lelson,

I could be wrong on this but it’s been my experience over many years that while both islands are of Dutch heritage, they are worlds different and we’ve often found those who love one will often be less than wild about the other, and honestly, we fall into this category. We love SXM and Aruba, not so much. It was okay - clean and easy to navigate but for us it just didn’t have the vibes we were looking for. And we are definitely not party animals but found Aruba lacking, none the less. Perhaps it was the time or the fact we hadn’t planned on being there but we were forced to do so last minute due to weather damage issues on SXM. Who knows?

If you want to be close to Casino Royale you can’t get much closer than Sonesta Maho. My understanding was it had gone all inclusive - am I mistaken? It would seem silly to me to pay all that money for AI if you really arent into dining, and particularly on SXM. Simpson Bay does have lots of lodging options and several convenient casinos close at hand as well as tons of restaurants. And referencing the nearness of Casino Royale to Simpson Bay, it’s a tiny island and I’m thinking they’re just a few miles apart. The traffic would likely be more of an issue than actual distances. It’s easy to walk to CR from Sonesta and that’s one of the good points of staying there if the casinos are important to you. Of the two areas, even with the closures, my preference would still be the Maho area, but that’s me. And more is reopening every day in that area.

We were on the island in November and even with the still closed businesses and entertainment options, there are so many places to enjoy, you definitely won’t be at a disadvantage for places to go and things to do on SXM.