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Hotel Class: 
4 Stars - 1 Review and 1704 Opinions
1 Rhine Road, Maho Beach, Caribbean
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of people enjoy staying here
1705 Opinions
sk8z911
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I have never had a hotel attempt to treat me so poorly. The resort sells around 5 room categories all at different prices, plus a few suites. I had reserved the highest priced room category- the premier ocean view. When I checked in, I was given a room that had obvious damage to the hall right outside the door, had a door to the connecting room that neither closed nor locked, and a door to the main hallway that had a broken dead bolt, and no extra chain or other cross over lock. Unfortunately I did not notice both lock issues at the same time so I had multiple run ins with the front desk. For the connecting door, the front desk refused to contact maintenance until they first checked the lock. And upon seeing it the exact words said to me were "Oh you check that?" Upon seeing an ajar connecting door is there anyone that wouldn't is my question? Although I check regardless. I was exhausted. It was 9:30 pm, I had been up since 4 am traveling and had no desire to wait on maintenance and asked for a new one. I was told there was not one available. I asked for an upgrade and was told no. Maintenance did come and "fix" the door, by figuring out some way to jam it so that it would never open again, not by actually fixing either of the real issues.
After they left I noticed that the main hallway door also had a broken lock. I called in a maintenance request, waited 45 minutes, called again, waited 30 minutes and than went to the front desk. Where I only got a maintenance man because he was sitting at the desk. On the way back to the room upon hearing my room number he told me that they knew the door was broken and couldn't fix it. He checked it anyway and confirmed that. He caleld the front desk to inform them and they said that I had to stay in that room anyway. I packed and went to the front desk where they used every excuse not to move me- no more rooms in the category and we don't want you to lose the view by downgrading you (as if view is more important than safety), no upgrades available, I volunteered for a downgrade at a discount for one night and was again given the line about the view. A line I heard from multiple personnel so it is obviously a well practices excuse. They even tried to claim that the room category I had booked was obviously an upgrade that I had already been given free of charge so they couldn't upgrade me again. Wrong it is the room category that I picked off their reservation site and booked at the available rate. It was near midnight by this point and it was not until I finally stopped being polite and started to yell that they miraculously found an upgrade.
Amazingly enough I would say to beware of anything on their top floor. The suite I was given, supposedly a penthouse, looked out over some water treatment or storage tanks. The balcony was useless because the tanks reaked. They however try to sell that room as a bay view, which it has if you look over the tanks. You need a key card to enter that floor from the elevator. Of the three elevators in the hotel 1 reader did not work the entire time I was there. The other two sometimes worked, sometimes didn't and at one point none of them worked, making it impossible to access the floor.
The condition of the room also left something to be desired as there were numerous stains on the floors, walls and ceiling. Two nights I had no water pressure when I went to shower. There were a few others where I had cold water only.
Beware of security too. They tried to tell me that no one could access my original room because they didn't hand out key cards without proof of identification. Yet my card needed to be recoded numerous times during the stay. I offered proof of ID and they turned it away needing only a last name to recode it. So anyone that hears your name and knows your room number can get the card coded.
Oh and for those booking ocean view, keep in mind that this is view only and not ocean front. There is another shorter building that appears to be time shares between Sonesta and the ocean. Your view of the ocean is first the pool, than the building, than the ocean.
Unique Quality: Extremely close to the airport and the beach is a popular tourist destination for watching planes arrive and depart. Can get noisy at times as a result. Only 2 planes per day were large enough that I could smell diesel fuel.
There are numerous restaurants immediately outside the front door making the AI option a waste of money.
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I love the Sunset Beach Bar. Where else can you find great drinks, a live bar and lots of dancing all in one place. That and the beach washing up at the shoreline or the gentle breeze blowing through your hair as it is open air. I recommend it for the entertainment and ambiance, friendly bartenders and lovely dancers. It's in an excellent location close to the airport and Sonesta Maho Beach resort. Come as you are...
