Sint Maarten Sunset Balcony: One-Bedroom Oceanfront Suite at The Villas at Simpson Bay Beach Resort
- Mark Vogel
- Apr 9
- 7 min read
Updated: Jun 25
4-Star Hotel in Sint Maarten ✈
I recently stayed at The Villas at Simpson Bay Beach Resort and Marina hotel on the Dutch side of Sint Maarten in the Caribbean. I touched down at Princess Juliana International Airport just after noon and opened the SXM Taxi App. The app - Sint Maarten’s closest thing to Uber - matches travelers with licensed drivers, shows the metered fare in advance, and accepts credit cards, and U.S. dollars or euros without haggling. My driver responded in under a minute; fifteen minutes later we crossed the causeway bridge and climbed the driveway to The Villas.
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“The Villas at Simpson Bay Beach Resort and Marina balance independence with convenience. A modern kitchen, Murphy beds, and a deep balcony give families room to spread out, while pools, calm water, and on-site entertainment keep everyone engaged.”
Sint Maarten’s history is tangled but fascinating. The Arawaks farmed cassava and fished the reefs long before Columbus sighted the Lesser Antilles in 1493. Spain claimed the territory but never settled it in force, and by 1631 the Dutch West India Company had built Fort Amsterdam to guard salt ponds that generated “white gold” for European markets. French privateers followed, and in 1648 both colonial powers signed the Treaty of Concordia, dividing the island into today’s Sint Maarten and Saint Martin. Sugar cultivation, slavery, and a salt-export boom defined the next two centuries; when the ponds closed in 1949, the economy pivoted to tourism. Modern visitors can travel from one side to the other without showing a passport or even slowing down - only a roadside monument marks the border.
Check-in at The Villas took five minutes. A bellman led me to my One Bedroom Oceanfront Suite. The foyer opened onto a glossy tiled living room lined with a dark-wood wall unit that hides two Murphy beds. Across from the sofa, a glass-topped dining table with four upholstered chairs sat beneath a ceiling fan.
The full kitchen looked recently upgraded: cherry-wood cabinets with brass pulls, speckled granite counters, and stainless-steel GE appliances that included a full oven, microwave, dishwasher, and refrigerator. Small appliances - a drip coffeemaker, toaster, kettle, and blender - were already on the counter, and a double-basin sink faced a raised breakfast bar that connected the space to the living area.
The bedroom held a king bed with a padded headboard, coastal artwork, and a wall-mounted flat-screen TV above a low console. Both bedroom and living room opened to a broad, tiled balcony furnished with two cushioned loungers and a round metal dining table.
The bathroom continued the granite theme with a dual-sink vanity, make-up stool, and theater-style lighting. A combination tub-and-shower featured beige and white tile.
If you prefer to dine out rather than cook, the resort has a solid collection of eateries. La Patrona sits above the water and serves Mexican dishes from a sunrise buffet to candle-lit dinner, complete with house-made tortillas and an extensive tequila list. Bovin Steak House grills dry-aged cuts in a sleek room just behind the marina boardwalk. Juliette’s Bistro turns out salads, pasta, and pastries in air-conditioned comfort near the lobby, while Replay Sports Bar stays open late with wall-to-wall TVs, wings, sushi rolls, and thin-crust pizza. Down on the sand, Coco Beach Bar shakes frozen drinks and plates fish tacos at lunch; servers will even run orders to the nearest lounger.
Sint Maarten has no kosher restaurants, though supermarkets in Cole Bay and Philipsburg carry a selection of certified packaged items. The lifesaver is Chabad of S. Maarten, a short walk down the same block from the resort on Billy Folly Road. Guests can pre-order meals and either pick them up or request delivery to the hotel. The Chabad order I placed for chicken and salad was a great addition to the food I found at the local supermarkets.
Five pools are spread across the property. The main beachfront pool has a swim-up bar, daily aqua-aerobics, and occasionally live music. A quieter pool sits near the villas, and three additional pools overlook the marina. Simpson Bay itself arcs in a protected crescent of pale sand; the shore break rarely tops a foot, which kept children safely splashing while I swam laps beyond.
Entertainment rotates throughout the week. One afternoon a steel-pan player from Sweet Pan Entertainment set up next to the main pool and eased into calypso and reggae standards while guests reclined under umbrellas. As the sun dropped, costumed dancers glided onto the pool deck, moving to soca rhythms that echoed carnival traditions. The informal show wrapped before dinner, giving everyone time to applaud, snap a few photos, and head inside without breaking the day’s easy pace.
