# Questions for St. Maarten veterans



## hotcoffee (Jul 23, 2009)

I have my II pending request in for 2010.  I've already listed several resorts (mostly Marriott and Westin resorts in Hawaii).  One of the non-Marriotts that I listed was the Pelican Marine Residences in St. Maarten.  I've never been to St. Maarten and I would like to increase my chances a little bit of exchanging there.  The problem is that I do not see any resorts that appear to be of Marriott quality.  The Pelican Residences appears to be okay.  But, I do not see much else.  At least the Pelican Residences is relatively new.

I deposited my Marriott Kauai Beach Club 2-bedroom oceanfront lock-off unit for 2010, and I don't want to trade too far down in quality.  Any suggestions for one more St. Maarten resort to add to my pending request?


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## RIMike (Jul 23, 2009)

_One of the non-Marriotts that I listed was the Pelican Marine Residences in St. Maarten.  I've never been to St. Maarten and I would like to increase my chances a little bit of exchanging there.  The problem is that I do not see any resorts that appear to be of Marriott quality.  The Pelican Residences appears to be okay.  But, I do not see much else.  At least the Pelican Residences is relatively new._


The Pelican Marina Residences is brand new and would be in my estimation equal to the Marriott Properties I have exchanged into.  The Pelican Beach Club next to Pelican Marina Residences are not equal to Marriott properties in my opinion. PMM is a Royal Properties and they consistently rank as high or higher than Marriott properities (see Resort Rankings on here for the Royal Sands, Royal Islander, Royal Caribbean etc)...the exception to that I believe is the Pelican Beach Club on St Martin...as I wrote in a review from my stay there "it is an old step sister to the Royals in Cancun".  But, PMM is the BRAND New, very nice property, also run by the Royals next door.  So I think you are thinking right.  The best property is this one PMM, next would be Royal Palm, OBBR or Royal Islander on St Martin (not to be confused with the Royal Islander in Cancun).

Oyster Bay Beach Resort is another St Martin property I like very much, and I trade quite a bit into Marriott.  It is on the other side of the island.  I actually like the backside of the island better. It is not as busy and the traffic is not as bad.  Still, nowhere is particularly far on St Martin.  OBBR is at Dawn Beach and near it sits next to the Westin Dawn Beach, which has the nicest casino on the island and not very far from Orient Beach and the really good French food area Grand Case.


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## hotcoffee (Jul 24, 2009)

RIMike said:


> The Pelican Marina Residences is brand new and would be in my estimation equal to the Marriott Properties I have exchanged into.  The Pelican Beach Club next to Pelican Marina Residences are not equal to Marriott properties in my opinion. PMM is a Royal Properties and they consistently rank as high or higher than Marriott properities (see Resort Rankings on here for the Royal Sands, Royal Islander, Royal Caribbean etc)...the exception to that I believe is the Pelican Beach Club on St Martin...as I wrote in a review from my stay there "it is an old step sister to the Royals in Cancun".  But, PMM is the BRAND New, very nice property, also run by the Royals next door.  So I think you are thinking right.  The best property is this one PMM, next would be Royal Palm, OBBR or Royal Islander on St Martin (not to be confused with the Royal Islander in Cancun).
> 
> Oyster Bay Beach Resort is another St Martin property I like very much, and I trade quite a bit into Marriott.  It is on the other side of the island.  I actually like the backside of the island better. It is not as busy and the traffic is not as bad.  Still, nowhere is particularly far on St Martin.  OBBR is at Dawn Beach and near it sits next to the Westin Dawn Beach, which has the nicest casino on the island and not very far from Orient Beach and the really good French food area Grand Case.



In reading over the reviews and descriptions, the Royal Palm Beach Resort (ROP) seems good.  Reviews are mixed.  Everyone seems to say the rooms are topnotch, but some complaints about dirty or non-working elevators or lack of hot water.  Others says they experienced none of those issues.  Have you ever stayed there?  What is your opinion?


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## RIMike (Jul 24, 2009)

*Royal Palm Beach Resort*



hotcoffee said:


> In reading over the reviews and descriptions, the Royal Palm Beach Resort (ROP) seems good.  Reviews are mixed.  Everyone seems to say the rooms are topnotch, but some complaints about dirty or non-working elevators or lack of hot water.  Others says they experienced none of those issues.  Have you ever stayed there?  What is your opinion?



I have been to the Royal Palm as I am member of the Diamond Club which allows me to have a reservation there through their system, but I have yet to stay there. I like the looks of the place.

But, I again will tell you that I really like the other side of the island much better...enough that after I traded into OBBR, I later bought one for myself.
I like nice, clean places. It does not have to be fancy.

