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St Martin/St Maarten map
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| Key Features
A single island divided between French (Saint Martin) and Dutch (Sint Maarten), excellent access from Europe and the States (into Princess Juliana SXM on the Dutch side, regional flights only on French side), French and mainly English spoken, very mixed population. Highly developed and very busy on both sides (Dutch marginally more), excellent white sand beaches, some active, a few secluded, some offshore islands, good sailing (yachting hub for the area). Cruise ships visit both sides, extensive duty-free shopping, particularly Philipsburg (Dutch side), casinos (Dutch side). Large number of hotels on both sides, many large and mostly mid-range, also some smaller and more personable, some villas. Many restaurants, excellent on the French side (particularly Grand Case), very lively nightlife, day sails, golf. | | |
Stories from the Standpipe
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Accommodation
Tourism is the principal industry (on both sides of the island) and St Maarten’s excellent beaches are relatively very built up, principally with large resort hotels. These, which see plenty of visitors from the States, have an upbeat atmosphere and several have casinos and high levels of service. They are almost all modern and mid-range in style. However, there is a handful of charming, smaller independent hotels on the Dutch side, notably on Simpson Bay and at Oyster Pond, though there are also a couple in Philipsburg, the capital. There are also many condominium and apartment complexes, scattered all around the island. In Philipsburg you will also find some hotels suitable for business travel and a number of inexpensive guest houses.
Our recommendations for St Maarten (Sint Maarten) and St Martin accommodation are below.
Hotels & Resorts
St Maarten (Sint Maarten)
St Maarten has a good many large resort hotels, set in the various excellent bays to the east of Philipsburg. Many are studiedly mid-range and so Definitive Caribbean would recommend that travellers look to the handful of places that have a little style or originality (also see Small Hotels and Inns below). Those that we recommend, however, are comfortable and have good facilities and service. They are also generally friendly and so will offer a good stay while you are on island.
Holland House Beach Hotel, Great Bay, 54 rooms, a modern European style hotel overlooking beach.
Oyster Bay Beach Resort, Oyster Pond, 178 rooms, one of the larger hotels in St Maarten. Modern with timeshare option.
Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, Little Bay, 220 rooms, attractive red roofed St Maarten hotel set on a semi private peninsula with good activity list.
St Martin
St Martin has a good number of large hotels and beach resorts. They are set in all areas around the island, on the excellent beaches and in isolated bays as well as on Oyster Pond Lagoon. A couple of them stand out for their levels of luxury, but the majority are fairly mid range, though they may be pleasantly arranged in independent buildings around large gardens. Most of the hotels are not huge and the service, which has a European character, is generally good.
La Samanna, Baie Longue, 81 rooms and suites, also 8 stylish 3 and 4-bedroom villas with private pools at this exquisite St Martin hotel with spa.
Emeralda Resort, Orient Bay, 65 rooms and suites, pretty Caribbean cottages each sharing a pool, set in tropical gardens edging the beach.
Alamanda Resort, Orient Bay, 42 rooms and suites, charming St Martin hotel with elegant colonial touches fronting the beach.
Hotel La Plantation, Orient Bay, 17 villas made up of 49 studios and suites, peaceful French colonial style set in over seven acres overlooking the bay.
L’Hoste Hotel, Orient Bay, 56 suites, a simple beachfront St Martin hotel with pool and watersports. Owner operated.
Captain Oliver’s Resort, Oyster Pond, 50 suites, an interesting owner run waterfront hotel resort on the French-Dutch border, with marina and scuba diving.
Hotel Le Domaine, Anse Marcel, 134 rooms and suites, modern Caribbean style, 148 acres of landscaped tropical gardens by the beach.
Small Hotels & Inns
St Maarten (Sint Maarten)
On an island with so much mid-range tourism, it is a pleasure to discover that St Maarten has so many good inns and small hotels. Several have unexpected charm, with idiosyncratic, even traditional style - and a lovely, secluded atmosphere. They are generally friendly and so you can hide away, emerging occasionally to use the best of the island’s facilities.
La Vista, Pelican Key, 32 units, one of two small sister hotels in St Maarten, well priced, sea views, convenient location.
La Vista Beach Resort, Pelican Key, 20 studios and suites, family owned and operated St Maarten hotel on the water’s edge.
Mary’s Boon Hotel, Simpson Bay, 31 rooms, quaint, simple, owner-run plantation style hotel on the beach for adults. Some timeshare units.
