Beachnut,

I would also strongly recommend the Grand Case Beach Club if you're looking for a low-keyed but semi-resort-like atmosphere. The accommodations are nice, the restaurant is good and the beaches are very swimmable. The sunsets are incredible, the staff is very pleasant and I don't think you could go wrong there. It's a resort, but a very small one with no pressure to join the social atmosphere unless you choose to. The pool is lovely though small and from what we saw when we stayed there, it's rarely used and many don't even realize there is one.

The Nettle Bay area, as mentioned in a previous post, is in a very conevenient location to both the French and Dutch sides of the island but I'm thinking it would appeal to a more adventurous vacationer who neither wants nor needs resort amenities, and I don't know if that's you or not.

We typically stay in a timeshare on the Dutch side but every so often we step out of our personal comfort zone and try a new place for a few days. We really did enjoy our time at GCBC and in particular the convenience of being right there to take advantage of the Grand Case restaurants as we were of a mind to. The island is a very easy drive to anywhere during the daytime but at night, as we get a little older, it's just not as enjoyable so this served us very well. I don't know if it's still operating or not, but there was a young man running a mini-transport around Grand Case with pick-up and drop-off with only a telephone call. It was $12.00 a couple r/t to any destination in Grand Case and a fun way to get around if you didn't feel like walking.