I agree, Carol. Simpson Bay is the place to be if you don't want to rent a car. The problem in Philipsburg is at night when searching for places to dine say after 6:00. The choices are quite limited. There's Chesterfields, The Green House, Ocean Lounge (at Holland House), Hard Rock Cafe (?), and few other smaller places like Burger Madness but not much to choose from. On our recent trip I had a nice chat with the owner of the Lazy Lizard on Great Bay Beach and he closes up shop at 4:00 p.m. when the cruise ship visitors begin to leave. For his place it's breakfast and lunch only. For people visiting the island for the first time a real nice mix would be maybe four days in the Simpson Bay area, and then another three or four days up by Orient Bay or Grand Case if they want to experience the french side. Philipsburg can't be beat however, if you're into high end shopping!