Tag: simpson bay

A Night in Simpson Bay

Simpson Bay is one of the hot spots on the island of Sint Maarten. We often discuss “the night before” in our office and many times end up talking about what we did in Simpson Bay. We are a diverse team here, and yet everyone ends up in Simpson Bay, which made us realize it has something for everyone and is the perfect place to spend an evening. Below are two different examples of how Harrison (our C.O.O.) and Magali (our reservation manager) spent a recent night out in Simpson Bay.

Harrison’s Night

Happy hour is the name of the game. Whatever day it might be you are sure to find a happy hour spot in Simpson Bay. My personal go-to is Dhinghy Dock. I love craft beer and Dhingy Dock is one of the few places where you will find a great selection of craft beer. The snack menu is also one of the best on the island.

What comes next is always a hit or miss. Do I decide to go home because tomorrow is a busy day or do I continue the fun elsewhere? Options are endless in Simpson Bay.

Some of the best nights are spent at Fat Turtle, a bar located at IGY Marina. If you have never seen the mega yachts from close use Fat Turtle as an excuse to drive by some of the most beautiful yachts in the world. Beware, security will tell you to go straight to the bar, so enjoy the view as you drive by the massive sterns of boats like Limitless.

I always get hungry as I near the end of the night and pizza is a safe bet. Pizza & Co serves up thin crust pizza and it is a quick deal. It is not the most luxurious spot on Simpson Bay strip but in my opinion, it is some of the best pizza. You can always grab a pizza to go if you do not want to sit.

The perk of Pizza & Co is that it is directly opposite to one of the most famous bars on the island, Soggy Dollar. If I really want to drag on the night I can always make a last pit stop. Soggy Dollar is a fun bar and can get quite crazy. Keep an eye out for the many events that Soggy Dollar hosts every year. You might find a party that you will enjoy!

Magali’s Night

It is 7 pm and I am going to call that friend of mine that never says no to a last-minute good time. We are going to paint the town red!

I live in Marigot and we are a 10-minute minute drive to Busy Bee Simpson Bay. Simpson Bay is the heart of the action and the best place to go if you want to stay in the same region the whole night. Be prepared to have a good time!

First stop, Buccaneer`s, here we come.

The rock and roll oldie tunes are on and the Pina Colada’s are kicking in. If there is any justice in this world, I will win that cornhole game against a friendly fellow American tourist! I need that victory tonight.

Of course, we will get hungry very soon and we will have to make a hard decision.

Italian at Sale & Pepe? Sushi at Little Bamboo? Thai at Avantika? or for a change Ribbs and Karaoké at Topper’s? Many choices and always a tough decision.

(Editor’s Note: Try the free samples of Rhum in the back!)

What I know for sure is that after our delicious meal, we will end up at The Red Piano in Simpson Bay Resort relaxing and hearing live music from some of the best international artists spending their winters in SXM.

 

Have you spent an evening in Simpson Bay? Tell us all about it in the comments!

All set for St. Maarten Heineken Regatta

 

All set for St. Maarten Heineken Regatta

St. Maarten (February 28, 2018) – The excitement on the docks and bustling through the streets of Simpson Bay is palpable as competitors make final preparations for the 38th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, which kicks off tomorrow.

Despite the island of St. Maarten still being in recovery mode post-Hurricane Irma, the support and camaraderie surrounding the four-day (March 1-4) Caribbean favorite is at an all-time high as organizers prepare to welcome a 101-strong fleet – representing 25 countries and eight Caribbean islands and racing in Maxi, Ocean Racing, CSA, Bareboat, Melges 24, Multihull and Island Time Classes.

“This is our first time ever racing in the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta and our first year campaigning the boat on the Caribbean regatta circuit, so we’re looking forward to what this week brings,” said Samuel Albrecht, a two-time Olympian and tactician for Brazilian team Camiranga, which will be racing in the Maxi Class.

Led by owner/driver Eduardo Plass, the team has been campaigning for ten years, racing in South America and Europe. “Our first event this year was the RORC Caribbean 600, where we experienced extremely rough conditions and broke our mainsail. It is looking like we will have the exact opposite experience this week, with very light air forecasted. It will be good to see how we perform.”

The regatta commences tomorrow with the optional and separately scored Gill Commodore’s Cup, where Przemyslaw Tarnacki’s Polish team racing VOR 70 Green Dragon are returning to defend their class win in the Ocean Racing Division.

“We’ve chartered a number of different boats and last year competed with Ambersail, but we really like the performance of the Volvo boats,” said Tarnacki, adding that the team is fresh off the Rolex Sydney Hobart in Australia, where they raced a VOR 80. “St. Maarten is a very special place for us and this is our sixth consecutive time competing in the regatta. We are really happy to be back here and are pleasantly surprised with the condition of the island, as we expected much worse after the Hurricane.”

Tarnacki’s team is joined by a slew of regatta veterans, including St. Maarten local Jan van den Eynde who has raced in the event every year but one since its inception in 1980.

“It is a very special event and as you can see from the turnout, there are a lot of people that are very supportive of the island and the regatta,” said van den Eynde who lost his Open 750 Panic Attack to the hurricane in September and will be racing this week in the CSA Class with his brand new boat, Esse 850 Wanna B.

“I raced the Open 750 for eleven years. It was super fast and in the right conditions, we could finish an hour before the other competitors. The Esse 850 is the complete opposite of my previous boat. It was built out of Switzerland and designed to be raced on lakes. We’ve only sailed the boat three times, but its strong points are supposed to be light winds, which is good news for this week.”

Tomorrow’s racing will take place off Simpson Bay and consist of shorter buoy-to-buoy courses.

On Friday (Mar2), the fleet will embark on the event’s famed 26 nautical mile Around-the Island Race before taking to buoy and coastal races on Saturday and Sunday.

Event details – Entry list – Facebook

Source: Kirsten Ferguson, Media Pro International