New hotel coming to Simpson Bay

https://www.caribjournal.com/2019/05/26/st-maarten-is-getting-a-major-new-hotel/

Same owner I am told.

Took a minute till I realized they were talking about Alegria. Couldn't figure out how there would be room for another new hotel on Simpson Bay. The last I knew, they weren't doing ANY work there. Can't be opening this year if there's nothing going on yet. What ever happened with the suit by the timeshare owners??

Work is being done everyday.

OK, thanks. I thought someone here said there was nothing going on there.

Plus part of it is open . Guest are given a code for the door prior to their arrival.

Part of it is open as the Morgan?

I think the A building is open. Whole owners.

OK, that makes sense. From the beginning, that building was open.

work was being done while we were there in March. The resort sounds like it will be nice....BUT.....same as when it is Alegria...there probably won't be much of a beach. It's all rocks around there....and the only ''beach area'' probably will be around the Sunset Bar...which is LOADED everyday with thousands of Cruisers. I think this ''new resort'' is going to be in name only.......like ''putting lipstick on a pig". It looks nice...it sounds nice....but with no beach, it will end up being a tough sale.

Picture of pool area indicates the intent to backfill between building and pool with sand to create a beach effect.

If and when they get open, I hope maybe they will put tables back in, at the Dunes.

That's not really Simpson Bay...thank God. I don't think they really have a beach there or much of. For the 20 years I have been going to SXM Nothing in that spot has ever really been much of a success. Seems like one mess after another in that spot. Personally when I go to SXM I don't want to go up elevator or big resort. I want a beach (not rocks) at my door step or very close by!

Funny, that was my first response also, that that is not Simpson Bay. I don't know whether that is technically Simpson Bay or not.

Burgeaux Bay Beach, Beacon Hill

Thanks, Neil. You should know!

Neil, what was the origins of that property? I remember it in the early 80’s as the Caravansari and somehow connected to Mullet Bay. Then wasn’t it briefly the Millenium or something, then Alegria, then back to Caravansari and now Morgan??? Has it always been owned by the same person?

Kim, Long ago owned by same owner as Mullet Bay, Kamal Alsaltani (sp?) before "The Ambassador". Then briefly by Ted Allen, in the early 1990's as a time share. It then closed and a storm or two did some damage and a fire while closed. Bought by Danny and Manek in 1996 from bankruptcy court and reopened as Millennium in 1998. Then reverted to original name, Caravanserai. Alegria was next and now Morgan.

All I recall of that property was having dinner over the rocks and a wave crashed over the piano into the dining room. I believe it was Caravanserai at that time.

Correct Neil.

Will never go anywhere near it. That is Caravanserai / Alegria renamed and fancied up by the guy who threw timeshare owners out and nullified their contracts. I will never put a dime into his hands or the hands of any businesses he controls....

Back in the late 70's the Caravanserai was a first class place - strictly low-rise. Stayed there our first 3 trips. Here is a view of it from Mullet Bay.

Beautiful! I remember it well as our earliest trips were of that vintage. TY for sharing your beautiful photo.

Is it possible that the owner is now the same person who owns Morgan's Wonderland in San Antonio? If so the gentleman is dedicated to helping handicapped people like my granddaughter. He names places after his daughter, Morgan.
I hope the answer is yes.

Bob

The owner is the same owner of the former Alegria Resort. Nothing has changed there to my knowledge. He is definitely not well liked by all the owners of that timeshare!

Carol, I believe the owner of the Alegria has nothing to do with the Dunes Casino. They only share the same parking lot.

We were SXM many years ago and a tropical Storm ( klous) and went out early the road was almost washed out by sunset beach bar made it to the Caravanserai which offered breakfast the ocean was coming on to the parking lot had to leave watched waves go over the rec room on the point ,will never forget .

San--could be, I have no idea.

It seems the building/land is owned by Alegria, but the casino business is owned and operated by Francesco Corallo. Alegria sued and lost in 2016 to have Dunes permit revoked so they could open their own casino on the property.

And doesn’t Francesco also own Starz, a few in Simpson Bay and the new one going in at Porto Cupecoy??

Kim- a new casino in Porto Cupecoy??

They are rebuilding Starz.

I knew about Starz but Kim's post (the one before mine) indicated that a "new" one was coming to Porto Cupecoy.

Neil or Lesley,

Wasn’t there also something called Club Munday amidst all those different reincarnations of what we originally knew as the Caravanserai, little sister to MBR & C?

Yup!!! Next to the grocery store in what I thunk was parking area.

No Pat it was Caravanseria

Kim--next to which grocery store? This is also the first I have heard of a new casino. I didn't think that there were any more casino licenses available and that the only way to get a new casino license at the moment was to have it attached to a hotel with 200 rooms??

Porto Cupecoy. As you go into the property on the left across from the guard gate before you get to Carefor.

OK. Does it look like it will be open soon? I still didn't think there were any additional casino licenses available.. But I guess if one has money...

I’m awful at paying attention to details but my guess is by high season. We saw the lighting going in a few weeks ago.

OK thanks