16 Best Hotels in St. Martin and St. Maarten

Because of its stupendous bay view and simple but comfortable rooms with creative decor, this lovely guesthouse is widely considered one of the Dutch side's best. Its virtues are many, but what really keeps many guests coming back are the owners, who make you feel as if you're visiting the beach house of your favorite relatives. Book early: the Toad fills up fast. The ground level is wheelchair-accessible.

The romantic beachfront units of this hôtel de charme are steps from the fun of Baie Orientale yet private, quiet, and stylish. The immaculate, spacious rooms have accessories and color schemes that suggest Morocco; all have a fridge, a microwave, and a big balcony with loungers. There's an attractive pool in the manicured garden and a palapa where breakfast is served. The upper-floor units have water views, but lower-level units offer immediate access to the pool and garden. Guests get signing privileges at all the related beach bars. 

Despite its name, this time-share resort property is, indeed, tucked away on Pelican Key, bordering both the bay and the ocean, giving you a front-row seat for island sunsets from your terrace. The attractive studios and one- and two-bedroom suites have flat-screen TVs and fully equipped kitchens with granite countertops; many also have sleeper sofas. Kids can enjoy multiple pools or a playground while grown-ups head to the on-site spa. La Patrona, an award-winning authentic Mexican Restaurant, serves traditional American breakfasts daily, full lunches, and excellent dinners—plus brunch on Sunday. The Replay sports bar has many screens and a menu of sandwiches, pizza, and well-crafted sushi.

Lush foliage in the glassed-in lobby—hence the name—makes a great first impression at this resort, a good base for island explorations and within walking distance of many bars and restaurants. All the spacious suites and studios are open to the lobby and have lagoon or ocean views, though first-floor rooms can be noisy. Kitchenettes are equipped with microwaves, refrigerators, and ice makers. There are plenty of activities for kids.

On a serene stretch of Simpson Bay Beach, this colorful boutique hotel has just eight kitchenette-equipped rooms—some with garden views, others with ocean views, and all of them unique and just steps from the shore. Other amenities include Wi-Fi, cable TV, air-conditioning, and nearby parking (on the dead-end street that terminates at Simpson Bay Beach). Although there's no on-site restaurant, dozens of eateries are just a short, tranquil walk away.

Esmeralda has traditional, Caribbean-style, kitchen-equipped villas, each with its own pool and all just steps from the beach. The activities desk can arrange everything from snorkeling and tennis to car rentals and babysitting, and signing privileges are offered at some restaurants and outfitters on the Baie Orientale beach. The resort restaurant, L'Astrolabe, which offers breakfast plus fine dining for dinner, is a long-time island favorite.

Facing Front Street and backed by the boardwalk and a long stretch of Great Bay Beach, this hotel is ideal for both shoppers and sun worshippers. Four spacious junior suites have separate seating areas and two flat-screen TVs and are worth the extra cost. It's often no more expensive to get a package that includes breakfast, and the buffet is terrific. Be careful when booking through third-party sites, as there have been many reports of reservation confusion.

Rebranded and updated after Hurricane Irma, Hommage offers a modern, art-filled escape with spacious, bright, and airy rooms. Amenities include a large pool with a separate kids' section and a water-sports center that offers motorized activities like Jet Skiing.

Hibiscus and bougainvillea line the brick walkways connecting the bungalows and beachfront suites of this intimate, friendly, family-owned time-share resort perched at the foot of Pelican Key. Accommodations have small bathrooms, but the balconies have awesome views; definitely go for a deluxe room on an upper floor. The beach is rocky but good for snorkeling—and fantastic for sunsets. There's a great little on-site restaurant, the Hideaway, plus several other restaurants close by. The street leads to a residential neighborhood so the area is generally quiet at night. Get the best weather and best rates here in July.

This classic property on 148 acres of lush gardens borders the exceptionally beautiful and secluded beach in Anse Marcel. The modern rooms have lots of efficient and thoughtful touches like glass shelves with plugs for electronics, ample his-and-hers closets and dressing areas, high-tech kitchenettes, flat-screen TVs, and in-room safes that can accommodate laptops. Most have round whirlpool tubs for two. If you like the French Riviera or St. Barth, you will love the pool area, which seems lifted directly from a hotel in Nice. Perched above the sweeping arc of sand are chic lounge-beds around the convivial bar, where you can lunch or even have a massage in a tented cabana. Three restaurants, one of them a beach bar, serve beachy classics with a French flair.

A shaded courtyard welcomes you to this quirky, informal guesthouse, where studio and one- or two-bedroom units have been updated but still have an old Caribbean feel. If you like the idea of watching huge planes take off and land, you'll love it here—pilot Mary Pomeroy chose this site because of its proximity to the airport (ask someone to tell you about her life and her mysterious disappearance). Units have flat-screen TVs, windows that have wooden shutters with screens, cathedral ceilings, enormous beds, and verandahs. Each unit is a bit different, so make your preferences known when you reserve. The on-site restaurant is quite popular on Sunday.

Perched on a hill well above the Atlantic, this property offers spacious, contemporary studio and one- or two-bedroom units that have pillow-top mattresses, kitchenettes with stainless-steel appliances, granite bathrooms with jetted tubs and rain showers, and balustraded balconies that afford smashing views of St. Barth. A second, more recent building has even nicer rooms and elevators. For a fee, staffers will stock your refrigerator prior to arrival.

Situated right on Great Bay beach and boardwalk and painted an eye-popping shade of coral, this hotel and time-share with studio and one- or two-bedroom units is hard to miss. Balconied rooms boast views of the cruise ships sailing into Great Bay. Each unit has a fully-equipped kitchenette. Restaurants are a brief walk away, as are many souvenir shops and the popular Walter Plantz Square.

Not only does this hotel with beach views on one side and city views on the other have the only pool in town, it also has poolside cabanas, an outdoor pool table, a food market, and a trendy restaurant. Shops, casinos, and cultural sites are all nearby.

Secluded and intimate, this adults-only all-inclusive has accommodations that range from partial-ocean-view rooms to swim-out suites. There are lots of activities, and dining options include Asian, Italian, and French restaurants; a café; and a poolside grill. The resort also offers day passes with unlimited food and drinks.

This cluster of older pink bungalows is perched high on a hill above a lagoon with lots of lush landscaping and a fine view of the Caribbean and St. Barth. Many guests find it convenient to be here near the marina if they are going to be boating or taking the ferry to St. Barth. Rooms are clean but dated and very simple, with private verandas. The restaurant often has live music.