2010)

do they drive on the same side of the road as we do? and the steering wheel is on the left side of the car, correct?


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## krmlaw (Aug 18, 2010)

same side, same cars.


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## dchilds (Aug 19, 2010)

*Driving in the Caribbean*

We have spent hours and hours driving on various Caribbean islands.  The major rule we keep in mind is the "two for flinching rule."  Which is: when one is driving down the major road, locals turning onto the major road from intersecting drive-ways or minor roads, will appear to have no plan to stop.  They will watch the oncoming cars, and if they see that you notice them, and even just prepare to avoid them, for example: taking your foot off the gas pedal, they will continue without even slowing down, and pull out in front of you.  So, be prepared to avoid them, just don't let them see you flinch.  If you cannot follow this rule, expect to have 5-10 locals pull out in front of you per mile.


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