TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Simpson bay

What’s the best place to visit and stay on the beach at Simpson bay . Never been there before . Also where to park a car . We want to spent a day there and see the vibe . Any suggestions? Thanks

OK, the BEST place is to stay at Beachside Villas! But, other than that, there are several options. Mary's Boon, Karakter and El Zafiro are probably the top contenders.

My personal opinion is that the food at Karakter is the best. A couple of years ago, they were the best by a LONG shot. With regard to spending the day on the beach, Karakter has the reputation for kind of jamming people close together on the beach. When we go there, we just go for lunch and the situation on the beach doesn't concern us.

If you look at the comments here on Mary's Boon, opinions vary widely on the food and service there. Personally, I find the food at Mary's Boon to be decent, not gourmet, not as good as Karakter, but I've always had decent service there. They don't jam people in on the beach there though. If I wanted to spend the day on the beach, I would probably choose Mary's Boon.

As far as El Zafiro, I don't care for it, although many like it. IF there is a ship in on the day you are going, be aware that in the past, they have done cruise ship excursions there, so you don't want to be there for that. Absent that situation, the chairs are not jammed in close together there at all. IF there is a seaweed problem on Simpson Bay Beach, which is pretty rare, there will be an issue with seaweed there. As far as the food there, we have eaten there twice and were much less than impressed both times. Most people are happy with the service there.

I have not yet been there, but another option is Roxxy. More upscale than any of the ones Carol mentioned. Reported to have good, albeit expensive, food. There's a parking lot right off the road, and I think there are some food trucks in the parking lot if you are looking for a point of reference.

Thanks guys!!!

Linda--it's actually "Roxxy", which I know you know. We haven't been to Roxxy either. I understand it is very upscale, as far as the food. However, sometimes the music there is head-banging modern stuff, which I personally am not interested in. But if lena is interested in going in the water, I would never go in the water at Roxxy. That section of the bay has many sailboats which are anchored out there, most of which discharge their toilets into the bay. And technically that's not really really Simpson Bay Beach is it, but Kim Sha?? If I were going to that section of beach, I would probably go to Buccaneer. Decent down-home food and service, but again, do not go into the water. And not technically Simpson Bay Beach, but Kim Sha beach.

Yes. There has been numerous warnings about the water quality at that part of the beach. I personally wouldn't go into the water there either.

Pretty much agree with Carol. If you looking for a good beach day experience then Mary's Boon, free beach chairs and umbrellas any they normally have cushions for the chairs. If food is more important flip a coin, to us all of them can be a hit or miss depending on your taste and what you order. Never got the appeal of El Zafiro but a ok option for some.