GETTING READY FOR

THE VILLAS ON GREAT BAY

Prior to Arrival on Sunday, April 30th...

  1. Don’t forget to pack your passport!
  2. Call your cell phone carrier if you need service while you are in St. Martin.
  3. There is Wi-Fi available in each villa and in the lounge area around the pool. However, it is extremely limited. Ask the property manager for the password.
  4. Download all of the meeting materials before you leave home!
  5. Again, you will struggle if you plan to rely on the Wi-Fi at the villas. Also, you may exceed yourinternational data plan that you may have purchased through your cell carrier if you download on the island.
  6. What to wear? It’s a warm island so you don’t need much.
  7. The meeting will be completely casual. Think shorts and t-shirts. Or even bathing suits and cover-ups if you think you might take a quick dip in the ocean during one of our 10-minute breaks. Ha!
  8. The group dinner on Monday is resort casual. For the guys, think shorts and a nice Hawaiian style shirt. For the ladies, think capris or a cute sundress. Flip-flops and sandals are allowed at all times! 
  9. Fun and Games- the following items are very expensive to purchase on the island:
  10. There are floats and noodles at the villas for use in the pool and beaches.
  11. If you plan to look at the fish, then then don’t forget your goggles/mask and snorkel gear.
  12. You don’t need water shoesfor the beaches, but you might want to bring a pair as there is coolMarsh Aquatic Preserve on the island.
  13. Small cooler - some villas have them, but it’s not a guarantee so if you want to pack your own lunch for the beach or bring your own water then you should throw a soft sided cooler in your suitcase.
  14. Any questions before hand: Feel free to contact me, Doug, or Wally Deknop, the property manager at
  15. Wally has lived in St Maarten for 19 years and will be a great resource for boat trips you may want to do during you free time (sailing,power, fishing) and can also make the reservation for you.He knows the island very well as a former captain of deep sea fishing for several years.

WELCOME TO

THE VILLAS ON GREAT BAY

Upon your Arrival on Sunday, April 30th...

  1. The airplane landing is one you won’t want to miss so if you have a view through the window be sure to check it out!
  2. As a reminder, you are landing on foreign land so when you go through customs you will likely be asked the purpose of your visit and where you are staying. Please be sure to tell them you are joining a group of friends for pleasure and are headed to The Villas On Great Bay in Philipsburg.

211 Front Street

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

  1. I have rented one 12-seat passenger van and Doug has graciously agreed to do runs from the airports to the Villas. Please be sure to provide Stacey your flight itineraries so you can be put into groups. Should cabs become necessary to accommodate larger arrival groups then Stacey will notify you in advance. The drive is only about 10 minutes so we don’t anticipate this being an issue.
  2. The Property Manager, Wally, and I will all be onsite anxiously awaiting your arrival.

Stacey’s cell: (617) 285-4673

Doug Kinsinger’s cell: (785) 554-8785

Wally Deknop, Property Mgr. (721) 520-0073

When you arrive on property you will be taken to your assigned Villa and given your keys which include those to the property gates.

  1. Sunday is yours to enjoy as you wish, but I will have some snacks and beverages waiting poolside for any hungry travelers who wish to partake. There are also plenty of great places for lunch that you can walk to from the property. More on that in this packet and Doug can provide additional guidance.
  2. There will be no group dinner on Sunday as I know many of you will be tired from extremely early departures and lengthy flights. Again, we will provide dining suggestions for you as well as assist with getting cabs to take you to/from your destination.

Please note: It is highly recommended that you take cabs after dark in St. Martin. In fact, I will insist on it! St. Martin, while not considered a dangerous place, has severe poverty like most of the Caribbean islands.And please don’t be fooled that being in a group makes it okay to walk after dark. During my prep visit, I noticed that many of the young people hang around the streets at night in large groups.

Doug would like to Thank You for Choosing

theVillas as your MeetingLocation

If there is anything you need that is not already supplied,

please ask Wally Deknop,the manager of the villas.

He will do his best to provide it for you.

Each villa is individually owned. If you remove something

from this villa, please return it before you leave. Although

the dishes, beach towels, coolers, etc. look alike, they belong to

a specific villa and are provided by each individual owner.

Two precious commodities in the Caribbean are water and electricity.

To assist in conserving water,please don’t runthe dishwasher until it is full.

Please help conserve electricityby keeping the upstairs bedroom

doors closed when you run the upstairs air conditioning and

turning off the air conditioning when you are away from the villa.

The villa will cool down very quickly upon your return.

Feel free to shut the hurricane shutters on the patio windows and

ocean-side bedroom patio doors whenever you are away from the villa.

