One point to keep in mind, Wendell, is that the US renter is doing exactly that: simply renting. He/she did not purchase the apartment. The former Caravanserai timeshare owners were never considered renters as each family had PURCHASED a unit. This is like comparing apples to oranges, as the US has timeshare laws in place and the island of SXM has none. It's all talk, talk, talk by government officials -with no action.

We'll see what happens in the court of law because a precedent will take place. That is, as ownership of resort properties change hands in the future, it could well be that any resort on the island can be reshaped into a hotel such as Alegria is trying to do, and null-and-void those contract agreements, regardless of who the new owner is and where he resides, and whether or not a bankrupt took place. St. Maarten will become known as the Wild, Wild West and not the Friendly Island. I do believe that if the final ruling is not in the former Caravanserai owners' favor, every timeshare unit owner on this island will shudder -with hope that this not happen to them, too. It's history in the making.