Which hotel would you choose? (St. Maarten/St. Martin)

So DH and i are set on St. Maarten/St. Martin for November. But we're torn as to which hotel to choose. All 3 hotels are in the same ball park $ wise. We are looking for easy access to quiet beaches and nothing that will break the bank kwim. We just want to relax and soak in the sun. We DO NOT like tall high rises! Pros and cons for each:

Divi Little Bay-
PROS: Great location on the dutch side, walking distance to the main city of phillipsburg, beautiful beach and only 15 mins from the airport.
CONS: Maid service is only 2x per week and its a 3 level hotel with no elevator. i aint goin on vacation to work out kwim lol. Its family friendly which would be great if we had kids, but we dont so we're not loving the idea of going on a relaxing vacation and having kids running around. (To each their own)


Divi Little Bay Beach Resort

Sonesta Great Bay-
PROS: Fodors lists it as the best location of all of the hotels in the country. It has a casino in house and is right next door to the Divi so its also 15 mins from the airport.
CONS: Not loving the decor and expedia only gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars. Also a kid friendly hotel.

Sonesta Great Bay Resort

L'Hoste Hotel-
PROS: PRIME location on orient beach which is on the French side and way up north. its walking distance to Marigot the french side capital so there's plenty of shopping and sites. reading online, it says there's tons of restaurants and bars walking distance. its a quaint little hotel as it only has 56 suites (each has a mini kitchen) and its literally steps to the beach as opposed to a high rise bulding. Breakfast is included daily.
CONS: its next door to a nude beach and im not sure if i wanna see other peoples goods while on vacay kwim. also, its the farthest from the airport of all 3 hotels at 30 mins driving time. they say 45 mins with traffic.

L'Hoste Hotel

Which would you choose and why?

Message edited 8/24/2008 5:05:25 PM.

Re: Which hotel would you choose? (St. Maarten/St. Martin)

For me it would be between the Divi and Sonesta. I think I would pick the Sonesta since you mentioned not wanting kids running around. It does not appear to be as kid oriented considering they don't have a dedicated children's activity area. Don't feel weird mentioned not wanting kids around 24/7 since I would have felt the same way prior to having children. I have been to St. Maarten twice and I was not impressed with the French side. HTH.

Re: Which hotel would you choose? (St. Maarten/St. Martin)

I would pick L'Hoste Hotel for two reasons:
1.) Phillipsburg ain't all that.
2.) I love Orient Beach.

Re: Which hotel would you choose? (St. Maarten/St. Martin)

bump

Re: Which hotel would you choose? (St. Maarten/St. Martin)

L'Hoste, because I really enjoyed that part of the island.

...only look left

Re: Which hotel would you choose? (St. Maarten/St. Martin)

We stayed at Divi Little Bay in May, and loved it. We stayed in probably the furthest room from the beach and it really wasn't that far. The beach was nice and they have all the watersports right there. My only complaint was there isn't a big choice in food. They have one restaurant and a beach bar with food. All the food we had was great, my complaint was a few nights all they had was the buffet. However it's only a $6 cab ride to Phillipsburg where there are plenty of restaurants. The other good thing was they have a little store where you can buy groceries- it was a little expensive but cheaper than the restaurant. We just bought snacks and cereal. I loved St. Martin, can't wait to go back.

Re: Which hotel would you choose? (St. Maarten/St. Martin)

Not sure if you want another suggestion but we were there a few months ago and stayed at the Westin and we loved it. It's brand new and has a really nice beach and pool and is on the french side.