I would start by asking the question, what do you want out of your vacation? Do you want access to a lot of activities and nightlife? Then go with the Dutch side. If you want a quieter, more relaxed style of vacation with access to top notch restaurants, consider the French side. Grand Case (where some of the best restaurants are) has some beautiful properties that are not "villas" or A/I resorts but you may find suitable. As Carol stated, I'm not aware of any real villas with pools on a beach anywhere on the island, but there are some lovely vacation rentals. Check out TripAdvisor or VRBO for those. And keep asking questions on this forum! Even as a St. Martin veteran, I learn something new every time I log on.