Need large lodging in St. Martin
 

We are a group of two families with (by then) 3 children each and one mother-in-law. So it will be six kids under the age of 7.

We need a place over New Year's. We either need a couple of condos, or one big one. I poked around on vrbo, but didn't find much. We need:

1. Has to be a house or condo or such with room to move.
2. We want amenities. We don't want to be stuck in a house all week.
3. It has to be on the beach. Getting 6 kids in the car to go to the beach is not fun.
4. It can't have a pool that can be fallen into. I found a beautiful home that was a certain death trap for the toddlers.
5. Price can be what it has to be.
6. SCUBA diving nearby for husband.

I know nothing about the sides of the island or areas that are the best places to be. The adults will want to take turns going out or to the casino.

Thanks all!

Did you check condos on Simpson Beach?
www.vrbo.com
www.gobeach.com
www.greatrentals.com
www.caribbeandays.com

Stay on the Dutch side if you want to go to the casinos. I like Simpson Beach because it's close to a lot of activities....restaurants in Simpson Bay - Lee's Roadhouse Grill/Pineapple Pete's....close to a lot of Casinos....Maho - and Cupecoy near by - great restaurants....Cheries, La Gondola....good luck.

The hard part here is the no-pool restriction. There are alot of villas, primarily on the French side in the Baie Rouge area, that would appeal to you, but most of the bigger ones will have a pool.

Frankly, I'd go for an all-inclusive resort, where you could have access to a kids club and more organized activities for the kids and wouldn't have to worry about cooking meals.

Scuba diving is just mediocre on St. Maarten. Would you consider Grand Cayman? There are many more villa options there, and I think more of them might come pool-less.

Thanks guys. Great stuff!

I will check out the Simpson Beach area. If it is walking distance to all of those things from there that would be great. It is just about impossible to get 11 people out the door at once.


What are the all-inclusives on St. Martin? I would definitely consider one because of the kids. It would free up our dining. I know people say not to do AI on St. Martin because the food is so good, but I doubt they are dining with 6 kids under the age of 7. :)

That is too bad about the scuba. We've been to Grand Cayman twice so dh is spoiled. But he was only going once a year, and it has been a few years since he's been able to do it, so I think he'll take what he can get as long as it is Caribbean. He tried in Ft. Lauderdale and that just wasn't any fun for him.

Oh, and the reason for St. Martin, is my mother-in-law was there for a day on a cruise and really liked it. But after some research, everything good is already booked. Maybe St. Thomas would be a better way to go?

I'm sorry ... I should have been more clear. There are no AI resorts on St. Maarten, but there are a few resorts where you can book an all-inclusive plan. You can do this at either of the Sonesta resorts. Sonesta Great Bay is just outside of Phillipsburg, while the Sonesta Maho is in the huge Maho complex and has nearby access (within walking distance) to several casinos. For you, the Maho location might be better. I'm not sure about how many kids can sleep in a room with 2 adults, though. You'd need to look into that.

The new Radisson St. Martin resort might also offer a mealplan, but I'm not sure. It's very isolated, though within driving distance of Grand Case in case the adults wanted to find a good restaurant for one night.

I've never stayed on the island but on a cruise last year we really enjoyed Dawn Beach for the day on the Dutch side. Shallow enough for kids and decent snorkel sights with rental right there. Didn't scuba. There's a Westin there with a casino fwiw.