The switch to open/close the hurricane shutters is on the left of the patio doors.

ENJOY YOUR STAY!!

HELPFUL HINTS ABOUT THE PROPERTY

We’re glad you’re meeting on the beautiful island of St. Maarten in the Villas on Great Bay. Although we want you to feel that this is your “home away from home”, please observe the following helpful hints:

  • Only registered guests are permitted to stay in the villa.
  • The villas do not allow guests to bring pets.
  • All items belong specifically to this villa and inventory was taken in the villa before you checked in. You are welcome to take items with you to the beach or pool, but please be sure to return them to this villa. Missing items will be charged to the guest.
  • We are on the Dutch side of the island where nudity is not allowed.
  • Please pick up personal trash left on the beach, by the pool, and in the breezeway.
  • You are responsible for the keys given to you at check-in. You will be charged for replacement keys if the ones you are given are lost.
  • Please be considerate of guests staying in the other villas when playing music on the patio or by the pool.
  • Please refrain from having glass containers by the pool.
  • Please lock the villa whenever you are out of sight of it.
  • The garbage room is located to the right of the side gate by the office.
  • Laundry room facilities are provided for guests for a small charge. Please contact the villa managers for the charge and payment.
  • Larger hard sided coolers and beach umbrellas can be borrowed from the managersto use during your stay. Please remember to return the items to the proper area.
  • Let us know what you enjoyed about your stay and what we can do to make future stays at our property more enjoyable.

Some of our favorite things and informationabout the island…

Marigot and Marigot Market - There is a big open air market down by the ocean in Marigot on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Go downtown Marigot and head towards the water, you won't miss it. The market gets crowded if there are several cruise ships in Philipsburg, so try to get there around 8:30 or 9:00 a.m.Negotiate with the vendors. If you walk away after stating your price, you’ll know your offer was too low if the vendor doesn’t call you back and sell it at your price. There are fresh spices for sale, souvenirs, decorating items, jewelry, clothes, and lots of other island items. Fishermen bring in their fish for selling at the fish market. It is interesting to see all the different colored fish. While in Marigot, there is also a really nice indoor shopping mall with French and European stores. The mall is across the street from the open air market and looks a little like an Arabian palace from the outside. Right up the hill from the mall is Fort Louis, a historical military fort. It is a majorlandmark withone of the best views on the island. There are roads that take you three quarters of the way up the hill to the fort.Parkthere and you still have 100 steps or so, but it is really worth it. Take your camera!

Grand Case - Great little restaurant town on the French side with a small calm beach. For lunch we go to the Lolo's, which are locally owned, locally operated open air restaurants on the water downtown. Some of them do $1 for $1 on US dollar to Euro conversion. Most meals are $8-15 US dollars; lobster cooked on barrel drum grills is $25 to $50 depending on the size. I like the ribs and chicken platter and my wife loves the fresh fish. Beer and soft drinks are usually a $1.50. There are some little shops in Grand Case and the restaurants here are some of the best on the island.

You may want to do the Atlantis underwater boat trip. You should make reservations in advance. ( ) The price has been around $40 for adults and $25 for kids. It is a boat with an air conditioned lower deck that has windows you look out during a tour around Creole Rock. We’ve seen tons of fish, eagle sting rays, and sea turtles. You can pick up discount books at the airport that have discounts from Coco's Discount Tickets for the Atlantis and other island activities.

Beaches - Everybody has their favorites. Ours are Orient, Simpson Bay, Mullet, and Le Gallion. We also enjoy Baie Rouge and Dawn Beach. Other beaches are Guana Bay, (southeast, picturesque, but strong undertow), Oyster Bay, Anse Marcel, Friar's Bay, Baie Lounge, Point Plum, Baie Prunes, and Cupecoy Beach. Taking an island driving tour and staying to the perimeter ocean main roads gives you a good overview of some of the beaches.

Orient Beach is the largest with the most services and lot of water sports. You will pay around $20 to $25 for two padded beach chairs and an umbrella, but it is worth it. We like Kakao Beach at Orient because they have a good restaurant, nice shower, and bathrooms, but there are several equally nice areas on Orient. The far end of the beach is called Club Orient and is the entirely nude side if the beach. No cameras are allowed, but many people take a stroll just to check it out. On the French-side beaches you will see topless, but topless/nudity is prohibited on the Dutch side.

Mullet Beachis our favorite snorkeling beach as the water is generally very clear and calm; however, there are times the waves are huge. Mullet Beach has some chair vendors and a restaurant called Rosie's that is famous for ribs.

