I loved everything about Sole Luna, with a small caveat I'll save for the end. From the planning of our trip when Christian was incredible responsive and helpful with any email question I sent, to the unbelievable dinner we had, to the spaciousness and comfort of our room and patio, our two night stay was spectacular...
But you do have to drive everywhere. It's not their fault (I didn't downgrade them to four stars because of this), and it's a very short and easy drive to both Orient Bay and Grand Case. If you're looking for a vacation where you can walk out of your room and either be on the beach or walking down the street to sample the myriad quality restaurants, Sol e Luna is not for you. However, if you want a little more privacy and don't really mind either driving or staying at the hotel, then you'll love Sol e Luna.

We felt very lucky this was our home away from home for the first week we spent in St. Martin. After the owner Christian showed us our room and gave us suggestions of what we should check out while we are in St. Martin, we immediately made dinner reservations at his restaurant. Christian is a person who is genuinely cares in providing his customers QUALITY service, unlike many other establishments who are mainly concerned about getting your money. Sol e Luna is one of St. Martin's best kept secrets that is intimately tucked away in Mont Vernon. Seriously, I meant that last statement because throughout most of our trip many locals didn't even know about it. However, this is not a place to stay if you want to the American touristy feel, waiting for the fun to come to you, pamper me kind of experience. Sol e Luna is for couples that wish to be left alone and take go at their own pace to zip around the island. The bathroom is huge! I'm not suggesting it but you can't fit at least 3 or 4 people in the shower alone. The biggest plus is there's a full kitchen that helped us save money on food as we were able to prepare many of meals at home. Also with the U.S. Marche (French grocery store) being literally 5 minutes away, a last minute run to the store is not completely out of your way. Overall, Sol e Luna is worth every penny! I look forward to my next vacation in St. Martin and checking into the Nacre Suite next time.

I always get a giggle when people say, "I don't care about the room. Who spends time in the room, anyway?" I got killed last year when I posted a less-than-stellar review of our hotel because I didn't like the room. Well, I sleep late, I nap & I go to bed early. I love a nice room! Sol E Luna to the rescue. I would recommend SEL to anyone who doesn't need direction, room service or amenities (other than housekeeping). If you like a big resort & staff to make arrangements for you, etc., then it's not for you. It's more like a mini villa or an apartment. I pretended that I lived there. The grounds are beautiful. All the flowers were in bloom. We had a gardenia tree right outside our open-air kitchen. As I lay in bed, my view was of palm trees & a beautiful yellow hibiscus. Sure beats the broken down tool shed I was looking at last year! We stayed in the Jasmine Suite. It had an outdoor sundeck, two outdoor seating areas, and a semi-enclosed Creole style kitchen. The kitchen was more than adequate & was well stocked for making a light meal. The bedroom & bathroom were beautiful, too. You could either shut the louvered wooden windows & door for sleeping with the AC, or throw them open & let the Caribbean breeze cool you while you sleep. The property is gated. Christian will give you a code to open & close the gates. There is surprisingly little, or no, noise from the restaurant, seeing as Jasmine is right above it. The palm fronds rustled continually. SEL is the most serene place I have ever stayed. Granted, we were off season & the occupancy was low; but it was so quiet. There was no traffic noise and no GC airport noise at all. Once the trash trucks came! The outdoor living was so awesome that I can't even imagine staying cooped up in a room again. As an added bonus, there were 2 beach chairs, an umbrella & 2 noodles and you get 10% off dinner in the restaurant (which will get a stellar review from us, too).

Housekeeping was awesome. Her smile would light up a room! On the other hand, when she had to give us the weather report, she looked so sad. When it was determined that it was going to rain "tout la jour," she felt worse than we did! The linens were changed every day & the place was clean as a whistle! When we were leaving, she made a special effort to come down to our car to say good-bye & that she "would watch for us" again. Priceless.

To wrap it up, SEL was intoxicating. Yup, that's the word. A complete sensual experience. The sweetness of the flowers, the faint smell of olive oil & garlic from the restaurant, the sea breeze, the beauty of the mountain hills, the salt pond, the rustling of the palm fronds, the music wafting from the restaurant, the tree frogs, the clearing skies, the southern constellations, the red star. As I sat there, taking in all of this beauty, I thought to myself that it was a pretty good way to spend the evenings. We both loved SEL & will definitely go back to Suite Jasmine (the other suites are awesome, too … but I loved living in a tree house)!

My husband surprised me with a romantic stay at the Sol e Luna Restaurant and Inn for the first night of our honeymoon in St. Martin. Christian (chef-owner), Ashraf and the rest of the staff were delightful, knowledgeable and very friendly.

We stayed in the Mango suite (recommended by Christian, I later found out ,when my then fiance told him it was for our honeymoon) and it was stunning. Romantic four-poster bed draped with white linen with a view of the mountains and salt water lake. Sunset out the window and a rainfall shower the size of my entire bathroom back home. A small and refreshing pool was just below our window and we enjoyed a midnight swim.

Dinner was excellent - foie gras with caramelized apples, crab salad with mint and edamame, and the BEST champagne Mojito I have ever had. My husband's main dish (I can't remember the name of the fish) was cooked to perfection. The food, service and ambiance were so wonderful that we decided to bookend our honeymoon with another visit to the restaurant for the last night of our stay. Busier, due to their summer prix-fixe menu (a steal!), we took a spot in the lounge area and enjoyed a romantic evening under the canvas canopy and lush greens of their grounds.

It was the perfect start and end to our honeymoon. We will go back the first chance we get!