| Joanne |
Jan 7th, 1998 08:56 AM |
I am responding to the questions about St. Maarten. We have been to the island 4x and own vacation sharing at the Great Bay Hotel, Dutch St. Maarten. The Dutch side is preferable to the French, I found the people on the French side to have a somewhat anti-American attitude. The Great Bay Hotel is located in the capital of the Dutch side, Philipsburg. This is a good location, it is close to town and shopping. The shopping on the Dutch side is better than on the French side. The Great Bay Hotel is a large resort, average rooms, on the beach,caters to package tours from US and Canada. In the past few years I've found it to be very noisy, service has declined so has the beach. I would not recommend it, even though I own time there. Look into the Divi Little Bay Hotel, it is a little further out, on the beach,still in Phillipsburg and close to shopping. Our last trip was in January 97, the island still showed the effects of the hurricane that devastated it in 95. Some of the restaurants had changed hands, food or service wasn't as good as in the past. Winter of 97 was their first tourist season since the storm, hopefully things will be improved this year. Mary's Boon is a small hotel on Simpson Bay, we have dined in their restaurant but have not seen the rooms. It is very close to the airport and planes are coming in at all hours, this could be a problem. It is also out of the way, kind of isolated, down some dirt roads. You probably wouldn't be able to find it at night, look for it in the day time. This hotel has also changed hands recently. The restaurant wasn't as good. Five hundred dollars is about the average for plane fare from the northeast. I would look for a charter company, if available in your area, for a package that includes flight and room. Don't miss Orient Beach when you are on the island. It is a clothing optional beach on the French side. The beach is spectacular. I've also heard that the Oyster Pond Beach Club, near Orient Beach is nice. Several of the nicer hotels on the island were closed down because of damage from the storm. I don't know if they ever re-opened. The Maho area is also nice, still on the Dutch side but further from the town about a 15 or 20 minute ride. This area has its own small shopping area and a few good restaurants. A great one there is Cheri's Cafe, good food, entertainment and reasonable prices. There is a large hotel there, Maho Beach Hotel, it is a very large complex. We saw the rooms several years ago, they were large and luxurious. However, it is also near the airport. I always advise renting a car. I hope this helps everyone who has questions about St. Maarten. I have a lot of info., this is too long already. Purchase some travel guides to the Caribbean, they also give a good overview of hotels and dining. Enjoy!
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