We were in St. Martin in 2007 and while we didn't stay there (we were in Cupecoy Beach area), we did drive by Dawn Beach and the Westin. The roads around there are a bit treacherous (steep, etc) and it's pretty far from things, but it looked gorgeous. We were stopped by someone that day when we were at a look out area taking pictures to come listen to their time share speech at the Westin, but we skipped. Sorry I can't help more!

I'm afraid I can't tell you much except why we decided against the resort - for now. We were concerned about how remote the resort is as my husband prefers to take cabs while in the Caribbean. We were also concerned about the lack of shade around the pool. So much so that we contacted them and weren't pleased with what we heard. But we know nothing about the service, etc.
I will tell you this: in the last year, I have heard rumors about TA publishing reports that were untrue or by submitted by competitors. I personally have gotten an e-mail from TA asking me to verify that I did indeed write reviews. So I can't deny that perhaps some may get by - just as they can here on Fodor's - but they certainly do try to keep a close eye on everyone. You may also want to think about this. Sometimes people are more inclined to post negatively rather than taking the time to write about the good times.
Sorry that it is causing you this much anxiety. I hope you find everything just fine there and she has a great 50th! Let us know!

I didn't stay at the Westin but I stayed in a villa up the hill so I did visit it's beach, pool, casino, and shops....and Westin is known for their heavenly beds! I would rent a car, there are some nice restaurants near by. The Westin faces east, so you'll see some nice sun rises. The surf can be a bit rough - or bigger waves, but the property when I was there in 2009 was very nice. Go to Mr. Busby's Beach Bar for breakfest or lunch.....right down the beach....it was fun! Enjoy, let us know how it goes!

The Westin is just about as far away from anywhere as you can be on the island, so a car is essential.

Don't worry too much about the roads in the area as they are really not a lot worse than anywhere else on this island.

The beach at the Westin is excellent and, in my view, is by far the best part of the hotel ! To me, the interior could be any conference hotel in any city in the US - there is nothing at all Caribbean about it, and the casino form the main part of the lobby.

I don't know about the beds, but the exterior is so ugly that it gives the impression that the architect was more accustomed to designing barrack blocks or penitentiaries - but then you don't live outside the hotel,so does that really matter ?

There are, as BellaClaire has indicated, some (but limited) restaurants and bars locally, but don't walk home - always take your car.

If you want to shop, you need to drive to Philipsburg (the Dutxh capital) or to Marigot (the French side capital). The former will take you 15 minutes and Marigot probably double that, if the traffic isn't too bad. Be warned, parking in either place isn't always easy.

If you head towards Marigot, you will pass Orient Bay, and the little 'village' there, where there is considerably more activity, and plenty of bar / restaurants etc. to choose from, plus a few shops.

Grand Case, a bit further on in the direction of Marigot, is generally considered to be 'the cullinary capital of the Carribean',but mainly 'comes to life' in the evening as many of the restaurants - even right now in mid-season - are only open for dinner, and a lot of the boutiques are not open until then either.

My comments are unbiased, but I live on the island and, in consequence, know the area pretty well.

I thought that the Westin Dawn Beach was a fine hotel. The rooms were comfortable and attractive, and the staff were great. My wife and I are pretty self sufficient so we are not high maintenance. I have noticed the hyper critical reviews on trip advisor and maybe I can add some perspective to them:

1. Location: Dawn beach is very pretty, but it is also windy and choppy -- not the hotel's fault. You defintely need a car to get to other restaurants -- but there are other places to go no more than a 5-10 minute drive. If you understand that the hotel is located in a relatively isolated location, I think that will be a huge hurdle passed.
2. Dining: Expensive -- yes although the food and service were always good. For breakfast, we always went to Mr. Busby's (except on our last day when we splurged on the Sunday brunch).
3. Pool: The pool is very pleasant; but there is a severe lack of shade. I really had to be careful here because I burn easily.
4. Timeshare hawking: While this was not a problem when we were there (2 years ago) I understand that it has become a problem.

I honestly think that the origin of the bad reviews are from people who try to use Starwood points to get to a destination and expect everything to be comparable to the United States. Well, if you have been to the Caribbean, you know that is not going to be case.

I think that people who know St. Martin and know what to expect will be okay.

Thanks everyone!

Your comments have calmed my nerves a bit. From the Trip Advisor reviews I was expecting a mildew-covered bathroom and bug infested beds....with dirty sheets.