Pasanggrahan Royal Guest House, Great Bay, 30 rooms, former Governor's home, Dutch Royal residence and the island’s oldest inn.
Princess Heights, Oyster Pond, 15 studios and suites, family run boutique-style condo-hotel, dramatic hillside setting above Dawn Beach, splendid sea views.
The Turquoise Shell Inn, Old Simpson Bay Village, 10 suites, swimming pool, few yards from Simpson Bay Beach. Good value and home comforts.
St Martin
Among the many hotels, there is also a handful of smaller, more independent inns in St Martin, which enable you to stay somewhere with a bit more personality. They are located around the island and come in different styles, but several are in or around Grand Case, which itself has a nice independent feel, giving an all round good setting. They each have their own strong character and you can expect service to be friendly.
Hotel L’Esplanade, Grand Case, 24 studios, suites and apartments, award winning, privately owned, on a hillside with path directly to the beach. Sister hotel to Le Petit Hotel.
Le Petit Hotel, Grand Case, 10 studios and 1 suite, owner run beachfront Saint Martin hotel which melds Caribbean cool with Balinese romance. Sister hotel to L’Esplanade.
Hotel Marquis, Anse Marcel, 17 rooms, romantic hillside retreat with sea or marina views, full service spa.
Villas
St Maarten (Sint Maarten)
There are some good private villas dotted around St Maarten. They may be located within complexes, but equally there are some private homes set on the heights. We will make recommendations after our next visit to the island.
St Martin
There is a long tradition of private houses in St Martin. They were mostly located in the west of the island, near Baie Rouge and Baie Longue – some of them are directly above the sand, from where they have an excellent view of the sunset - but over the years villas have appeared all around the island, including on the hillsides above the east coast – from where they have a lovely view of the offshore islands. Villas come in all styles and sizes and in standards that vary from simple to extreme luxury.
Grand Case Beach Club, Grand Case, 75 studios and apartments, generous in space with full kitchens and flat screen TV, access to two beaches.
Villa Resorts
St Maarten (Sint Maarten)
There are one or two villa resorts in St Maarten but one that stands out from the crowd -
Villas on Great Bay, Philipsburg, 12 two-bedroom villas, situated on the beach looking out across Great Bay with on-site management, swimming pool.
St Martin
A villa resort on St Martin offers independent living with all the island facilities near at hand. There are just a couple of villa resorts in St Martin and just one which offers central facilities including a reception and boutique.
Green Cay Villas, Orient Bay, 16 villas, gated hillside 3 bedroom villas with private pool and race, near beach.
Cottages, Apartments and Condominiums
St Maarten (Sint Maarten)
There are many apartment and condominium complexes around St Maarten. They are all relatively recently built and have good facilities, but they vary in their atmosphere – some are for independent living while others are centrally styled so that there are communal facilities and activities.
Azure Beach Studios, Simpson Bay, 7 studios, friendly owner-run seafront property close to restaurants, bars and shops.
Beachside Villas, Simpson Bay Beach, 13 cottages, swimming pool, comfortable Caribbean style for relaxed barefoot beach holiday.
Coral Beach Club, Dawn Beach, 24 units, small high end mix of apartments, townhouses and villas located in the Oyster Pond area.
The Cliff at Cupecoy Beach, Cupecoy Beach, 72 suites / apartments – chic Euro-Caribbean styling for luxury living set on cliff above beach.
Guest Houses
St Maarten (Sint Maarten)
There is a handful of guest houses which offer a friendly and inexpensive place to stay in St Maarten– sometimes in an excellent setting (the Horny Toad, for example, on Simpson Bay). There are also some extremely cheap and simple places to stay, mainly around Philipsburg.
Horny Toad Guest House, Simpson Bay, 8 rooms with kitchenettes, former Governor’s House, simple beachfront guesthouse.
St Martin
There is just a handful of good guest houses in St Martin. They are located in the main centres, so you can be near the action in a friendly and inclusive atmosphere while still leading an independent life. There are no very cheap places to stay in French St Martin - there are more options for this on the Dutch side.
Sol é Luna, Mont Vernon, 5 suites, romantic lush gardens, set above quaint restaurant, swimming pool.
La Caravelle, Oyster Pond, 6 studios / 1 room, close to Dutch border, walking distance to Dawn Beach.
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