Officially, there are two sides to St. Martin/St. Maarten – French and Dutch – but in reality there are so many more facets to explore. There’s plenty to do whatever your interests, day or night. We visited as a family in December 2011 with two children (8 and 10) aboard our Jeanneau 43DS. After 12 days in the ocean, we fortuitously arrived just one hour before the Simpson Bay Bridge opened. This bridge is the Dutch gateway to Simpson Bay Lagoon, where most marinas and anchorages are, and it only opens twice per day. Once opened, passing through the bridge is a daunting task, since there are always a few knots of current, lots of closely packed traffic, and a seemingly very narrow opening. Arriving by airplane is much more straightforward, with a modern, well-organized, yet manageably small international airport centrally located on the island.