Joshua Rose Guest House is one of the friendliest, cozy, convenient, and well ran places I have EVER stayed at. I stumbled on the place on accident, and I am so happy that I did. It is a family run business, right in the heart of Philipsburg, and the staff made me feel like I was a part of their family. I would recommend JRGH to ANYBODY. It is a great place, and very affordable.

I stopped here in search of a room and didn't even get past the checkin process before I walked out. The place is dirty and gross the staff seem to careless about the guests so I moved on a found a wonderful place only a block away.

After some bad reviews here i made a reservation and yes; i like this place! Why? It is centrally located and everything is just a few minutes walking from here; the boardwalk with beach, restaurants, supermarkets and there are busses leaving in front to Marigot, the french quarter and the airport. This is not a luxury hotel, but it is clean and friendly staff. Internet was available and the overall experience was good! Sint Maarten is quiet most of the time. Only busy on the days when the cruise ships are in the port!

It seems this hotel has gone down hill fast. I stayed here in January, they were accommodating and more than willing to make another reservation for me staying two weeks starting May 4, 2010. Nadia promised me she would have a room for me. Forget about making a reservation on the internet, on any of their websites, or calling and trying to talk to her. Don't even think about leaving a message because she doesn't respond, nor does she follow-up or call you back. She kept telling me that once I stayed there I was family and would always be treated as family. I wonder if she puts her family on the street when they show up? I was in the same boat the other guest was in... planned two weeks at their hotel only to show up and end up on the street. All Nadia could say was, "I'm sorry." What really upset me was Danielle told me to go across the street to Lucy's guest house for the night, and she would have a room for me the next day. Little Lucy's son charged me $65 when it was posted rooms were $45 only to have no electricity the whole night. Not that the air conditioner would cool the ratty rooms anyway. That was a ripoff!

The Josua Rose Guest House is very rundown, ratty curtains, broken furniture, no hot water when it rains, and rusted refrigerators. The beds, matresses, comforters and pillows were very comfortable. The TV only has a few channels and when Bernard wants to watch a sporting event, he changes the channel for all the rooms and that is what you have to watch. It was a godsend I had to find another place.

I would highly recommend the Sea View Guesthouse on the other side of town right on the beach, full cable TV, clean rooms, frig on request and they serve a sweet little full American breakfast in the morning for around $5. They were more than accommodating and the price is only a little more than the Joshua Rose. Also recommended is the Midtown Hotel two streets from the beach right in the heart of town.

So, don't waste your time trying to get accommodations at Joshua Rose as I think they only let family stay there when they come in from other islands. I couldn't find Nadia when I went looking for her, she is evasive, comes and goes as she pleases, the office is never open during regular business hours. You never know when to find her and when you try to settle the bill, the credit card authorization does not work so you have to come back only to go through the same "rat race" again with finding her. They desprately need to hire a professional manager if they want to stay in business.