What side of the island?

French

If you want all of that in one place (walkable), one suggestion is Grand Case on the French side. Some of the highlights include:

- A couple dozen great restaurants (along with inexpensive and casual lolos) along restaurant row, all within walking distance
- A pretty, mostly uncrowded beach, though it is lined with restaurants and apartments
- Several entertaining bars, some on the beach (e.g. Calmos Cafe) and some in the village (e.g. Blue Martini)

We stayed at Le Petit Hotel, which is right on the beach in Grand Case. (The same owners also own L'Esplanade, which is also in Grand Case but on a hillside overlooking the bay). I highly recommend Le Petit as a charming, comfortable, casually elegant, well-equipped place to stay. See my trip report here: www.islandtime.homestead.com. (Grand Case Beach Club, at the other end of the beach, also gets good reviews, but it's a larger property.)

I think that pretty much your only choice is Grand Case. There are certainly a few places that are in or around Orient Beach, but the really good restaurants (and the only ones walkable from a beachfront hotel) are in Grand Case.

However, you will not find a "fancy" place to stay in Grand Case, and the price may not be too reasonable with the falling US dollar. St. Martin is French; the wine choices are excellent.

Here's another vote for Grand Case for what you are seeking.

French side is better, IMHO! Great dining and wine in Grand Case. We took taxis everywhere and recommend Maria as a great driver. I haven't stayed there, but I hear that Grand Case Beach Club is nice and you should be able to walk to restaurants. We stayed at Esmeralda and their onsite restaurant, Astrolabe is excellent! The hotel is set up like bungalows and each one has 4 rooms for people. There are pools for each bungalow to share. Very nice.
Wine is available everywhere and there are a lot of options. When you walk the street in Grand Case, the menus are posted and you can walk in to whatever looks good to you. What I love about Maria is that we get in the taxi and say...take us somewhere good and she does it. She goes in and speaks with the host/hostess and we always have an amazing waitstaff and meal.
The dutch side seems extremely busy to me, but that is where most of the casinos are located, so if that is important, please consider it. The cost of a taxi from french to dutch was $35 2 years ago each way. Ouch! Before tip!
Please post a trip report.