All was spectacularly good, Resort, Astrolabe, staff. This was mine 29th visit to Saint Martin and although the first time without my dear departed wife, Jana, the stay was good, very good. Will certainly consider another visit to Esmeralda if .. (90 in Jan, however consider lasting to 100).

heureusement notre chambre etait a une extremitee alors nous avions 3 fenetres a ouvrir lorsque tu quitte l hiver ce n est pas pour t enfermer tu veut ouvrir mais pour le reste c etait une chambre confortable.Le resto de la place l Astrolabe tres bon mais redondant ci tu y soupe tout les soir .Pour l ambience un service impecable mais un peut trop europeen c est tres reposant c est pas pour moi j ai besoin de bouger,il faut absolument avoir une voiture pour trouver de la varietee (repas et plage)Pour notre plage nous avions des chaises reservee gratuite qui coutait 40euros avec parasol par jour.La plage est magnifique mais ce vent, trop de vent et les vagues pas moyen de nager la derniere etait de 6 pieds au dessus de ma tete et j etait a peine a 3 pieds dans l eau pour c etait la fin je n ui suis pas retourne.le retour avec air canada pour nous prendre a l hotel c etai horrible 40 minutes de retard un tout petit van pour plus de 50 voyageur valises planches a voile,et kyte on ne povait pas voie en avant tellement ces appareils arrivait au plafon les touristes etaient tres fache la chaleur interieur du vehicule rendait les touristes malades ceci est un gros manque d air canada pour procurer a ses vacanciers un service agreable pour le vol pas de probleme tres bon avion un Boing service impecable un personnels devouer et agreable.

Easy to access from main road, essentially its at the very westernmost end of Orient beach so almost impossible to get lost. Cottages were in good condition, some "openings such a s sliding doors, Florida windows etc, had corroded hardware, door bumpers missing, but all very small stuff. The front desk staff were very helpful, especially Felix. Great location with decent peace and comfort after a day on the busy Orient beach.

It was our first time in St.Martin, we had the blast! Everything was excellent! We had amazing room, wonderful swimming pool, the most delicious with excellent service restaurant and the last and not least - very helpful and extremely pleasant resort staff! We definitely will be back! The beach is really really beautiful, extremely beautiful mountains around!

This resort is nicely tucked away on the shores of Orient bay. It is quiet and spread out over beautifully manicured grounds with palm trees and exotic carribean plants. The room was spacious and well equipped with ceiling fan or air conditionning options. I slept soundly and peacefully every night of our stay. The sun was brilliant but we always had options to experience the light in the shade of our terrrace and pool. The food at the Astrolabe restaurant was excellent just as I remembered . The Friday night special with langouste and live music was a highlight. The helpful people working at the reception gave us great options for both day and night. We enjoyed an excursion on the Scooby Too catarmaran visiting a three spots to snorkel or swim seeing turtles and fish. The lunch served onboard was a true feast of fresh fish and french cheese. In the evening we went twice to the new restaurant in the Orient Bay village called Maison Mer. I would highly recommend you go there if you are looking for fine French dining with a carribean influence. What lovely memories to bring home .

Loved the hotel. Rooms were clean and spacious, and nicely appointed. The resort is divided up into villas with 4 rooms each, and each villa has a private pool, which was so nice right out your door. The beach is a 2 min walk, and the main part of Orient Bay with some great restaurants is only a few mins walk too. The only things I would say were under par, were that the hotel did not supply conditioner - only shampoo (they should really replace the single use plastic bottles they supply with reusable dispensers for soap and shampoo as well!), and the coffee at breakfast wasn't that great (service in a giant coffee pot, so tasted pretty bad). Otherwise, we loved this place! A great, very quiet place to relax. Definitely more for couples than kids, but could work with kids as well.

Did not get to stay at Esmeralda. Riots Lucky me. I am going to St Martin and staying in what I think will be a great little resort on Orient Bay, the French side of the island. I was greeted at the airport by a Sunwings person holding a sign with my name on it. I was the informed that protests and riots abound and it is not safe to go to French side. Sunwings did the best they could and I was relocated to a vert large, very noisy all inclusive resort pretty much right on the runway of the airport. Nothing quiet here, but that ok I will go sit on my balcony. EXCEPT my balcony overlooks the sewage or garbage area with a huge, very loud fan blowing really smelly air, making it impossible to sit on my balcony. I am not even going to get into commenting on the food. I am certain the protesters had good reasons but none the less they totally ruined my vacation. Sunwings did the best they could and did look after me in the circumstances. This is my last trip to anything French unless they want to reimburse me the several thousand dollars I wasted in this trip.