Simpson Bay has a great beach restaurant called Karacter. It is close to Mary's Boon Resort, very close to the runway of the airport. Karacter has a beautiful beach. Chairs and umbrellas have been freeif you buy drinks from them. The beauty and tremendous food outweigh any noise from the airport. We had bacon wrapped dates and bacon wrapped plantains for an appetizer and a steak burger that was mouthwatering. Frozen drinks were $6, appetizers $8, and the burger was $12. The couple who owns Karacter are from Holland and very friendly. You can walk a long way on the beach to the left and right of Karacter.

Sunset Beach Bar and Maho Beach - a must do. This is located right at the end of the airport runway and people line up between heavy airplane traffic times (noon to 2:30 p.m.) to watch the planes land. It is very impressive as they miss the beach by about 30 feet and sandblast the people standing by the fence and beside the road when they taking off and landing. Warning: there are times women who are topless drink free at Sunset Beach Bar, so don’t be surprised if you see ladies with nothing on the upper body!

Recommended early morning or anytime activity - get up and walk the beach towards the boardwalk to Philipsburg. The boardwalk is very nice and you can see locals and tourists fishing, enjoying the water, etc. I have stopped many a time and visited with locals to find out more about the island. It is a thrill as they are very friendly. There are some pretty jetties or piers. The courthouse downtown and the downtown square are picturesque. Check out the marble map of the island in the sidewalk in the main square. Barefoot, the corner bar by the marble map, has inexpensive beer, water, and soft drinks.

Hydration – Be sure to drink plenty of water. Borrow one of the soft-sided coolers from our pantry or a larger one from Wallyfor the week to take a picnic lunch and drinks to the beach. This is one of our favorite things to do.We buy bottled water just for convenience and freeze them in the fridge freezer as ice. There are ice cube trays in the fridge, but we have found the frozen bottled water easier and good to drink on the beach when it starts to thaw.

Need help? Just ask–Wally Deknop,our onsite manager, is there to help you in any way. If something is wrong in the villa, such as a light bulb is out or you need more paper towels, just ask Wallyto assist you. If you’d like a recommendation for dinner, directions, or want to know what time the grocery store closes, just ask.

Grocery Stores - There are plenty of grocery stores on the island. Vanke Supermarket (Suki's)andGreat Bay Supermarket are the closest, little local convenience stores for last minute items and are less than a block away. Our favorite full service grocery store is Le Grand Marché on Bush Road. It has very nice produce, a deli, plus a wine and liquor department. Basically, we stock up here for the week. There is also a nice Le Grand Marché in Cole Bay. Sangs, which is at the end of Front Street and to the right, is also easy to get to and a good grocery store. Another store, Cost U Less, is similar to a Costco or Sam’s Club (you don’t need a membership card) and it carries groceries, liquor, household items, etc.

Restaurants - There are only a gazillion, so we will share our favorites. If you have just arrived, do not want to walk far, and it is not too late (before 4:00), just walk down the beach to the Honky Tonk Bar and Restaurant. Honky Tonk is owned and ran by Simon from England and has really cold beer, great appetizers, sandwiches and yummy pizza. The Greenhouse at the marina in Philipsburg validates parking if you park in the lot at Bobby's Marinaand walk from there. The Greenhouse has discounted appetizers and buy one get one free drinks from 4:30 to 7:00. We make a meal of the appetizers and frozen drinks. Walk to the Candy Store just down the street from the Greenhouse and talk to the owner, Martin. He has unusual candy from around the world and most of the candy is sold by the gram. Chesterfields is one of the nicest and most reasonably priced restaurants in Philipsburg. It’s down the street a little further, approx. two blocks from the Greenhouse. The seafood and steaks are tremendous here. We love the lobster bisque, blackened mahi mahi, and they have a great peppercorn steak. Taloula Mango’s on the boardwalk is another favorite.

For a fancy meal close to the villa, try Antoine’s. It has a nice atmosphere and superb service. L’Escargoton Front Street and the Holland Houseon the boardwalk are also good places for an evening meal.

Mark’s Place, right beside the Le Grand Marché grocery store on Bush Road, has good ribs and our son loves their huge serving of garlic chicken pasta.

In Simpson Bay, close to the only movie theater, is a great Italian restaurant called IZI Ristorante Italiano.It has a fantastic decor and great prices for Italian on the island ranging from $14 to $25. Try the garlic bread appetizer. It’s been $3.95 for 5 pieces. Marco is the manager and very fun to speak with. Across the street is Pineapple Pete's where you can't go wrong - all kinds of food, good prices,fun atmosphere and good entertainment.