St. Maarten Yacht Club
~ There’s nothing else like it ~
Dinner and a movie with a friend turned into a lingering dinner with a waning interest in going to the movies. Sitting at the booth at the edge of the yacht club was just too perfect to leave, so we stayed, talked and enjoyed the unique ambiance that is St. Maarten Yacht Club.
Amazing that my friend who has lived on this island more than 20 years had not only never gone to the yacht club, but didn’t even know where it was. “It’s right next to the bridge in Simpson Bay,” I told her as we drove past the Pelican turn-off and Market Garden Supermarket. “Here?” she asked. “Here?” “No, keep going! It’s right next to the bridge.” When she finally saw the turn to the parking for the yacht club, she said, “Oh wow! It is right by the bridge!” I nodded with a simple, “Yep!”
Anyway, having established that the place in question was indeed right by the bridge, we were greeted warmly by a gentleman who was at our beck and call all night, with a smile that lit up the evening as he brought us drinks and menus and later our food.
There was an almost full moon rising and the sunset painted reds and oranges across the western sky, not too shabby for a Tuesday night. The crowd was decidedly sailor-ish, as makes sense for a true yacht club, unlike some places that say they are a yacht club only to sound impressive. This yacht club is the real deal, with a bulletin board covered with hand-written notes by crew looking for passage across the Atlantic or down the island chain, or skippers looking for crew.
The menu is a pretty straight forward one, sandwiches, soups, seafood, pasta. But those in the know are quick to tell you, everything’s good! I ordered their bloody Mary which is rightly famous in certain circles. They throw in half the garden into this tall concoction, a lime wedge, peperocini and celery and just the right splash of hot sauce and black pepper to make you smack your lips! My friend opted for a much tamer soft drink and we settled in for the long conversation, sharing and exploring each other’s opinions on life, the universe, and everything – shout out to all those Douglas Adams fans out there!
The food was delivered with the 100-watt smile, my beef kebab with salad and fries, her fish and chips. Each plate was generously and artistically arranged, and more importantly the flavour was right on point. The kebab might have had more onions and peppers for my taste, but I really can’t complain as they didn’t scrimp on the meat which was tender and delicious. My friend was curious about what the menu billed as a homemade tartar sauce, but perhaps the little containers got switched in the kitchen, she was dipping her fish in the sauce and saying I think this is just mayo, in fact, we asked about that and it was just mayo.
The real tartar sauce arrived and all was well. “Yes,” she said. “This is what I was supposed to get.” No worries, at least, she seemed contented to gobble up her fish, chips and real homemade tartar sauce. “I haven’t had fish and chips since I was in London,” she told me. That opened the door to discussions of past travels and dream trips that would be on each other’s bucket lists. Who needs a movie when you can share such thoughts with a friend while overlooking the lagoon and watch the stars twinkle overhead?
Info:
St. Maarten Yacht Club
90 Welfare Road
Simpson Bay
Telephone: 1 (721) 544-2075.
Reservations not necessary
Open daily from 7:00am to midnight
Food served from 7:00am to 10:00pm
Happy Hour 4:00 – 6:00pm
Ratings:
Staff friendliness: *****
Service speed: ****
Restaurant cleanliness: ****
Food quality: ****
Value for money: *****
Ambience: *****