YES, we are renting a car. I love to drive, so no problem there, and we are well aware of the "remote" location of the Westin. This is not an issue.

I am hoping that if we choose to lounge on the beach that the Westin will provide lounge chairs/umbrellas for shade. And yes, by the pool we would look for shade as well, so we'll see...I'll give a full report upon our return.

DINING
Anyone have any recommendations on some of the better restaurants on the island? For now I am trying to book the likes of Temptation, Rare, L'Hibiscuis, Spiga, etc. If any of these stand out, I'd love to hear your two cents worth.

For our six nights, we will probably book 3 or 4 "nice" places like Spiga/Temptaion, and a couple other nights we will hunt for great local spots (less $$$).

The upscale places are well documented in the guide books, so your help with the local gems is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Greg

I had the same concerns. My husband and I want to go to St. Marten and had planned on staying at Westin.We've always had good experiences but the reviews did scare us. Are there other hotels you are considering?

Big Fish is a really great restaurant in the Westin area (you do need to drive) it used to be near Mr. Busby's but believe it's moved. We also liked Le Planteur and Captain Oliver's for relatively close options.

We are booked at the Westin - too late to cancel.

We are NOT afraid to drive. A 30 minute drive across the island is okay with us - that's why we were not put off by the location of the Westin. Otherwise, I would have chosen the Radisson Blu in Anse Marcel (very near Grand Case). However the Radisson Blu (recently remodeled) was going to cost $3,000 for six nights. The Westin, via SPG points (some that I had, some purchased) should only run us about $1700. So, big savings.

But if it were me, I'd look at splurging for the Radisson Blu - on the West coast, near Grand Case....looks good.

Again, I'll report back after our trip as to the quality of the Westin.

I'd like to hear your first-hand report on the Westin, but I suspect you are just experiencing the typical TripAdvisor indecision. You'll see a string of very positive and then very negative reviews. People who have very strong opinions are the ones who tend to post. I tend to think that TripAdvisor draws a lot of overpraisers as well as overcomplainers with few experienced, reasoned reviews. This is (to me, a professional travel person) one of the downfalls of the anyone-can-rate web sites. The vast majority of people can't articulate why they do or do not like something. That's a surprisingly difficult task (in my opinion). That's why I put little stock in the individual reviews on TripAdvisor.

So you can't let specific reviews on TripAdvisor sway you one way or another. However, that doesn't mean the site isn't very useful. The best feature TripAdvisor offers is the aggregated rating (the little circles). You'll see that the average rating for Westin Dawn Beach is 3-1/2. That puts is squarely in the good-to-decent category ... not outstanding, not too bad. If you look at the reviews that way, they'll be more useful to you. Dig deeper and you'll see that more than 2/3 of the people who have rated the hotel have rated it as "very good" or "excellent". And if you look at the most common phrases, you'll see they are almost uniformly complimentary.

All said, that doesn't mean you'll have a good time or like the resort, but I certainly wouldn't get too concerned since the aggregate is really good for this resort, as most of the professional reviews point out.

Hi ilovewine

IF you were still planning on 'splurging', you should have looked at Le Domaine de Lonvilliers which is right next door to the Radisson, is of equal star rating, but has a lot more 'class'.

The gardens are beautifully kept and more mature than those of the Radisson, and the beach and beach ameneties are FAR nicer - though both beaches are very narrow.

The Radisson has the largest pool in the Caribbean - if that turns you on - but the area immediately around the hotel (apart from the very attractive, and safe, marina) is a complete disaster area.

I suspect - but I don't know for sure - that the Radisson owners increased the rents of all the restaurants and boutiques which surround the marina, with a view to making the locales so expensive that nobody could afford to operate from there, thus 'capturing' the hotel guests, forcing them to eat and drink in the hotel if they were not prepared to venture out of Anse Marcel via the slightly scary (for tourists) road in and out of the enclave.

It's a real shame, as until the Radisson bought the entire property, the little area around the marina used to be very nice, with some high-end boutiques and a couple of halfway decent restaurants and bars. It now resembles a bomb site.

I was there Jan 1st 2012. going again Mar 25th. top hotel, great service, does very well with special diets. fitness room is great, great security. I am a travel agent and tend to be a lot more precise than others.
susan
travel priorities
skokie IL

Susan_Watson

Are you referring to the Westin, or the hotel mentioned in the post immediately above ?

Also, how well do you know the island, and do you have experience of any of the other hotels in Sint Maarten or St Martin, if so please let us have your views, as a travel agent.