Aqua Mania Adventures, operating from the resort dock, schedules snorkeling runs to Creole Rock, sunset catamaran cruises, fishing charters, and day sails to Anguilla or St. Barthélemy. Certified dive instructors teach in the pool before guiding guests to nearby wrecks and reefs. Two lit tennis courts remain open until 10 p.m., and a compact fitness room beside the spa offers treadmills, free weights, and resistance machines. The spa lists Swedish and deep-tissue massages, facials, and nail care. A whiteboard near reception posts kids’ crafts, sand-castle contests, and movie nights.
The Dutch side packs easy excursions into short drives. Maho Beach, ten minutes from the resort, delivers the famous wing-tip-over-sand photo opportunity as aircraft skim the water on final approach. Great Bay Beach fronts Philipsburg’s rebuilt waterfront; behind it, a wide boardwalk holds cafés and souvenir kiosks, and one block inland Front Street lines up duty-free jewelry shops and electronics outlets. If you want breezy seating with a view of cruise ships at anchor, grab a table at Dutch Blonde Beach Bar & Restaurant near the boardwalk’s eastern edge. Farther east, Guana Bay offers a windswept shoreline where surfers chase winter swells.
The French side blends Caribbean rhythm with European accents. A looping road around Simpson Bay Lagoon reaches Marigot in twenty minutes. On Wednesday and Saturday mornings, the open-air market beside the ferry dock sells snapper on ice, Guadeloupe spices, and straw baskets. A short stair climb to Fort St. Louis rewards the effort with 360-degree views from Anguilla to Pic Paradis. Grand Case, just north of Marigot, is known for fine dining - though not kosher, its sunset pier and street murals make an easy photo stop. Orient Bay to the east spreads a long, reef-sheltered strand ideal for kiteboarding and paddleboarding.
Back at Simpson Bay each late afternoon, I settled onto the balcony as catamarans, sport-fishers, and mega-yachts queued for the 5:30 p.m. bridge opening into the lagoon. After sundown I walked to Kim Sha Beach, where barbecue smoke drifted over picnic tables and live bands rotated through reggae and soca sets. Despite the music down the hill, closing the balcony doors sealed the suite for uninterrupted sleep.
The island offers many other adventures. You can leave Philipsburg and climb the eastern hills past the Dutch-French border above Oyster Pond, stop at Surfer’s Beach lookout, and continue to Orient Village. A side road winds up to Pic Paradis; at 424 meters the viewpoint shows both coastlines and the turquoise lagoon. Descending through forest, you can pause at Loterie Farm - once a sugar estate, now a zip-line park and nature reserve - then coast into Marigot for fresh fruit. On return, loop passed Cupecoy’s limestone cliffs, whose narrow coves glow at sunset.
Service at the Villas remained reliable, and the well-trained staff consistently delivered attentive customer care. Wi-Fi held steady for video calls, and American-style outlets meant I never needed adapters.
A complimentary shuttle loops between the resort lobby and the base of the hill every few minutes, saving guests the uphill walk back from the beach, marina, and lower parking lot. It’s handy if you’re carrying groceries or beach gear, and the ride takes less than two minutes door to door.
Public minibuses and shared vans run up and down Welfare Road all day, connecting Simpson Bay to Maho, Philipsburg, and Marigot for a few dollars. The hotel’s free hill shuttle can drop you at the main stop at the bottom of Billy Folly Road, or you can reach it on foot in about five minutes.
If you rent a car, parking at the Villas is easy. The resort provides complimentary spaces behind the lobby and along the villa access roads, with overflow spots in a larger lot near the main gate. Security staff monitor the entrance 24 ⁄ 7, and your room key opens the vehicle gate after check-in. Spots closest to the villas fill quickly in the evening, so if you return late you may need to park in the main lot and walk a minute or two back to your building.
The Villas at Simpson Bay Beach Resort and Marina balance independence with convenience. A modern kitchen, Murphy beds, and a deep balcony give families room to spread out, while pools, calm water, and on-site entertainment keep everyone engaged. Having Chabad meals within walking distance removes the stress kosher travelers often face in the Caribbean. Sint Maarten’s dual personality—Dutch efficiency on one side, French flair on the other—makes its thirty-seven square miles feel larger than the map suggests. Warm water, steady trade winds, and open borders invite exploration at any pace, and after a week here I understood why visitors return year after year: life slows to the rhythm of the surf, and every sunset feels personal.
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