Sonesta Great Bay Beach & Casino: A Little Gem on a Beautiful Island

Our 11 day vacation at Sonesta Great Bay was pure enjoyment from the moment of arrival. We were upgraded from oceanview to a beautiful one bedroom suite overlooking the Bay where we enjoyed our morning coffees on our terrace sometimes with cruise ships in the port. The hotel is a short 5 minute walk along the beach to Phillipsburg with its high end shops, markets, beachside bars and restaurants. The food was excellent with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and delicious seafood. Staff are very [... read more] accommodating. Grounds and rooms are very clean with plenty of fresh towels and fridge stocked every day. No matter where you were on the resort the view of the beach and turqoise waters and the bay was ever present. The resort is quaint, not anything like the huge resorts in Mexico or Dominican but it has a true island charm with friendly people and is extremely safe. The only complaint would be that the lobby and beach washooms need to be totally renovated as are small, dark and smelly. Also there are not enough loungers around the pools. People get up before 7 am to reserve chairs. The towel game is never fun.

Sonesta Great Bay Beach & Casino: Beautiful Island

I think overall the Island was beautiful, as for the resort I find the website to be misleading. The hotel is partially renovated, in which we had a non renovated room partial Ocean View with machines running in back all day and night. We were unable to sit out on our balcony because of the noise. The beds were actually very comfy, so I was happy, the bathrooms on the other hand were awful. Dirty stained bathtubs and toilets that barely flushed. The pool was small and there was no entertai [... read more]nment at all!! The service was slack, rude staff that ignored you when asking questions or cranky and standoffish.. The food was cold most of the time, but wasn't bad. The pizza and the Chinese restaurant were by far the best!! Our rooms were not ready at check-in time, so we're had to wait as well.

Sonesta Great Bay Beach & Casino: awesome resort

We had a great experience at this place and recommend it to anyone. Very clean and the food was excellent .Also the service was very good the employees there were always pleasant and happy.the beach was very clean and the ocean view was superb .

Sonesta Great Bay Beach & Casino: Beautiful Island, Resort is dated

The resort needs a facelift, the food was amazing and the staff are top notch. Kevin the bartender went out of his way to serve us. Melissa seating us every morning for breakfast was always cheerful. Beach not that great, better beaches around the island.

Sonesta Maho Beach: Best Value!

We thoroughly enjoyed our vacation at Sonesta Maho Beach. Food and drinks were exceptional, great excursions, great service, airplanes were amazing to watch and the view was incredible. My only criticism would be they need to fill in the deep end of the pool to make the whole pool 5 Ft and move the volleyball net away from the bar.

Sonesta Maho Beach: Really Great Resort

Had an excellent week at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort. The room was comfortable and the food was excellent. Ramone and Doris took care of us at the pool. The pool chairs could be much more comfortable as they have bars that dig into your back. Service at all of the a al carte restaurants was great but the buffet service left a lot to be desired. They management apologized for the weather in a letter to the guest which was unnecessary but very nice. I would recommend this resort to anyone w [... read more]ho is looking for great value for their dollar.

Sonesta Maho Beach: Fantastic vacation

Hotel was clean, rooms spacious, food was amazing and refreshments cold and plentiful. Staff was pleasant and accommodating. Particularly Sharon and Nigel. Would recommend this resort to family and friends.

Sonesta Maho Beach: Good Resort

Hotel was nice and clean, Grounds were kept up well. They could use new lounge chairs. Chairs were terrible. There should enforce the no smoking policy around the pool. Some of the staff couldn't care less whether they served you or not.

Sonesta Maho Beach: Nice place for vacation

Great location. Pool and beach are very close and restaurants on the beach. Very convenient. There is so much to see and do on the island but it is very expensive. If you are travelling with the children and expect entertainment or activities for them - they have none. Staff is polite but some staff could be friendlier and service is not always on time or efficient. But overall good place to stay on the island

Palace St. Martin: Great staff, hotel is just okay - deadly pool!

