Trying to get back....

Hi All,
Its been too long since we've been back. Looking for recommendations for non inclusive stays on french side for Feb. Le Beach Hôtel was were I stayed last trip but their site shows no available rooms. Looking for something similar amenities/cost wise. Not sure where to start looking prefer to book straight with resort rater than online sites like TA, Expdia etc.

Thanks

Le Beach Hotel used to be in Marigot, I think? Are you looking for Marigot in particular? There are a ton of condos for rent in the Orient area. When you say, amenities, what is it you are looking for and what price range?

Yes, its in Marigot.... but you mentioned use to be? Is it not operating still? I understood it got hit hard in the hurricane just after I as there last.

Looking for simply place to sleep, maybe with breakfast available. Budget wise I'm so far out of the loop not sure what is reasonable to expect for a 10 day stay? Orient would be great but it was always out of budget range last time I was on the island. That was back in 2016....

Cheers

The last I knew, they were still working on that hotel, although if it is open by now, it is operating under a totally different name.

As i said, there are a TON of private condos all along Orient. Anything in Orient Village, you'd be able to walk to breakfast, or fix it in your room. I would check on VRBO, for what you can get on the French side, in general, for what price. Hotels generally are going to run you more money.

Thanks I hadn't really thought about Vrbo but now that I see how many places and the cost it definitely makes our plan affordable compared to a hotel.
Thanks again!

OK, no problem. I think you will find something on VRBO. The only thing I would caution you with regard to the French side right now is that there have been a lot of water outages, sometimes lasting more than a day. If possible, you might try looking for someplace that has a well or cistern, in addition to public water. And I don't know whether you are going to be able to find that info on VRBO or not, unless you pick someplace and send them an email and ask. I doubt there is a 'search' category for that. I honestly don't know what percentage of places have that. The other option would be to check with the nice lady at Go Beach, whose name I cannot spell--Annakamarie? Something like that. She really knows the places she handles and she could tell you which ones have alternate sources of water. Best wishes!

If you’re considering VRBO, also take a look at AirBnB. We’ve rented through AirBnB in several locations, including our last two stays in Orient. When searching properties, you may also find places listed on multiple sites, in which case you could compare pricing and go with the lowest fees.

For the water question, you could also try searching the reviews. I’ve found many people will mention water outages when reviewing on AirBnB, so that’s one way to see what places might be impacted.

dvesc--did the places you stayed on Orient have an alternate source of water?

No, we were without water for a few hours on the last trip. We always kept enough bottled water around for drinking just in case. Fortunately, the outage didn't last long enough to affect our ability to shower.

OK. Some of the outages have been for a couple of days. I personally could not deal with that at all. I would worry about it happening, if I did not have an alternate source of water. So probably everything would be OK, but it would ruin my vacation, worrying that it WOULD happen.

Yes, that could definitely ruin a vacation. From what I remember, the outages seemed to be short enough to either not notice or to plan around them. It definitely wasn't overnight, though. That might not always be the case, so maybe we've been lucky.

Yes, perhaps.

Our last two times in SXM, we have stayed in Orient Village and had what I would call significant water outages - one lasting several days. The issue is not the drinking water. Bottled water is readily available. This issue is the toilet flushing water. We were lucky enough to be close to a pool so that we could use a pail to dip water out of the pool to flush the toilets... but I am not as young as I once was and it was not easy to do, especially in the middle of the night. Frankly, our last visit, the water situation was so stressful, we vowed never to stay anywhere without a cistern ever again.... which is why we are at a hotel for our upcoming stay.

Jborosara--I get you. I would do the same. At this point, I would not stay somewhere without a cistern. Enjoy your stay!

Check out Mon Reve guest house on friars bay road. Gus built those 2 buildings around 2014. 2 small pools & he has his own rental cars. No food inc!uded but full kitchen. Quiet residence. We've stayed there every year since opening. Gus lives in one of the units. He has a cistern. He also drives taxi, picks you up at airport & takes you back. His car rentals are at Mon Reve & he has a generator & laundry facility. It's not on the water & he built it as a hurricane shelter even the roof is cement. Mon Reve stands for my dream. It's not fancy but a great place to stay. Also wifi & regulars that come back every year. Just down the road is friars bay & over the hill is marigot the other way 15 minutes is Grand case about 20 minutes to orient beach.

AirBnB is better than VBRO in my opinion. You can not beat the cancellation policy and you pay AirBnB not the actual owner of the property. Two years ago I had to cancel 10 days before arrival and got a full refund in seconds directly from AirBnB. Most VBRO properties are also in AirBnB, sometimes even less expensive.

Tom--thanks for that info re AirBnB. I did not know that.

I have used VRBO for MANY years and have always paid VRBO for the rentals and , as with AirBnB, the cancellation policy is set by the owner of the property and varies


Here is the payment for the last one in Aruba:

Has to be a "Hotel"???? Our dear friend Bruno Lemoine owns these beautiful bungalows in Orient village!! Everything with in walking distance!! https://www.oparadis-sxm.net/accueil