Recently I stayed at the Marriott St. Kitts and while most people really liked it, it was just ok by my book. It was too big for the island and lost all of the Caribbean feel.  So, PMM, ROP or OBBR are all fine properties...but I can not compare them to Hawaii because I have not stayed there yet.


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## Canuck (Jul 24, 2009)

*St Maarten*

We stayed at Oyster Bay Beach Resort, St Maarten 3 years ago.  We really enjoyed the resort and the island. St Maarten is amazing.  So many great beach areas to explore.  No it's not the same quality as a Marriott.  However, with all the great things to see and do why would you want to hang out at your resort   It's an easy island to drive and explore....just watch out for goats crossing the road!:whoopie:


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## dgleason (Jul 28, 2009)

*Just came back from St. Maarten*

Arrived home from St. Maarten on July 26th, 2009.  I stayed at the Royal Palm Beach.  It is a nice resort but not Marriot or Hilton quality. (I own at both)  I did go over to view the Pelican Marina timeshares.  The building is only 1 1/2 years old and definately is a Marriott/Hilton quality resort.  I was very impressed with the 2 bedroom unit inside.  One downfall is that it does not have a washer/dryer in the unit like Marriott's and Hilton's.  The pool area is very nice, looks alot like a Marriott pool area,  and the beach is just a very short walk around the building.  All the units look out over Simpson Bay. I would try to get into this section of the Pelican Resort.  The other sections of the Pelican are built on the hillside and there's a lot of walking up hill and downhills to get to the beach area.  There are just a few timeshare units that face the beach. I would think that getting a unit right on the beach would be slim.

Debbie G.


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## dgleason (Jul 28, 2009)

*Just arrived back from the Royal Palm Beach*

Arrived home on Sunday, July 26th, 2009 from a week at the Royal Palm Beach.  It is not Marriott or Hilton quality.  The units inside were nice with ceramic tile floors, recently redone bathrooms, granite countertops in the kitchen and great views of Simpson Bay from every unit.  Downfalls include old and small swimming pool, a beach that is shelly and rough.  You cannot walk into the water very well because of the bottom having tons and tons of rocks that cut your feet.  We bought two cheap rafts to jump on instead of walking into the water and cutting up our feet. The resort lobby is very small and old.  Only four seats in the lobby.  This is the only place you can hook up to the internet and sit on your laptop if you bring one.  No wireless signals in the units.  The one elevator was totaly out of commission and the other elevator was horrible.  About 3 feet by 6 feet and it shaked and rattled as it moved. A little scary. My family and I used the stairs all week to avoid using the elevator.  We were on the 3rd floor.  Maintence of the hallways were non existence as the tiles were filthy.  We drove over to the sister resort called Flamingo to use the pools and beach there.  It was 100% nicer. (pool and beach) The location of the Royal Palm Beach was great, walking distance to many many restaurants. 

Debbie G


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## hotcoffee (Jul 28, 2009)

dgleason said:


> Arrived home from St. Maarten on July 26th, 2009.  I stayed at the Royal Palm Beach.  It is a nice resort but not Marriot or Hilton quality. (I own at both)  I did go over to view the Pelican Marina timeshares.  The building is only 1 1/2 years old and definately is a Marriott/Hilton quality resort.  I was very impressed with the 2 bedroom unit inside.  One downfall is that it does not have a washer/dryer in the unit like Marriott's and Hilton's.  The pool area is very nice, looks alot like a Marriott pool area,  and the beach is just a very short walk around the building.  All the units look out over Simpson Bay. I would try to get into this section of the Pelican Resort.  The other sections of the Pelican are built on the hillside and there's a lot of walking up hill and downhills to get to the beach area.  There are just a few timeshare units that face the beach. I would think that getting a unit right on the beach would be slim.
> 
> Debbie G.



Thanks for your comments.  They seem inline with what I have been reading.  I think that I will keep the Pelican Residences in my 2010 request, but I am leaning against adding any additional resorts in St. Maarten.  I'd like to go there, and eventually I might, but it might not be via timesharing (unless the Pelican Residences comes through).  I have thought about just renting a private villa for a week on the French side.  Some of them look pretty nice.  So, there might be other ways to get there besides timesharing.

I've added a bunch of resorts in Hawaii to my request.  I'm a sucker for Hawaii.  I never get tired of going there - even with the long and expensive flights.


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## stmartinfan (Jul 28, 2009)

Divi has just completed a renovation of all units, so it's in much better condition than it's been in about 15 years.  We're owners there.  I like that it sits on a penninsula between Great Bay and Little Bay, so all the units have wonderful views and it's in a more private and quiet area.   The beach is OK, but most people enjoy visiting all the other beaches around the island anyway.  I'd guess it doesn't meet Marriott standards, but it's definitely improved its quality from a few years ago.


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