Esmeralda Resort - St. Martin/St. Maarten

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This is one of our favorite resorts. Visited: November 2008 Posted by daveb My wife and I stayed at the Esmeralda for our anniversary last fall. It was our second visit here. We stayed ten days and had a great time. The rooms were big, clean and comfortable. The staff was very friendly and hard working. We did not spend any time on Coco Beach, we prefer the beach in front of Club O. We did have dinner twice at L'Astolabe. The food and service are excellent. The owners, Thomas and Amin, always made us feel like "guests of honor". We can't wait to get back to St. Martin and Orient Beach. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Over rated and tired Visited: February 2005 Posted by gskfrank Esmeralda is a very nice property that is in a great location but it is getting tired and is not maintained as a four star property. Landscape maintenance is sparce and trash was not picked up for days. The pools are not "jetted" (as in whirlpool), simply a regular pool filter system. If you are looking for a very quiet place to stay with your own pool (most of the pools are not used), then this may be the place for you but you will be paying much more than comperable properties on the island. 8 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This is our favorite resort on Orient Beach. Visited: May 2004 Posted by salus We have stayed on Orient Beach numerous times. However, this was our first stay at Esmeralda and it will not be our last! Esmeralda Resort felt more like we were staying in villas rather than a hotel. The grounds were very spread out with well maintained gardens and rock walls around each unit. The units were single story and consisted of four individual rooms. Each unit had its own pool. While Esmeralda did not promote itself as a clothing optional resort, nudity was discretely practiced in the pools, on patios, and on the beach. Esmeralda guests had free use of chairs and umbrellas at Cocos Beach Bar. Chairs were divided into two sections clothing optional (to the left) and clothed/topless (to the right). Compared to other Beach Bars on Orient, Cocos was very spread out, fewer chairs and less cruise ship day trippers/gawkers. We have only been back just over a week and already we booked for November 2004! 4 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This is an excellent choice on Orient Beach. Visited: May 2004 Posted by billysalus1 Esmeralda is now our favorite place to stay on Orient Beach. The resort is well maintained and spread out, making guests feel like they're staying in villas rather than resort/hotel rooms. Each single-story building has its own pool, and constists of four units/rooms. Rooms consist of kitchenettes and a good amount of living space. Additionally, the buildings are surrounded by an oasis of tropical flowing plants. While Esmeralda does not classify itself as a clothing-optional resort, nudity/topless is widespread and socially accepted on porches, around the pools and on the cothing-optional section of Cocco's Beach. Esmeralda and Cocco Beach staff are very friendly and willing to cater to your every need. We are looking forward to returning to Esmeralda in the near future! 2 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It has a very laid back atmosphere. Visited: November 2003 Posted by smg The layout of the resort allows quiet and privacy, or mixing in as you wish. It incorporates all the things the French do well, and none of things they do badly. Enjoy great food in gentle breezes under the palm trees with a bottle of chilled red watching the world stroll by(often without clothes!). 4 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We enjoyed a relaxing vacation. Visited: February 2003 Posted by ericazzz My husband and I just spent a long weekend at the Esmerelda. We had a great time and would definitely return. It was a perfect resort for people who don't like crowds, big mega-resorts or loud nightlife. The property was pretty and well landscaped. The rooms were a good size. Furniture was not top notch but perfectly fine. I think the hotel recently renovated the bathtubs -- ours was deep, brand new and I think it had jacuzzi jets. Our room had a nice patio which overlooked the pool. The pools were a good size and virtually private; only once was another guest there when we wanted to use it. We booked a Deluxe room (for $50 more/night) because Expedia's clearly described these rooms as closer to the beach. That was not True! Our deluxe room was literally the furthest from the beach in the entire hotel. (#384). The manager explained 'Deluxe' rooms faced the pool while 'Superior' rooms faced tennis courts. I wasn't sure I totally believed his story but I am going to e-mail Expedia about it. They could not move our room closer to the beach because the hotel was booked. We actually liked the room itself and also how it looked directly onto the pool (which had thick palmy shrubs around it unlike some of the other pools that were less private and could be seen from the main path of the property.) The walk to the beach was not far anyway (five minutes), so it wasn't really a problem. I highly recommend you ask for your room # and a map of the property in advance if you are concerned about proximity to the beach. The hotel was located on one end of Orient Beach which had restaurants, shops and water sports. The beach was beautiful - white sand, nice waves, blue water. We liked that the hotel beach was a bit removed from the busy part of Orient Beach and not noisy or crowded. There was never a problem getting a lounge chair or a table for lunch. The beachside restaurant (Coco Beach) was pretty good and the staff was friendly, if a bit slow. The fancy restaurant at the hotel (L'Astrolabe) had good atmosphere and wine list, but poor food. Pressoir restaurant in nearby Grand Case was excellent. We also liked Sebastiano (Italian). The front desk was more knowledgeable and helpful than I had expected based on past experiences in the Caribbean. They made a few good restaurant recommendations. The staff was also helpful in telling us when our flight was canceled due to snow and helping us re-book. We used one cab driver the entire time we were there - Benjamin - who was very helpful, honest and reliable. Though every website claimed there was turndown service, there was not. (We asked specifically.) 