The Island
Simpson Bay: The Lagoon and the Bridge
Everything here runs on the bridge. Learn its schedule and the whole west end of the island makes sense.
The bridge governs everything
The Simpson Bay bridge crosses the channel between the lagoon and the sea, and it lifts on a published schedule to let boats through.
While it is up, the road does not divert — it stops. Fifteen to twenty minutes, several times a day, on the main route between the airport, Simpson Bay, Maho and Cupecoy.
This is the single most common reason a journey here takes longer than a map says. Locals plan around it as a matter of course, and it is the first thing a visitor should learn.
Watching it open, with the yachts moving through, is a better small spectacle than it sounds.
The lagoon
Simpson Bay Lagoon is one of the largest in the Caribbean and a genuine centre of the yachting season, which is why so much of the island's marine business is here.
Simpson Bay Marina and Isle de Sol take the larger boats; Princess Port de Plaisance sits across on the Cole Bay side, and Porto Cupecoy is on the French part of the lagoon.
They are all "on the lagoon" and they are not close to each other. If you are meeting a boat, check which. See marina transfers.
The beach
A long stretch of sand beside the airport approach, calmer than Maho and considerably less crowded. Real swimming, bars along the back, and space.
It is the sensible beach rather than the memorable one — Mullet Bay is a better swim ten minutes further west — but it is close to everything and easy.
Eating and drinking
The best of the Dutch side. A good run of restaurants close together, walkable, with a bar strip that goes late.
For a shorter evening it is a much easier proposition than driving 35 minutes to Grand Case, and on a night when nobody wants a long drive it is the right answer. See nightlife.
As a base
For — ten minutes from the airport, close to Maho and the casinos, everything walkable, plenty of accommodation at every level.
Against — it is a working strip rather than a pretty village, the aircraft noise is real if you are close to the approach, and the best food on the island is 35 minutes away.
If you want charm, stay on the French side. If you want convenience, this is the place.
Getting there
Ten minutes from the airport, 25 from the cruise port. See cruise port to Simpson Bay for a port day.
Add fifteen to twenty minutes to any of it if the bridge is open. Which, at some point in your stay, it will be.
Questions people actually ask
When does the Simpson Bay bridge open?
Several times a day on a published schedule, separately in the morning and afternoon, to let boats between the lagoon and the sea. While it is open the road stops entirely — there is no way around. It typically costs fifteen to twenty minutes.
Is Simpson Bay a good place to stay?
It is the most convenient base on the Dutch side — ten minutes from the airport, close to Maho and the casinos, with restaurants and bars walkable. It is not the prettiest part of the island, and Grand Case is 35 minutes away.
Is the beach good?
It is long, sandy and much calmer than Maho, with far fewer people. Not spectacular, but a genuinely good swim and easy to combine with lunch.
Can you watch planes from Simpson Bay?
Yes, from the end nearest the runway, without the crowds at Maho. You miss the famous low pass over the sand but you get the aircraft and somewhere to sit.
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Checked and updated 4 September 2026.