With respect to Grocery Stores, there are the Le Grand Marches (grocery store) in various places on the island ( Dutch side) and they have a wide selection of items including alcohol and cheeses. We have visited the ones in Philipsburg, Cole Bay, and Simpson Bay and their prices are reasonable. We happen to like the one in Cole Bay the best, right next to the Port De Plaisance entrance (on Union Road). The one in Simpson Bay is a Le Gourmet Marche. Their locations can be found on there web page at http://legrandmarche.net/Locations.aspx . Since these are on the Dutch side, the conversion to US $ is favorable. There is also the Market Garden in Simpson Bay that is open late, even on Sundays. There is also a little convenience grocery store ( “Food Express” I think) in Maho (as you are leaving the airport headed for Maho/Cupecoy located on the corner on the right as you enter Maho) but I found them to be a little more expensive and small in selection. There is also a Grand Marche in the Port of Cupecoy. Here is a listing, phone numbers and a map of the location of many of the SXM grocery stores (http://www.sxm-shopping.com/groceries.html ).
a. Depending on when you arrive, you might want to stop on the way from the airport and pick up some supplies for the week. If you do, someone needs to stay with the car.
b. The Grand Marche’s are open fairly late on most days except Sundays; only open till 2:00 PM on Sundays so if you are arriving on a Sunday, you will need to shop at some other store. If you are arriving late, the Market Garden at the bottom of Billy Folly road (Simpson Bay area) is open to 9:30 PM every day. It has a good selection and has reasonable prices.
c. There are also the Simple (sp) market, between Grand Case and Orient Beach, but they can be more expensive as they are on the French side and everything is in Euros.






[b]Where to go for an evening with some nightlife on the Dutch side: dinner and dancing/ live music.
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We like to hang out in the Simpson Bay area for the night life. There are several bars/restaurants that have live bands: Red Piano, LaBomba, Toppers, Buccaneer Beach Bar, Yacht Club, Pineapple Petes, Sunset Bar and Grill (some nights).