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 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.

The room we stayed in was very spacious with a separate bedroom and living/dining area, as well as a small kitchen. It was clean enough, but nicer furniture wouldn't hurt. Only complaints would be uncomfortable bedding and non existent shower pressure and it took forever for the water to warm up. Nothing that would ruin a vacation by any means, but areas that would benefit from improvement. The breakfast which was included only includes croissant, bread, fruit and mediocre coffee. Espresso or Cappucinno is a 4 euro extra charge, which is kind of cheap. The beach is a couple minutes walk from the rooms which is nice. When you get to the beach, guests of the hotel are allowed beach chairs/umbrella at no charge if you take a back row. If you want unobstructed view of the ocean, they charge 20 euro. Also, if you want to bring your own drinks/snacks to the beach....no dice. You can only enjoy beach bar/resto at high cost. Overall, nice resort and we really enjoyed our stay.

WITHOUT PREJUDICE : We have been going to Saint Martin since 1994. Our last visit was at La Samana, 7 years ago and it was great but we missed the Orient Beach atmosphere. Having visited Esmeralda while vacationing elsewhere on Orient Bay, we decided this year to book two weeks at this resort. To put it kindly, the resort needs a lot of loving care and and renos.The pictures on their website are probably dated back to when it opened some 25-30 years ago. We had major issues with methane gas in our room coming from the sanitary system. The second week we were there, we requested on numerous occasions that the problem be resolved but to no avail. On the fourth day of our complaints, finally the assistant director,Audrey was on site and she immediately took control of the situation and sent maintenance people to inspect and try and correct the problem. We even changed rooms but the problem persisted. Finally on the day we were packing our suitcases, we saw a family of mice running along in the bedroom and kitchen..... We had other minor issues such as exterior night lighting not working that was never attended to etc. Again, very disappointing indeed !

This was our 8th visit..I think that tells you everything. It is situated on what we believe to be the best beach on St Martin..Orient Beach. The rooms are spacious, beds comfortable, grounds well maintained.

The Esmeralda resort is very private and relaxing. I didn't get the feeling there were many people staying there. The room was bright and very clean. The pool was crystal clear and felt like our own. The breakfast at the Astolobe restaurant was a perfect way to start the day. The beach was very accessible with great places to eat dinner very close by. I would definitely go back.

Resort was very quiet with a short walk to the village and the beach bars. Happy hour from 6-7pm at Bikini's...2 for 1 beer/wine. Little grocery store at the village where we bought beer, wine and snacks. Astrolabe restaurant on the resort is known as one of the better, but I was a little disappointed with the lobster dinner, and the French Toast ($5 extra for breakfast) was wet in the centre and burnt on the edges. The wait staff asks how your meal was, if your plate is emptied, but when I pushed my French Toast aside, interestingly enough she passed by several times and I was never asked if it was OK. Pastries and fresh fruit cocktail are the way to go. Rooms are clean and spacious and it's nice that each unit of 3 has it's own pool, but only one unit on the resort has a view of the Bay. We had a 5 minute walk from our room to the beach. Beach service was good. Our padded chairs and umbrellas are included with the room but anywhere else you go, keep in mind that it's between $15=$25/day to rent 2 chairs/umbrella on the beaches. Orient Bay waters are very rough with waves. Not ideal for small children. I lost control a couple of times. If you do not entertain the idea of nudes, then do not go to the beach early in the morning when they parade and jog the entire beach. We took a local bus and water taxi to Pinel Island to snorkel. Nice trip. A car is a must to see the island. $35/day if you rent from the resort. We heard you can get one for $20 right from the airport though. So many beaches and restaurants to check out around the island. Beautiful driving over the mountains and curved roads but watch for the scooters....they drive on the centre white line both ways. Can't wait to get back to this island. The waters are like paradise.

Been going for 8 years!...what does that tell you and what more can I say!!! Beach is great, close to great restaurants, staff friendly, grounds well manicured and maintained, rooms may be a little dated but are well maintained!!!!