This was our first time to St. Martin, we've previously travelled to Mexico, Jamaica, Cuba, St. John's, Bahamas staying in 4 or 5 star hotels. This hotel is smaller which was nice as we did not have a hard time finding a spot on the beautiful beach or by the pool. The pool needs work as many tiles on the steps and edges are broken/cracked with exposed sharp edges (picture the edge of a broken bottle). I cut my toe on the last day as did my daughter (6). My cut was about an inch and luckily n [... read more]ot very deep but it did end my time in the water as it did end the life of a very old rag looking towel. Rooms are average, they are not suites, basic room with two/one bed, bar fridge and in room bottles of alcohol RIU hotel style. Hotel room is clean and fresh looking but on the edge of needing some work. The grounds are tired looking, grass is brown, water fountains filled with gravel because they broke. Cabana cushions are terrible shape, its like that bed sheets you love and don't want to toss out but you should.... Service was great, just one lady at the front desk was a bit soup Nazi style, the rest of the staff were great! Margarita (kids club) was amazing with the kids, Mimi at the restaurant, pool side doctor sharing her "medicine" sorry I never caught her name but she was great. Food was fine, at times it was great, we did not take advantage of a la carte because the kids wanted more choice. I'd give this 4 stars maybe, not 4+ or 5. Not worth the money, especially during Spring break (March 12 to 19 for us). We also took a cab to Philipsburg, not worth it unless you want to go shopping. If she says I only want to go to buy one thing, Its a trap!

Esmeralda Resort: Relaxation and rejeuvination

The Esmeralda resort was a perfect destination to break up the winter blues and feel immersersed in the warmth of St Martin. The hotel has impeccable grounds with beautiful palm trees and manicured gardens that make you feel like you have arrived in paradise . The layout of the resort gives lots of privacy. The pool that we shared with 2 other couples never had more than 2 people in it at a time. It felt very private. My favourite part was falling asleep with the shutters closed and the windows  [... read more]open while listening to the sounds of the waves. Sitting on the terrace in front of our room bathing in the warmth of the early morning sun was a close second. The food and service at the Astrolabe restaurant was 5 star! I can hardly wait to go back and that was my third time there. Merci.

Sonesta Maho Beach: Good resort

I thought the hotel, grounds and facilities were average but the location was excellent. The beach was not really useable as the tide took the sand out. There was only 2 al acartes on site and it was very hard to get reservations. We could only reserve 2 in 11 days. The noise from outside casino and bar was very loud and they had a sewage sytem behind the hotel with big fans that was noisey so you could not sit on the balcony.

Sonesta Maho Beach: Terrific Resort

Great food and public grounds. Rooms were outdated could use a refresh otherwise it was good.Service was fair, restaurants on the grounds could improve, the Italian restaurant was awful. Overall the buffet had good selection of food. Service was a little slow.

Sonesta Maho Beach: Had a fantastic vacation.

We had a great time watching the iets fly in. The grounds, food, drink, people. Everything was perfect. Natalie at trip central was a great advisor. The shopping was nice and close to resort and everything you need was close.

Le Beach Hotel: Great proximity to Marigot

Rooms: Basic but had everything you need. Hair dryer worked, lots of hot water and very comfortable bed. Desperately in need of upgrade! Grounds: No beautiful, tropical flowers. The shrubs that are on the property need water and the pots are in disrepair. Restaurant: Nice with good food and decent prices. White linen cloths and chair covers. Bar: Great little bar area. Practice your French! There is a little spot where they have live entertainment however I didn't find the entertainment to  [... read more]be very good. Breakfast area: Bright and cheery. Lots of birds flying around. Do not leave your plate unattended! You have to get your own cutlery and serve yourself coffee. I like to have my coffee brought to me and at the very least have the cutlery on the table. Chairs are in bad shape and tables wobbly. Lobby: Nothing spectacular. No wow factor! Shop: Very small and expensive Pool: Liner is coming away from the pool. Water is freezing! Beach: Small and not very appealing. Garbage in the water. All in all it is the staff that make this resort. Also close proximity to town. Very friendly and courteous. If they don't start fixing things this hotel will not be around for very much longer! Big cracks in the cement, decorative trim missing from the roof structure, in need of paint! I would rate this hotel a low 3* Vacationers beware: The hotel can get over booked and you might end up at another resort. It happened to us! ended up back at Le Beach but not in an ocean view room which we had booked and paid for.

