St Maarten has and always will be a FAVORITE vacation spot for many people. Yes Hurricanes have come and once gone; the destroyed places are rebuilt with higher building standards.
We have been coming to St Maarten since 1971 and have seen many changes over the years. One very positive thing we have seen is the fantastic amount and quality of restaurants on Island now. Back in the early 1970's very few good choices of restaurants on Island. Back then only a few quality resorts to stay at. We stayed at Mullet Bay Resort back then and hardly left the property in 1971-1976.
So when you say the Island has lost it's luster ; maybe you should move on and try and find a more lustrous place to visit. For us; we not only love St Maarten but also the wonderful people who live there.
We came right after Hurricane Irma and saw first hand just how wonderful the residents ( Islanders) who lost everything reacted toward what they had experienced at that time. All ; I MEAN ALL were WONDERFUL and full of LOVE and just happy to have survived.