I just flew in from St Maarten this am from California. My husband and I stayed in the Simpson Bay Area for 11 days. I almost did not go on this trip because of the negative reviews/postings (not from this site) and I also had concerns. I can tell you from my recent experience that we had a GREAT time!! That being said I also had reached out to this site and expressed my concerns and was given a lot of good advice. For me personally driving was a bit of a challenge and I was not comfortable being in an area that I was unsure of. We did rent a car for a couple of days but really enjoyed the use of a certain taxi who was great about getting us to places that he felt we would be comfortable in. I definitely would encourage your group to stick to your plans and use the proper cautions you would anywhere else.