We are going to St. Maarten/St. Martin in late November. We are spending a week in a beach hotel on the French side but we also want to explore some of the surrounding islands by ferry.

Can anyone recommend a hotel near the ferry docks that would be both nice and reasonable? We will only be sleeping there and we don't want to have a car during those three or four days. So, we would want to be able to walk to restaurants as well.

You need to understand that St. Maarten/St. Martin is a very small island. By far the best and most convenient beach resort in St. Martin is La Samanna, but it's also the most expensive by far. But if you are looking for something transcendent, it's the closest thing you will find.

But you can stay in Grand Case and still be within maybe 20 minutes drive from Marigot and the ferries. Orient Beach is probably the most distant major resort area from the ferries, but it also has the most options.

I'd recommend that you take a look at the Grand Case Beach Resort, which is within walking distance of some of the best restaurants in St. Martin. Just realize that you must have a car to enjoy all that the island has to offer.

We are at the Hotel L'Esplanade for a week. We are looking for another hotel, less expensive near the ferry docks for three or four nights. We will not have a car during this latter period since we will be spending our days on Saba, St. Barts, and Anguilla.

I think there are a few hotels in Marigot itself, but you aren't going to have any good choices there, and I can't give you a personal recommendation. Hopefully someone else can.

I'd actually recommend keeping the car and staying in one of the small hotels near the airport. There are some good choices there that aren't too expensive. There's a newish B&B called the Royal Turtle Inn, and it's about $130 a night. It's about 20 minutes from Marigot.

As I recall there is a hotel almost directly across from the docks in Marigot. Sadly I do not recall the name. Perhaps you can google Marigot hotels.