2011 season EVENTS
St. Maarten Open 2011
Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, St. Maarten
HOTEL
Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino St. Maarten
Web: http://www.sonesta.com/mahobeach/
More information about the resort:
Location and Setting
Located on the southwest coast of St. Maarten, five minutes from the Princess Juliana International Airport, the 10-acre beachfront complex is a 'destination within a destination,' with its own shopping promenade, tennis courts, gardens, pools, restaurants and nightly entertainment.
ACCOMODATION
The island’s largest resort boasts 537 guest rooms and suites featuring designer bath amenities, satellite television, high-speed Internet access, coffee maker, hair dryer, iron/ironing board, in-room safe, alarm clock/radio, voice mail and electronic key.
For reservations containing special TK rates use this link or contact Lissette Ellis.
Services and Facilities
Room Service, Activities Desk, Excursions, Rental Car Desk, Weddings, Meetings, Special Events, Casino, Nightclub, Shopping, Spa, Fitness Center, Tennis, Two Swimming Pools, Bars, Lounges, Children’s Program.
Dining and Entertainment
The Point Restaurant, for seafood and steak; Ocean Terrace for all-day buffets; The Palms, a casual beachfront café for breakfast, lunch and dinner; Q-Club Nightclub; The Showroom at Casino Royale Theater for night-time entertainment; Casino Royale, the island's largest casino with over 400 slot machines, blackjack, baccarat, Royale poker, 3-card poker, Let-It-Ride and roulette.
Recreation and Fitness
Good Life Spa and Fitness Center, with beauty, skin, body treatments and top-notch equipment keep you relaxed and in shape during your stay. Two freshwater swimming pools; complimentary Just Us Kids Children’s program; four tennis courts and so much more!
Points of Interest
Downtown Phillipsburg, Marigot, Court House, St. Maarten Museum, Front Street, Fort Amsterdam. The hotel can offer suggestions on all of the ‘must-see’ tours and attractions.
Shopping
Forty duty-free boutiques line the Maho Promenade. Phillipsburg and Marigot are the commercial centers on the island, offering everything from international fashion and souvenirs to jewelry and handcrafted items.
Additional Information
Check-in: 3:00 p.m. Check-out: 11:00 a.m. Taxes and Gratuities: 21% tax and utility service charge. Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and Diners Club accepted. Languages: English, French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian. Currency: All transactions are done in US and Canadian dollars, Euros and Netherlands Antilles Guilders. Electricity: 110 volts.
CASINO ROYALE
Casino Royale is located across the street from Sonesta Maho Beach Resort in Maho Village, St. Maarten's premier hotspot for dining, shopping and nightlife. It is the largest casino on the island, boasting 14,000 square feet of gaming. With 20 tables of gaming, you can choose from roulette (American and French), craps, baccarat, blackjack and poker. The 450 slot machines include a variety of classics and modern video slots. The casino also has a private "high-roller" area with the highest table limits on St Maarten.
HOW TO ENTER
You can register directly before the event. The registration will be opened one hour before each tournament. Currency is US$, and there are change facilities within the casino.
If you want to make your reservation to any tournament, please contact Marina Kremser
For more informations about various online satellites on Everest Poker, BetClic, Expekt and Rakeaddicts, please follow the links.
History of the event
In 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2010 we have been organizing the St. Maarten Open together with the Sonesta MAHO Beach Resort & Casino. From 2005 – 2007 the tournament moved to the neighbour island St. Kitts.
ST. MAARTEN
Useful Information
Official language: English, Dutch and French
Currency: on the Dutch side US$ and on the French side Euros €
International dialing code: +599
Time: -6 hours to CET
Visas: Europeans do not need a visa to visit to Netherland Antilles. Other citizens should consult their travel agent or nearest embassy
About the island
A fact so charming, it always has to be mentioned first: The island of Sint Maarten-Saint Martin is the smallest land mass in the world to be shared by two different nations. Only 37 square miles are owned by France and the Netherlands Antilles.
The French territory covers about two thirds of the island and is technically a part of Europe and the European Community. The Dutch side is a member island of the Netherlands Antilles and part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but not considered European territory. There is no real border, just modest monuments and signs. The island is known as an almost perfect holiday environment; beaches and nightlife are spectacular, shopping and dining the best in the Caribbean.
To get a feel of the area covered by St. Maarten, multiply 6 miles by 6 miles. You got already 36 square miles... But not to worry, this is the biggest small island in the world. Without visiting, its impossible to imagine the variety of landscape, cultures and entertainment to be found here. St. Maarten just doesn't FEEL that small... Its central mountain range provides for a rugged and interesting terrain, with winding roads up and down the hills, through small villages and still plenty of untouched land.
The Caribbean's largest lagoon is the Simpson Bay Lagoon, landlocked with the exception of two narrow channels with draw bridges. The Lagoon is large enough to have a real sail and is home to a giant fleet of yachts, which are either berthed in one of the luxury marinas or anchored in the sheltered waters. St. Maarten has become the yachting center of the Caribbean, home port to some of the world's most outrageous megayachts.
St. Maarten is the ultimate micro cosmos, home to residents from over 90 different nations. The island broke out of the Antillean group of third-world economies and societies and became the exiting, active, bustling economic center of the Northeastern Caribbean. To be sure, there are problems associated with its rapid growth, but there are also stunning success stories to be told.
One is the Concordia Agreement: The Dutch and the French side agreed more than 350 years ago that residents of either side of the island can be commercially active on the other side without any Red Tape or border difficulties. This contract of peaceful coexistence turns out to be the oldest active, undisputed treaty on our planet!
St. Maarten entered the "Big Time" during the Eighties when investor friendly policies on the Dutch side lead to a rapidly developing tourism industry. The French side soon followed with special tax incentives for French citizens to invest into tourism and charter boats.