Since we had a problem with the plane (an airport employee had an accident with the truck that gets our suitcase in the plane and broke the plane) they paid us a night at Maho Beach Hotel and Casino (along with a reimbursement and ticket for a nice dinner at
the restaurant).
I just returned Sept 20, 2003 from Maho Beach & Casino Resort in St. Maarten. I vacationed there 5 years ago and loved every bit of it, without one complaint. Unfortunately, Maho is not the same resort I remembered. I was very disappointed and probably will not return to this hotel next time I vacation in St. Maarten. First of all our stay was during their slow season and slow seemed to be the best description of the help. If you are hungry and looking to be served at any of the dining rooms, you will die of starvation first. Second, the housekeeping is just as bad. No extra toilet paper was left in the room and when called and asked for some, they came 2 hours later....what if it was an emergency? As for the room, the toilet bowl handle was broken and the toilet ran all the time. Five years ago you didn't have to pay for parking in their garage and now it's $5 a day, of course there's no parking on the street available so you are forced to pay. Be really careful with your phone calls to home. Make sure you look over your bill when you check out. We were charge $5.00 for every call that we didn't get connected to back home and $2.50 a minute for every call that we did get connected. The famous Cherri's across the street was closed for vacation as well as the ice cream place, disco, and the Italian restaurant. It's unfortunate that the service has gone down so much, the hotel is really nice. I would consider going to another hotel if you plan on vacationing in St.Maarten.
A big complex.
Nice pool wih pool bar. A great idea.
The rooms were excellent and very clean and the maid service was prompt. The hotel is very close to the air port.
You can see planes coming in for landing to be taken.
Sonesta Hotel has it all when you want a quite time during your stay... quick and direct access to beach... and it's only 7 minutes from downtown whenever you want some noisy time! the beach is quite good, anyway the tide is too strong to be sure to not go alone... maybe no one will notice if you disappear... The pool is great an it has a caribbean design full of 'palmeras' around it, that gives it a little shade for those avoiding the premature melting...
We traded our Aruba Timeshare for Divi Little Bay. Very nice place in a good location. It's near all the action but quiet and seperate. If you want a hotel the Sonesta Great Bay has a good beach also and is right on the edge of town and near all the action of Phillipsburg. People are very nice but there are LOTS of cars on a few roads. The food is very good on the French side as well as on the Dutch side. The Greenhouse was very good. Several pools, tow had very nice views from the pool! Great Bay on one side of the property and Little Bay on the other. Very nice beach.
St.Martin/Sint Maarten was a beautiful place, however the Maho Beach Hotel and Resort was absolutely a "joke" Similar to the old "bait and switch game" the pictures were definatley deceiving and the staff was nonchalant. After arriving and checking in late due to the airline we flew on, the rooms were hot, ac didn't work, mosquitoes all in room, toilet was running all night, oversized cockroaches in hallway, when we called front desk that night, we were told there was no one there to handle that situation, the next morning we went to local store, bought some roach spray, went back to hotel, they still had not called or come to our room to fix anything in the three rooms we had there so we checked out and left them with the bug spray and moved over the "Caravan Sarai" which was clean and bug free and the staff was very friendly and accomodating. So potential travelers: BEWARE, do your research!! By the way, Carribean Travel listed an article on Maho Beach Hotel and Resort claiming to be "wonderful", "fabulous" yada yada yada, our subscription was cancelled immediately upon arriving back to the good ole USA!!!! Vicki
We (my husband and I) just returned from our wonderful vacation in St.
Martin where we stayed at the Maho Beach Resort and Casino. We have traveled extensively in the Caribbean and therefore feel that we can provide a fair objective review. In a nutshellthe food was very good for all-inclusive resort food (3 restaurants on site and many more just outside the main doors), the drinks were the best weve ever had. The daiquiris are just amazing. The beach at Maho itself is just okay (better in Cuba and Jamaica) but there are many fabulous beaches just a short walk or drive away. The rooms were fine. Nothing fancy but then again we only use them to sleep, get ready in and store our stuff. The staff were not as bad as most people have indicated in previous reviews. In fact, for the most part they were extremely friendlyremember to smile and be nice and youll get the same in return.
