28th Heineken Regatta

The 28th Heineken Regatta will take place in St Maarten from March 6 to March 9. This regatta is the largest sailing and partying event in the Caribbean. The Regatta will kick off with the Budget Marine Commodore’s Cup on March 6, which is a race only for boats in the spinnaker class. Heineken St. Maarten N.V., in cooperation with the St Maarten Yacht Club, has announced that the headline performance this year to conclude the four-day Regatta is a concert by Shaggy on the beach of Kim Sha (Simpson Bay) on March 9. Grammy Award-winning Shaggy is a Jamaican-American reggae singer who has six albums, five #1 hits, and 11 top-ten singles worldwide. Go to www.heinekenregatta.com for all the details about this year’s exiciting Regatta

Thursday, March 6th
Registration for all classes at the St Maarten Yacht Club in Simpson Bay from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Budget Marine Commodores Cup
Welcoming Party at Port de Plaisance

Friday, March 7th
The first race starts outside of Simpson Bay:
The Race around the Island for most classes from Simpson Bay to Great Bay
Prize Giving Ceremony and Party in Great Bay

Saturday, March 8th
Most classes race from Simpson Bay to Marigot
Prize Giving Ceremony and Party at Waterfront in Marigot

Sunday, March 9th
The final day with a race from Marigot to Simpson Bay
Prize Giving Ceremony and Final party in Simpson Bay with Shaggy

A Few of the Best Places for Souvenirs

Last Mango in Paradise is located on Front Street in Philipsburg. For lovers of Jimmy Buffet, this is the ultimate T-shirt and CD shop. The owners, Rodger and Bootsie, 30-year residents of St. Maarten and St. Barths, personally design their own custom Last Mango in Paradise apparel.

Rima’s Beach Wear, which has been in business for over 24 years, is located across from the lagoon in Philipsburg at 95 Pondfill Road. This is a large store that sells a wide selection of T-shirts, pareos, beachwear, hats, beach bags, towels, tropical dresses and skirts, jewelry…you name it!

Windmill, in downtown Philipsburg, west of the court house on the Great Bay side of Front Street has thousands of T-shirts and sweatshirts, plus many, many more items.

Spirit Air Cuts Two Thirds of Its SXM Flights

Spirit Airlines, which had three flights per week to St Maarten, is discontinuing two of its three flights effective immediately. Their once-a-week flight that departs Ft. Lauderdale will be on Sunday. They are complaining about the high cost of fuel and the high landing fees at Princess Juliana Airport in St Maarten.

Spirit has had several customer service issues, and its policy of charging extra for almost everything has not been well received.

Indigo Bay Estates

Indigo Bay Estates, a new development on 148 acres in Cay Bay, St Maarten, will include luxury villas, ocean-view condominiums, single-family houses, townhomes and a five-star hotel with an ocean spa. This ambitious project has set its goal to become an environmental model for future projects by addressing environmental concerns such as saving indigenous trees and installing low lighting to encourage turtles to come ashore. Indigenous trees will be transplanted to a temporary nursery and will replanted when the infrastructure is complete. The project will use energy-efficient technologies, recycle wastewater for irrigation and install a “smokeless burn” unit for trash disposal. Lighting on the beach will be changed, and areas will be protected to encourage sea turtles to come ashore to nest. Most of the parking for the low-density development will be underground. This gated community will also offer 24-hour security, a boardwalk, a fitness center, an oceanfront bar and an equestrian center. The official groundbreaking is set for July 8, 2008. The first phase of work will take a year, and the first units will be available in the summer of 2009. For more information, go to www.indigo-bay.com.

Stone Restaurant

The Stone Restaurant, located in Simpson Bay at 23 Airport Road next to The Subway, serves International cuisine and is open from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm. This newly opened casual restaurant serves top-quality meat, as well as lobster, and sashimi-grade tuna and salmon. The tenderloin is partially cooked in the kitchen and then served on a flat, polished, heated stone. Appetizers include salmon or vegetarian spring rolls. The professionally trained chef is Johann Roebert, the son of Neil Roebert, owner and captain of the Celine catamaran. Reviews state that this is a must-visit restaurant. You can contact them at 599-580-7841.

Radisson Resort to Reopen August 2008

The Radisson Resort St Martin in currently undergoing an $80 million renovation and transformation. The hotel is located in Anse Marcel on 1600 feet of beachfront on the north coast of St Martin. Originally scheduled to open in April 2008, the date has been pushed forward to August 2008. The renovations will feature the Larimar Spa; more than 5500 sq ft of meeting space; an open-air, beachfront restaurant; a contemporary upscale tapas bar in the lobby; lush, tropical gardens and an infinity pool.

The hotel will offer 189 rooms and 63 suites plus waterfront suites adjacent to the hotel’s 150-slip marina, which can accommodate yachts and sailboats up to 90 feet. The marina is located among one of the safest and prettiest harbors in the Lesser Antilles. The full-service marina is open daily and offers electric hook-up, clearance and customs services, laundry and shower facilities and fresh water. WiFi, restrooms and pay phones are available. In addition, the marina offers business services including photo copies and fax services.

Halsey's Restaurant and Lounge

Halsey’s is a very casual, come-as-you-are restaurant and lounge located just south of the Simpson Bay drawbridge across the street from the Royal Palm Resort. They offer such entrees as pecan-encrusted rack of lamb, filet mignon with broiled gorgonzola, sesame-encrusted yellowfin tuna, blackened mahi-mahi and duck breast with foie gras.. Happy Hour takes place every day from 4:00 to 6:00 with tasty nibbles such as fresh oysters and mussels. Fridays feature a sushi menu, wine and cheese tastings and a $5 Martini menu. Halsey’s also stocks a wide assortment of wines from all over the world as well as premium liquors and beers. For more information, check out their web site at http://www.halseysrestaurant.com.

86 Welfare Road, Simpson Bay
599.544.2882
Open 7 days a week