Cole Bay & Almond Grove, Sint Maarten
Cole Bay is the working heart of the Dutch side: the district on the eastern shore of the Simpson Bay Lagoon where the island actually gets things done. Supermarkets, marine yards, offices and workshops line its roads between Simpson Bay and Philipsburg — and above all of it, on the hillside, sit rows of view homes, crowned by the gated estate of Almond Grove.
New Development Plumbago Residences
Two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath residences in a new six-unit development in Cole Bay.
Price$875,000 View the residences →The lagoon shore and the "Golden Mile"
The stretch of Cole Bay just east of the Simpson Bay bridge is known locally as the Golden Mile — a corridor of yachting and boating businesses that anchors much of the island's marine industry, from major chandleries to rigging and repair yards on the lagoon. The everyday side is just as useful: some of the island's largest supermarkets are here, and at the top of the district the Bellevue road crosses into French Saint-Martin with no checkpoint — you simply drive over. The honest note is traffic: the Cole Bay–Simpson Bay run congests at peak hours, though the causeway bridge across the lagoon shortens the hop.
Almond Grove and the hillside
Almond Grove is a gated estate on the hillside above Cole Bay — 24-hour security, single-family villas, and sunset views over the lagoon and out to sea. Villas there mostly list between about $575,000 and $1.5 million. The surrounding slopes, Cole Bay Hill among them, carry more view homes and building lots, sold on exactly what the height gives them: outlook, breeze and space.
Prices and who Cole Bay suits
As a rough orientation from what local brokers currently list: apartments and condos in Cole Bay proper from around $250,000–$330,000, townhouses roughly $485,000–$575,000, hillside villas from about $850,000 to $1.2 million, and lagoon-front marina residences up to $2.6 million. That spread — local-priced apartments and estate villas inside one district — is Cole Bay's quiet advantage. It suits full-time residents, marine-industry people, and buyers who would rather put their money into a view and square metres than a resort address. Browse all our listings for what that budget buys elsewhere.
Frequently asked
Is Cole Bay a tourist area?
Not really — and for many buyers that is the point. It is a practical, service-oriented district with the resort strips a short hop across the lagoon. People who live here full-time do their errands in Cole Bay.
What is Almond Grove?
A gated estate on the hillside above Cole Bay — 24-hour security, single-family villas, sunset views over the lagoon. Community fees apply and vary by property; we will confirm the current figure for any villa you look at.