The ‘new’ Island Water World is born with online shopping, a renovated logo and a new tagline.

‘Island Water World – keeps you sailing’ – literally no matter where you are in the Caribbean. Just connect your laptop, go to www.islandwaterworld.com and shopping is made comfortable with a fully fledged e-commerce website.

To further sweeten the deal, Island Water World offers an online shopping reward with an extra 10% discount!

The company under Managing Director Sean Kennelly, overcame even standard hurdles for online shoppers. Island Water World accepts credit cards where shipping and billing addresses do not match. This is a vital feature for a business dealing with a regional as well as international customer base.

The marine retailer teamed up with Fedex and regional air carrier LIAT to secure highly competitive air freight prices and provides very reasonable sea freight rates. A shipping map on the website gives an easy overview about available shipping options and destinations.

Online payments are secured by a so-called Thwarte certificate, a premier international organization policing online stores. Payments can be made via Paypal or Visa or Master Card.

“We are always looking for ways to enhance the value equation for our customers. With Sint Maarten being duty free and having excellent sea and air connections with most the other islands in the region, we knew there must be a way to get products cost effectively and quickly to our customers on islands where we didn’t have a store”, Sean Kennelly explains his strategic move.

Large US based marine retailers and wholesalers, utilizing both printed catalogues and the Internet have been selling into the Caribbean for years. “It has always been an issue for us and other Caribbean based businesses, dealing with large US corporations trading in our back yard”, says Kennelly. “But this made us more competitive over the years. Our prices are much the same or even better as in the US, which is tough when trading in the Caribbean where you don’t have the volumes of the large US giants. We have nevertheless been able to grow a loyal following in the Caribbean because we are physically present. We not only have the goods, we are sailors – we know how our products work, we can help, we can advise and you know that in the unlikely event a product fails – we are here, nearby – just bring it back.”

Island Water World is the first marine business to introduce an e-commerce website in the Caribbean. Moreover, it is also one of very few fully featured online stores of any type retailer in the region.

The virtual store is the new website of Island Water World and links to the various stores (check out the Google maps!), contact numbers and e-mails, marina and yard services in Sint Maarten, warranty and shipping polices etc.

“I am tremendously proud of our staff who have worked long and hard to build this virtual store and equally grateful to ‘Litemoon’, a Sint Maarten based media company, who have conceptualized the imagery, done the site makeover and ensured that we have been able to deliver a strong product in the simplest way. I am continually amazed at what can be achieved right here in the Caribbean” – Sean Kennelly concludes.

Based in Sint Maarten, with stores in St Lucia and Grenada, the company has been a retailer and distributor of boats, motors and marine goods in the Caribbean for over 40 years. Island Water World is known for offering a wide range of products in stock at right prices.

Looking for a affordable but luxurious getaway during Christmas week? Princess Heights is the perfect place to stay!

Located in the hillsides of Dawn Beach, St Maarten, this luxury boutique hotel has everything you need for a relaxing stay in the Caribbean. The suites are spacious and luxurious, and all overlooking the French island St. Barths and the Caribbean ocean. The hotel offers studio, one and two bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens, marble floors, large balcony’s, whirlpool tubs and king size beds.

The neighborhood is friendly and quite, nevertheless there are several restaurants, Casio’s and spa’s located on a walking distance from the hotel.

Princess Heights offers a great deal for people who are planning to book early this year. The hotel offers a 20% discount plus a free rental car for your whole stay. Rates start at $ 270,00 per night. Visit www.princessheights.com for more information about the hotel and this great offer.

Experiences on ‘The Friendly Island’, the perfect name for St. Maarten

When you ask a stranger in Holland about St. Maarten, they would probably don’t even know where it is located. I wouldn’t know 6 months ago, until I got the offer to work at the Caribbean Hotel Princess Heights for 6 months. I flew into St. Maarten, without having a clue of what I could expect.

Now, 6 months later I can tell you this: St. Maarten is an island with a lot of diversity and charm. The people are very friendly and helpful, the beaches are stunning and you can be entertained every single evening in one of its casino’s, nightclubs or restaurants.

The cuisine has a lot of variety. Taste the best French food in Grand Case on the French side, or the best local ribs and chicken on the Dutch side. The island offers exclusive, expensive and extraordinary restaurants, as well as the more standard, affordable family restaurants.

My favorites are:

• Pineapple Pete in Simpson Bay, very extended menu and live music every evening. Perfect for an unforgettable evening with friends and family.
• Temptation, luxury and expensive, but so worth it! For three consecutive years, Temptation has been voted ‘Best High-end Restaurant’ by island’s picky population.

The population of St. Maarten is very exquisite. Some never get used to the large amount of tourists that visit the island every year, but many others love them. The youth looks tough, and some definitely are, but when I played basketball with them, it felt like I knew them for years. Of course they were prejudiced at first, nevertheless they accepted me and they showed me that even the most troubled kids have a kind heart inside.

The most unique attraction of St. Maarten is definitely the airport. The airplanes fly in over Maho Beach, where it looks like you can almost touch them. Even after 6 months, I still can watch that the whole day. Next to this I love the rhino safari, sunset cruise and horseback riding. The island has so much more to offer that just its beautiful 37 beaches.

Explore the difference between the French and the Dutch side. Get to know the elegance of Marigot and the diversity that Simpson Bay has to offer. Visit Philipsburg if you feel like shopping. Have drink on the boardwalk, go jet skiing in Great Bay or just relax on the beach.

The island and the people on St. Maarten learned me to enjoy life every second you can. There is no need to hurry or work overtime every day. Don’t do tomorrow, what you can do the day after tomorrow. You don’t have to hurry to catch your bus, because they just leave when they feel like it, they make their rounds when they want to. It’s not a shame to be 30 minutes late, it’s just the way of life.

I would come back to St. Maarten to experience this life style again. I would come back for the nice beaches and for the excellent cuisine. My advise to all the people who will do their internship on St. Maarten is: Enjoy! Go explore, have fun and visit as much beaches as you can. Get to know the real residents of the island and make friends for a lifetime.

‘The Friendly Island’ is definitely the perfect name for this perfect island.