CREW HOUSES · ST MAARTEN · CHECKED 2026-08-19
Crew houses in St Maarten
Where crew cluster
Nearly everyone is on the Dutch side, in Simpson Bay and Cole Bay, walking distance or a short bus ride from the Simpson Bay Bridge, Welfare Road and the marinas around Isle de Sol.
The Crew House, also trading as Garden Crew House and Hostel on Airport Road, is named first by every directory. Dorm beds from around USD 20 to 30 a night up to a private double at USD 50, with its own dinghy dock and gated parking. Smilers Crew House in Cole Bay has run since 2000, bunk bed apartments plus a second studio in Marigot, but its own website is down at the moment, so call before you count on it.
For a private room instead of a dorm, Baker's Suites and the Turquoise Shell Inn are the recommended backups in Simpson Bay. Both sit well above crew house prices at USD 90 to 220 a night, but they have real kitchens and daily housekeeping.
The French side
Marigot, near Port de Plaisance and IGY Isle de Sol, is thinner on dedicated crew housing. The one standout is Shrimpy's Waterfront Hostel and Crew Quarters in Sandy Ground. Five small private cabins on the channel, doubling as a laundromat and a yacht parts pickup point, around USD 54 a night, with fans rather than air conditioning and cold showers.
How crew actually book
Informally. Most of these properties take a phone call, an email or a Facebook message rather than a live reservation system, and the St Maarten Yacht Crew group is where crew swap real time leads and sublets. Expect to pay in US dollars everywhere on the Dutch side.
The main scam risk here is the same as any hub: a room available post in a Facebook group asking for a deposit before anyone has seen the place. Verify through the property's own channel, not a stranger's post, before you pay anything.
Where these came from
viagio.com, mycrewkit.com, yachting-pages.com, hichee.com, bakerssuites.com, and search cache summaries of Tripadvisor and Booking.com listings, all checked 19 August 2026.
Where crew stay: 5 places, checked 19 August 2026
| Name | Type | Status | From | Min stay | Distance | Booking | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Crew House (Garden Crew House & Hostel)Billed by every crew directory as the largest crew house on the island, capacity up to 37. Also trades as Garden Crew House & Hostel (same Facebook page, same address). Older Tripadvisor reviews (pre-2020) are mixed on cleanliness; no 2025/2026 review was found either way. | Crew house | USD 19.99 a night | Walking distance to Princess Juliana Airport and the Simpson Bay strip nightlife per source text; exact walk time to IGY/Isle de Sol or Welfare Road marinas not stated in any source found | Booking.com, Facebook, Phone, Email | 19 Aug 2026 | ||
| Shrimpy's Waterfront Hostel and Crew QuartersFive small private cabins, not shared dorms. Doubles as a laundromat and yacht-support/parts pickup point, which is why it shows up in dockwalking guides even though it is really an Airbnb-run guesthouse rather than a dedicated crew house. | Hostel | USD 54 a night | Directly on the Sandy Ground channel near Marigot's Marina Fort Louis / Port la Royale; exact walk time not stated in source | Airbnb, Booking.com | 19 Aug 2026 | ||
| Baker's SuitesNot a crew house - a small 10-13 suite boutique condo hotel - but yacht-crew directories name it as a comfortable, centrally located backup when the dedicated crew houses are full. | Short let | USD 96 a night | Steps from Kim Sha Beach and 'a short walk' from Simpson Bay marinas per the operator's own site; no exact distance given | Website, Phone, WhatsApp | 19 Aug 2026 | ||
| Smilers Crew HouseRunning since 2000 per its own listing copy; 2x2 bunk apartments (4 to a room) plus a second studio location in Marigot near the sailing school. Flag this one for a phone check before publishing - the dead domain is the only red flag found, everything else still lists it as active. | Crew house | Unsure | no published rate | Described by mycrewkit as 'easy to reach all Marinas, most being a walk away or only minutes away by bus' - no specific marina or distance named | Phone, Email, Facebook | 19 Aug 2026 | |
| Turquoise Shell InnSmall inn, not a dedicated crew house; listed by yachting-pages among Sint Maarten crew accommodation options. Priced well above the dorm-style crew houses, so mainly useful for crew wanting a private room or a couple travelling together. | Short let | Unsure | USD 219 a night | Not stated in sources found | Booking.com, Phone | 19 Aug 2026 |
Also checked
- Lighthouse Marine Group (St Maarten) mycrewkit.com listing under this name reuses The Crew House's exact description and address (Airport Road #130); its own domain lighthouse.sx does not resolve. Likely a duplicate/legacy listing rather than a separate crew house - not counted separately.
- Yacht Club at Port de Plaisance / IGY Isle de Sol Superyacht marina resorts with hotel, spa and country club facilities for captains and crew, but this is a marina club, not a crew house or budget short-let - out of scope for this list.
- St Maarten Yacht Crew (Facebook group) Community board where crew swap accommodation leads; not itself a booking channel or property, name noted only.
Checked by hand on 19 August 2026. Prices move, houses fill and owners change; confirm the rate and the deposit terms in writing before you pay anything. If a listing here is wrong, email ahoy@joinyachting.com and it will be fixed within a week.
When to arrive and who hires
Beds are half the question. The season decides whether turning up is worth the airfare, and the agencies decide whether anybody reads your CV once you are there. Both are on the St Maarten hub page, along with the map and the daywork rate.