3 Best Hotels in St. Martin and St. Maarten

Bordered by a pristine, white-sand beach, the island's top luxury resort offers professional but warm service, chic accommodations, beachfront cabanas, and an infinity pool. Rooms and smaller suites are smartly designed with modern upgrades and private balconies or terraces. Some of the larger specialty suites have plunge pools, rooftop solariums, and kitchenettes. Expansive three- or four-bedroom villas offer enough privacy and luxury to please even the pickiest moguls. The serene spa surrounded by a lush garden with a waterfall, has treatment rooms featuring a private outdoor area with a shower. Activities include tennis, water sports, yoga in the workout facility, and dining in two restaurants (one on the beach, one in the main house). Promotions may include meals, rental cars, and airport transfers.

The two- to four-bedroom villas in this condo-style complex are luxuriously decorated, private, tranquil, and overlook the ocean or Oyster Pond. Daily housekeeping and beach set-up on request are among the available services. Some of the villas have their own pool, and there's also a small communal pool. The on-site Big Fish restaurant is popular, and guests can also use the pool, spa, putting green, restaurants, and other amenities at the nearby Oyster Bay Resort.

Top-tier suites at this sophisticated, luxurious, adults-only enclave include butler service, but all are among the island's very best accommodations. Restaurants, bars, and other amenities are exclusively for guests, who also have access to offerings at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort. One swimming pool snakes around the front of the property giving first-floor guests swim-out access from their suites, a second features an infinity edge and an artificial beach, a third has bar service, and a fourth has a swim-up bar. This property is a terrific (albeit somewhat noisy) vantage point for watching the planes at the nearby airport.