The front desk staff and the activities desk staff were extremely helpful with any concern that we may have had. Overall, the resort was very niceeverything was clean. It did not feel like a resort in the Dominican Republic or Cuba as there were not daily activities going on in the pool or on the beach. St. Martin is an island that is meant to be explored. Rent a car and see it for yourself as we did. You will love it. The Maho Beach Resort and Casino is by far one of the finest and nicest hotels on the island. You will enjoy it if you have an open mind and dont go there expecting too much!
A small island but GR8 island - I want to go back, and this time I'll bring my BF. :o) Was my first solo trip, booked last minute, spontaneous decision - turned out to be an amazing time. I was expecting a quiet little resort island.
The resort itself is very nice, very well maintained. I was very impressed with my room, very spacious, big bathroom, comfy beds, lots of hot water and good pressure, the TV had many stations. My view faced the front of the resort so not the best view but no complaints, I could see Casino Royale and the Maho strip from my room so I knew when things were going on.
I didn't go into the pools at all but the water was very warm. There is a swim up bar at the main pool. There wasn't much in the way of activities, but I didn't mind, I spent my days lounging by the beach and one day lounging by the smaller, quieter pool. The beach is kept very clean and is popular because of the air traffic overhead. A great novelty to see and it never got boring to see people getting flung around the beach. The resort beach and the section of beach where the planes go over are completely seperate so don't think you won't have a beach at all, there's plenty for you to lounge, the section where the planes go over is actually quite small, not directly in front of the resort.
I admit I'm fussy, but the food here was horrible. I spoke to others who loved the food, and reviews before I left stated the food was great. I was highly disappointed. The wait staff was very rude, I found. The gentleman making the omelettes in the morning was much more friendly. With my package, I received complimentary dinners at 2 restaurants from a list, I chose both Italian. One was Soprano's but the other I can't remember the name, but both sit right in front of Sonesta. The food was pretty good at both, no complaints. The 3rd certificate I received was for the upscale restaurant on the resort. I went and barely ate my dinner. I had some kind of fish steak, it was the only thing on the menu I could stomach since I'm mostly vegetarian. Others that are not said the food was great, so maybe their specialty is meat. Either way, I went expecting to eat lots and gain a couple pounds, but in actuality, I lost weight and what saved me were the granola bars, juice boxes and mixed nuts I brought from home to keep in my room.
I would go back to St. Maarten in a heartbeat, but I would not stay at this resort, only because of the food.
If you like to party, there's great clubs with great crowds here. If you like casinos, Maho Beach has a great casino with nightly entertainment. They come out onto the street at 9pm sharp and have various routines they perform for about 10-15 minutes.
If it's Tuesday, I don't remember the name of the place, but they have $2 Tuesdays (hence why I don't remember the name!). It's a little bar on a boat. If you get seasick and can't handle drinking while on the boat, no problem, part of the bar is on land. It's crowded, the music is great, the drinks are cheap and it's not far from Sonesta at all.
Right next to Sonesta is a club called Bliss - Wednesday's is ladies night (ladies drink free) and Saturdays are a great party. Drinks are free for ladies before midnight on Saturdays and, if the bartender thinks you're cute, he'll slip you free shots all night. The dancefloor is outdoors. Part of the club used to be a sushi bar overlooking the water but after the 2008 hurricanes it was damaged, and they never rebuilt it, so it has become part of the club. Still looks really nice though. The club has a pool (tho not used, more for ambiance), lots of outdoor lounge areas, moonlights to light the pathways between VIP lounge areas.