Sonesta Great Bay Beach & Casino: Wonderful Resort (4 out of 5 stars)

This is an all adult resort, which is what we were looking for, instead of the newer Sonesta Maho Resort, which attracts the younger crowd with children. We had an oceanview room with a small balcony, that overlooked the small pool and deck. There were 3 umbrella and chaises setups that we used a few times, but we preferred the main patio setup with the larger pools, by the buffet restaurants and the bars. Our recently renovated large room was lovely and comfortable except for the mattress w [... read more]hich we found very hard. The bathroom was well appointed with modern fixtures, and had a roomy all glass shower. All the hotel staff is very friendly and welcoming. Whenever a staff member walked by, we were always asked if everything was OK, what we were doing today, and if we were having fun. We had no complaints with the buffet food. There was a large variety of dishes to please everyone, even though it became a bit repetitive after 2 weeks, but we weren't looking for gourmet breakfasts and lunches. We enjoyed the fresh fruit and the local fish. Every time we walked in for breakfast, lunch and the few dinners, we were welcomed with smiles and hugs. However, our favorite restaurant was Pescatore, on the reception floor. We thoroughly enjoyed every dinner we had there. It's a gourmands delight! Compliments to the chef and servers. ONE WORD OF CAUTION !! There are "funny" little steps all over the place, and the tiled floors can become slippery. My wife fell 3 times within 2 days, and another guest slipped and broke her wrist. On our third day we learned to keep our eyes on our feet.

Sonesta Maho Beach: We had a great time !!!!

Grounds are beautiful. The food is a bit limited however everything we tried was very good. Front staff are under fire since the room situation is a problem. If you are not at a room with a view of the pool or ocean then the problems are plentiful. On the street side very loud music until around 2:00 am. The windows are like paper, they give no protection on noise. The sides also very loud fans and overlooking work yard that looks a bit like a junk yard. We changed rooms 3 times and in the end t [... read more]here was no availability for ocean or pool views. Really enjoyed the planes landing and taking off from the nearby airport. All and all a great vacation if you don't take into consideration the rooms.

Le Beach Hotel: Awesome Place

This was a comfortable hotel, we had no complaints and there was 9 women. The rooms were clean and we had clean towels everyday. However I did not like the idea we would have to pay for beach towels, so we bought one instead. They also would not give water at restaurant you need to buy bottle water. The cost of the stay was very reasonable. We used the hotel as a central place to meet and then we headed out to all the different beaches and restaurants. This was a great way to do an inexpensive  [... read more]trip. The staff was awesome, I like talking to Katia in the morning she was very helpful.

Le Beach Hotel: Very Friendly Staff

The Hotel ,was keep very clean . My room was will looked after by the cleaning staff . Had no complaints . We enjoyed the Beach ,when we were there . We had the Island Side View . There wasn't a lot of time spent @ the Hotel ,we traveled around the Island to different Beaches ,it was just Beautiful . I would go back that's for sure . I traveled with 8 of my Girlfriends and had a blast .

Sonesta Great Bay Beach & Casino: The Perfect Holiday

My Husband and I just returned From Sonesta Great Bay and we had a fantastic time! Our room was located on the 7th floor Oceanfront. It was very clean and very nice. We cannot think of anything negative about staying here. The service is top notch. All the Staff at this resort right from the front desk to the bartenders, housekeepers and even the groundskeepers are all so friendly and always have a smile. The food is very very good. We did not have one meal that we were disappointed. The bar ser [... read more]vice offered at both the beach and the pool was excellent. There was always a server asking if we would like another drink and we did not have to wait long for them to bring them to us. I must mention that this is not a "party" resort. they offer entertainment in the evenings but most people head to their rooms by 11pm. Bar is still open so that didn't mean we had to call it a night! We made great friends there and enjoyed a few fun nights together! It is a very relaxing atmosphere with daytime entertainment as well if you are interested in joining in on the fun. The Hotel is an older resort. We read reviews of it being very run down. Yes it is older, but very clean and comfortable. The location is perfect. We could walk 10 minutes down the beach to Philipsburg. A great place to have a few drinks at some bars..grab a lunch, or shop till you drop. Make sure you also get to the other side of the courthouse where the market is. The friendly locals are there to sell you all their goodies. Bartering is accepted. A $20 cab ride takes you to the Maho area that is full of fun places to have a drink, great restaurants and more shopping. We were not disappointed at all with this trip. It was all so wonderful, worth the money, and we are going back again for sure!