We go to Saint Martin every year (less a few times to Aruba and other Islands). I like Saint Martin as the French side is well, unique with good food and great beaches. We typically stay at Divi (we own a T/S there and love it) but have stayed at many other resorts. We stayed a few nights at this resort. It reminded me of a European style hotel. No services, the inside garage was scary, the front desk unfriendly and just handed you the keys. The room was very clean and neat but stunk of smoke. The outdoor terrace was nice and clean as was the pool area. The noise was aweful due to the planes and cars (you are right on the street). It was a good price and we needed a ffew nights, so I can't complain but I sure would not want to be stuck in Maho for long. It is the most cheap sleezy places on the Island.

I have owned timeshares in both Aruba and Harborside and Atlantis. My friend and I arrived and were greeted with our first jumbo jetliner taking off, which to be honest you get used to. What took us back was the horrific mildew smell the minute the room to our villa was opened. The resort old and so are all the appliances and bathrooms. We couldn't use the dishwasher because it is so old the writing is worn off, so you just end up puching bunch of buttons to see if you can get it on. The kitchen cabinets had hardware missing and were falling apart. The kitchen sink was the size of one you might see in an RV. There was mold in not only the bathroom, but also in the kitchen on the ceiling! We had a two bedroom, but could not use the second one because the shower leaked and the tub was so high you could barely get in and out. The air conditioning unit is ancient. Its a big piece of machinery attached to the ceiling and could only be turned to med and hign, no temp, so we had to keep turning it on and off. The front door faced the street, most do, so you get all the traffic noise, including alarms that go on for hours. The pool was moldy in areas, there are no real activities around the pool, no music. No one to come around so you can order drinks or food. The only restaurant near the pool is cash only because they are not part of the resort. The staff is not accomodating at all. As for the island, I saw nothing pretty, just rundown, beat up buildings, graffiti, lots of traffic on potholed fill roads. We were told by many not to walk the streets at night alone, do not stop for anyone on the street if you are driving. There was alot of security around, so that should have been our first warning. The resort does not have parking, so you have to park in and underground garage across the street and pay for it. The only nice thing about the resort was the pool area, and thats because there was a hurricane last year and they had to re landscape. Other than that, nothing is updated, everything is old and beat up. Its off season, so alot of Maho Beach is closed, so all you have to do at night is watch tv, but wait, they were having trouble with the sattelite, so we lost most channels. I would never return to St. Maarteen and would never recommend the Royal Islander. It is more a time share motel.

A group of 20 of us went to St. Maarten and half of us stayed in this hotel and the other half stayed at the Royal Islander La Plage which is 1 minute across the street. Both places are very nice. The rooms are great and the location is fantastic. You are literally 5 minutes away from the airport. The pool was great and the beach is close by. Eating out on the island can get pretty pricey, so we bought groceries from the market, which is a 3 minute walk to the corner. We would bring our own drinks and snacks to the pool and the beach and cooked breakfast and lunch in our room. We would eat out for dinner every night. I would recommend Cheri's for dinner. The entertainment is great! The casino is directly next door to the hotel which was always fun.

We love to stay at the La Terrasse. In fact, we try to stay there everytime we go to St Maarten. We love the pool area with its view of the airport landings and takeoffs just on the near horizon, actually across the street.

In addition, the resort is close to restaurants like Cheri's where fun is happening nearly everynite. And the casino is nearby plus shoppping. Plus the convenient food market is just at the coner and is fairly reasonably priced.

Because we like to go to the French side beaches, we always get a car and park it in the garage at La Terrasse. Get a small car so that you can park it in the ever so small underground garage.

Also, the staff at La Terrasse are very Islandie, meaning they are more than willing to help you enjoy your stay if you take your time to explain what you want to improve the stay. We have always enjoyed staying because they have been so understanding and accommodating.


By the way the Maho Beach can be the most fun due to the wave action. You just need to be brave and get in a ways so that you can float effortlessly off shore. Getting out just requires not dilling, stand up and walk out before the next wave comes in.

Did I mention the Sunset Beach Bar as a highlight of staying here at La Terrasse? Well it is! Watch the planes, the beach, the sunset, the people on the beach and in back of the jets taking off??? What fun! and I did not mention the music or the booze or the... yet.