Before you hit Bliss to party it up until the wee hours of the morning (I stayed one night until after 3 and the place STILL was no where near closing!), make sure to stop in at Sunset Bar & Grill. They are right beside the strip of beach the planes go over and have access to the control tower at the airport so you can hear when the planes are coming in. Very popular place. At night, they place GR8 music, the crowd is a wide variety and ladies, if you are up for it, you'll get free drinks at the bar if you sit there topless - I did not get free drinks. :o) They have a big area for dancing. It is a fun, casual party place for all ages and crowds.
On my last night there, a new place opened next to Casino Royale called Tantra. Last year it was called something different but rumour has it the hurricanes damaged it and it had been closed until now. I was there on opening night and it was packed. All house music though, so if you're not into those constant techno beats with laser lights, this might not be the place for you. Crowd was a mix, but seemed generally younger.
Casino Royale is also a fun place if you are into gambling. I'm not, and once the machines ate my $40, I was finihsed. But, if you are a single girl, it's a great place to meet people and if you hang out at the Craps tables, some men will let you play using their money. If you're like me, you'll lose it all. if you hang out at the blackjack tables long enough, the ladies will think you're good luck and have you split the deck for them. Again, if you're like me, they'll lose after that. I never claimed to have a horseshoe up my butt... :o)
I love the island, it's as close to European culture as I've been...yet. In due time. It's a very wealthy island so you are never bugged for tips or handouts. You can take the bus to anywhere on the island for $2 per ride. Depending on how far you're going, the driver will accept $1.50. The buses are vans that have signs in the front windows telling you where they are going and they are very frequent. I felt completely safe travelling around on my own, though I did not venture out of Maho Beach on my own at night.
I took a day trip snorkelling to Creolle Bay. It was quite good. It was a 3 hour tour, the activities desk can tell you which company it was through, I don't remember. You go on a boat ride for about 45 minutes to get there, and see quite a bit. Travel along the french side, see the PM of St. Maarten's home, amazing yachts - including Victoria's Secret - one yacht even had it's own helicopter aboard and colour coded sea do's for games! Like I said, this island has some money.
One day I went into Philipsburg and Marigot. Both are good for shopping, though the clothing styles are mostly urban and hip hop. I didn't shop for any jewellry or electronics. I was told if you are going to shop, shop on a day when there are no cruise ships docked. Stores have a tendancy to jack prices up when ships are docked.
Maho beach
Myself at Maho Beach
Our son Jake at Maho Beach
Sonesta from the front
We are a group of 20-somethings looking to come to the Island in October. We are trying to figure out which of these two resorts is better.
Difference in the food?
Nightlife?
Beaches?
Is the Maho Beach noisy because it's so close to the airport?
Advice/recommendations/etc are great, thanks for the help!
The airport is a destination in Saint Maarten, its on the Dutch side. There are bars set just to watch the planes land and a beach to catch the jet blasts. Careful, I was blown, unballanced 50 feet into the water, lost some nice sunglasses. You will like the little bar and bartender under the Maho Beach Hotel. Maho area has LOTS to do also. You have nice little restaurants, a casino, funny drag show, bars, clubs and lots of people your age.
The MBHotel has a good pool bar that cranks during the day.
Rent a car or 2 for a day and do a island tour. You will notice how much better speed and service is on the French side but, your young and more naive to demanding service.
You can take a cab from the airport to MBHotel and walk the rest of the time.
The Great Bay is in Philipsburg which is more of a day shopping area for Cruise Ships. I found it kind of boring comapared to Maho. I guess it depends on what your looking for.
i stayed here with 8 girls and 2 guys all in our late 20's... Its in a great location to the nightlife; all in walking distance. However, you can rent a car and go to the french side for the beach which is a very picturesque drive and the noise will not be a bother at all.
Extremely close to the airport and the beach is a popular tourist destination for watching planes arrive and depart. Can get noisy at times as a result. Only 2 planes per day were large enough that I could smell diesel fuel.
There are numerous restaurants immediately outside the front door making the AI option a waste of money.
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Address: 1 Rhine Road, Maho Beach, Caribbean
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