Hello,

One of my friends and I are considering going to St. Maartin, and I even managed to hold tickets using miles on the trip for the last part of March. I wondered if anyone had stayed in any hotels they might recommend.

Looking more for midend properties.

Chris

Not sure if you have been there before, so apologize if this information is too basic. The island is half french and half dutch. In my opinion the french side is much nicer as it is less developed, has better beaches, and rest.

The rest. capital of the island is Grand Case, which is a little town on the French side. I have stayed at the Grand Case Beach Club many times and think it is excellent. There are definitely more luxurious places, but the rooms are large, it has a small pool, two beaches, and a nice bar for drinks and lunch. Also it is a 2 minute drive from all the resterants. If you want nightlife, you will have to travel a little to Marigot (the french Capital) or the Dutch side to the casinos. Also try Habitacion (sp?) which was also a nice spot.

I'll be there..Dutch side most likely ..last week in Jan. My problem is mileage/pts earning hotels..anybody have any ideas for a 1 week stay? The Caribbean hotel chain presence is not very good..and I travel to most every island for bus. This has been a problem for a long time..but that's life For example STX..nada..Grenada- nada..Barbados-Hilton being re-built..Dominica-nada..St. Vincent..etc.,,,Not that I am complaining..it just would be nice to earn miles/pts. POS and SJU,AUA,CUR and more are well covered.

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MRKEY

We stayed at Le Meridien (3 days) on the French side and later Pelican Bay (4 days) on the Dutch side back in March. Still haven't received any stay or points credit from Le Meridien. Check out MrStMartin's site www.mrstmartin.com/meridien/index.html

Did you like the hotel?

St. Martin is one of the nicest places to visit and has a really cool airport to boot(check out pictures on airliners.net).

As for where to stay, it all depends what you are looking for.

The French side is generally younger, less commercial and more European, whereas the Dutch side more modern and relaxed.

Marigot and Orient Bay are both nice on the French side. I have yet to find a hotel I would reccomend...but most should be OK.

Good luck and enjoy the trip.

Here's a link to a forum where St.Maarten is discussed extensively:

http://www.traveltalkonline.com/wwwt.../wwwthreads.pl

Try booking via aavactions.com - you get 3000 miles per purchase (they sometimes have a 10k Caribbean promo), and you can get an extra 1000 miles by booking air separately.