My husband and I stayed at Le Marquis for a trip to St. Martin in February, 2011, and it is hard to think of any "cons" about the place. The rooms were clean and well-kept, and very spacious; I think every room in the hotel has a beautiful view of the bay, and a private terrace. It feels very luxurious.

Le Marquis is up a steep hill from the main road - about five minutes in a car from the bottom to the hotel. However, the Radisson is halfway between the two, and while Le Marquis is not directly on a beach, the Radisson is, so it's a very quick jaunt (by free shuttle) to the sand. There is a lovely fitness center, and tennis courts, as well as a small pool at le Marquis; the Radisson below has shopping, dining, and both pool and hot tub.

The hotel is situated right near Grand Case, which has the best dining on the French side; we went there almost nightly for dinner, assisted by the marvellous staff.

The staff were so cheerful and professional; you truly felt like it was a joy to them to help you out with something. I have never before stayed somewhere where I was so well and kindly taken care of as here, and I'd recommend it without hesitation to anyone going to St. Martin. The only downsides I can think of are that one needs a shuttle ride to get to the beach (see above) and there is no kitchen on-site; a lovely cold meal is provided for breakfast, but this is not an American Plan type of place, and you'll have to go out for lunch or dinner (or they'll get it for you, but it may get chilled on the trip). This, to me, was not a downside, but I know some folks are looking for an all-inclusive, never have to leave my hotel, type place.

The best way to start off any vacation day is to have a nice breakfast on a terrace with a beautiful view. You have no choice but to relax. Not to mention there's a hammock on the terrace as well. We used that more at night. Looking at the moon and stars while a light breeze is blowing is a great way to forget the cold and snow from the north. The rooms are big and airy with high ceilings. The people working there are super friendly and go above and beyond to make you feel at home, full of good info as to what to see and where to go. My wife and I will definitely return someday, the sooner the better.

The Marquis Hotel leaves nothing to be desired if you are looking for a quiet slice of paradise managed by the most accommodating staff possible,all of them from management to housekeeping made us feel so welcomed from the moment we arrived and anticipated and satisfied all of our needs during our stay. They could not have made us feel more at home.
The Hotel is quiet, situated high on the side of the hill with a breathtaking view of the beach and ocean below. The Hotel’s cheerful, Caribbean style is welcoming while you enjoy breakfast by the pool with entertainment provided by the local finches. Our room was decorated in a personal style with dramatic colorful artwork and furniture that added to the relaxed feeling of being at the beach. For us it was the perfect vacation place and made us feel as if we were at our own luxury private Caribbean villa.
The Hotel provides a shuttle to and from the Radisson Resort located at the bottom of the hill at the beach, whenever you need it. You can call for a pick-up from the beach by simply asking the staff at the Radisson.
We highly recommend this lovely, quaint Hotel to anyone who wants to be treated like royalty by the nicest staff you could ever ask for. This little gem is the best kept secret on St. Martin

I thought long and hard before giving this hotel 3 stars, and that is solely because of the staff members working here. They were very friendly and tried to do everything they could to make our stay pleasant. However, we were incredibly disappointed with the quality of the hotel compared to what we saw on the website. The website describes it as a luxury boutique hotel, but I would not agree with this at all. The furniture in the room was old and outdated, the quality of the bedding was poor and worn, the bathroom was old and peeling paint, chipped tiles, barely working shower head.

In short, I would not recommend the hotel, but I do understand the current staff and management are doing everything they can to help their guests. But the owner of the hotel should not expect to continue charging those prices unless they change the hotel to match the pictures on the website.