Everything SXM

Bars: Sublime to Outrageous

Since it's a resort island with more than 400 restaurants and beaches dotting its entire coast, you'd expect SXM would have a lot of bars -- and you'd be entirely correct.

They go from the sublime -- the bars at the ultra luxurious French Side resort La Samanna are tops in that category -- to the outrageous.

One outrageous bar is Sunset Bar & Grill (formerly Sunset Beach Bar), on Maho beach near the end of the runway at Princess Juliana "SXM" International Airport. There, folks walk just a few feet so they're directly under the glide path of arriving jetliners. How close are jets overhead? Really, really close: take a look. 

As if that isn't enough, Sunset also gives free drinks to ladies who, uh, remove their tops; consider yourself warned

Too tame? Then try the Soggy Dollar Bar. Originally a yacht crew bar under a tree behind the Palapa marina on Simpson Bay, Dutch Side, SDB has developed into a real party spot. Why "soggy"? Well, go one night and park yourself somewhere under one of the decorative shower-heads. You'll eventually find that they're not just decorative; they occasionally shower people, including (sometimes) strippers and others visiting way after hours from nearby clubs who quickly get rid of their soggy duds....

Bars: The Nightclub / Party Scene

If you'd rather keep your clothes on, check out one of many bars with lots of music and dancing. Tantra, in the Maho area on the Dutch Side, is a popular spot. Prive (pronounced PREE-vay) in Simpson Bay, on the roof of Market Garden Super Market, is another. The late-week "Out 'n About" section of the SXM Daily Herald newspaper has ads from many nightclubs every week. Prive offers something neat exclusively to JMB Website Supporters members; see the members-only "Secret Site" for details. Your username and password are required. It's one of hundreds of discounts and benefits available for JMB members. Learn more here.

Bars: Fun Ones at Restaurants 

We'll mention four for now, but we cover more periodically in our tourist-oriented free newsletter, SXM Weekly News. Subscribe free here.

1. Cheri's Cafe in the Maho area, Dutch Side, does shows nightly which every SXM tourist should see at least once. We'll leave it at that. The food is pretty good, too, though not quite gourmet. Fun atmosphere. Cheri's gives discounts to JMB members.
    
2. (Note: This regards bars at the island's most popular naturist resort... The Club Orient links are best viewed away from work.) Papagayo at Club Orient has very good food and no dress code, which is perfectly all right since it's at a naturist (clothing optional) resort. Most folks there wear nothing. Good burgers, lots of other sandwiches. Many entrees. Southern end of Orient Beach, French Side. Also try their Perch Bar near the southern end of the beach on the Club Orient property. It's a clothing optional "bar" bar with a small food menu.
    
3. Andy & Cheryl's (formerly "Baywatch") restaurant, on Orient Beach near Club Orient, serves breakfast and lunch -- heaping portions of delicious food at very reasonable prices. Highly recommended -- and there's no dress code there either, though almost everyone is dressed.  Jersey Shore beach bar style; Andy and Cheryl are from the NY/NJ area. Andy passed away and Cheryl is keeping the tradition alive.
    
4. Can't list bars without referring to another from our Beach Bars page, the award-winning Mr. Busby's Beach Bar at Dawn Beach next to Oyster Bay Beach Resort. Incredibly scenic spot overlooking the beach and the island of St. Barths in the distance. Full breakfasts and lunches. Morphs into Daniel's By the Sea at night, for outstanding authentic Italian fare. Lobster pool for the freshest Caribbean Lobster.

Tags: St. Maarten and St. Martin Bars