3 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was a great hotel - but know thy room location! Visited: January 2003 Posted by dmaclean We stayed at Esmeralda in January and enjoyed it very much. I really like the location on Orient as it allowed us an escape from the fray a bit and enjoy the bustle of Orient on our own terms. It was a good walk to the Orient Bay end of the beach which provided some needed exercize following nightly dinner trips to Grand Case (Le Pressoir and Le Cottage were excellent). We used the pool only twice during our stay as the water was quite cold. But it was refreshing after a day at the beach. Similar to previous reviewer, we, too, booked a deluxe room through Expedia and were placed about as far from the beach as we could get. When I queried them, I received the same response - deluxe rooms faced a pool and there were no other rooms left. I didn't press it, we were in paradise after all, but I was a bit skeptical of the reasoning. Overall, would stay here again. Oh, and the beach bar was fantastic. 5 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Esmeralda is a great resort. Visited: May 2002 Posted by piclover111 We stayed at the Esmerelda twice on both trips. It was a good hotel with just one downside (explained below). Some of the things we liked were small pools for each building (4 rooms). The smaller pools were great for some skinny dipping or some late night swims. The property was well landscaped and had a nice beach in front. The beach on the right side of the property (after stepping on the beach) was regular - which in St Martin meant "tops optional". The beach on the right hand side was clothing optional. They had a nice little restaurant on the beach, and since it was relatively towards the middle of Orient Beach, there were a couple of walks on both sides of the beach. One headed towards the nudist Resort (Orient Bay Resort) and the other towards some other properties. The beach was great, too, with decent sized waves. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. We would defintely stay there if we came to St. Martin for the 3rd time. The only downside was that some of the rooms were quite a walk to the beach (especially if you are used to those hotels that open right up to the beach). But with those roomside pools, it was totally worth the walk to the beach. 3 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? An excellent place for a small group or adult family. Visited: March 2002 Posted by ciview The Esmerald Resort was excellent. It had everything except loud parties and nightlife. We had a suite and one extra room which was perfect for our party of three. Next time, we'll have the taxi wait for us at the Match supermarket while we stock up on wine and nibbles. We didn't do any real cooking, but used the fridge for light snacks which we ate in the evening as our big meal of the day turned out to be lunch at the excellent beach-front restaurants. A rental car would only be needed for one or two days for the mandatory shopping trip to Marigot and big dinner out in Grand Case or Marigot. The hotel's beach was far enough away from the greater beach scene that it did not attract day trippers from cruise ships, but was close enough to be able to enjoy the other beach restaurants. The pool by our villa was nice in the late afternoon when the beach got too windy. We will go again! 3 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We have been here twice, and will return Visited: February 2002 Posted by mfoservice We spent a week at Esmeralda in both '01 and '02, and we are looking forward to our return in '03. We have really enjoyed our time here. The beaches and restaurants (with exception of the main dining room at Esmeralda) were great. The main resturant at Esmeralda left a lot to be desired. The beach was excellent, and the beach restaurants were good. There were also lots of things to do and places to go. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Honeymoon Bliss, Terrific Staff Visited: November 2001 Posted by skinder We went here for our Honeymoon for a week and it was terrific. This was our first time to St. Martin, and this was the place to stay. We had one of the Deluxe Villas close to the beach, the scenery was spectacular since the resort is set at the foot of the mountains. CoCo beach at the resort was the nicest beach in our opinion, because it is more secluded from the other beaches at Orient Bay. This made the whole experience very relaxing. The nude thing is in full effect on Orient beach, but you get used to it and there are also plenty of clothed people. L'Astolabe, the restaurant was excellent and so were the other grills and cafe's on the beach. The only issue, while we were there, one of the villas was broken into, and the guests lost everything. The resort went out of their way to accommodate the victims, and the resorts insurance covered the theft. So DO NOT take anything with you on any trip that cannot be easily replaced if it were stolen. We will certainly return to The Esmeralda on our next trip. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Good accommodations, great location. Visited: November 2001 Posted by eapituch This was our 6th trip to St. Martin. We have stayed on both sides of the island in everything from a private villa to an individual bungalow. Esmeralda Resort provides good accommodations with a great location for Orient Beach. The staff was friendly and the rooms were superior and spacious with kitchenette. It’s a short walk to the beach and all of the activities that Orient Beach provides. There’s also signing privileges at many beachfront bars, restaurants, and water activities. The only negative was that we had a tired old mattress. The pool was refreshing after a day at the beach. We will go back. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Friendly staff, but... Visited: July 2001 Posted by butterflymartz Great beach, great location and a wonderful staff. But, this place definitely needs some cosmetic work done. New toilet seats are needed, as well as new furniture. Somebody needs to go into each villa and take notes of repairs, and get them done. In other words, it needs to keep up with its number of advertised star rating. Other than that, had a great time and will return. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Wonderful honeymoon spot Visited: June 2001 Posted by mjhwilson Everything was great. We stayed in one of the beachfront villas, which is not actually on the water, but really close. The staff is very friendly, and the atmosphere is perfect for honeymooners and couples. Coco Beach is nice and somewhat away from the rest of the hotels. This is great especially if one is into nude sunbathing, which was pretty common (or at least while we were there). All in all, a great resort. The dining at L'Astrolabe was superb, but so were all the restaurants that we went to while on the island. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Very Nice Visited: May 2001 Posted by kristi9962 We went to the Esmeralda Resort for my husband’s birthday—just for a weekend. Everyone was terrific! The people were so incredibly friendly and very helpful in suggesting what we should do for our short stay. The room was very nice and large. Our pool was nice and was shared by another suite, but we never saw anyone in it. The only thing I was disappointed about was that we did not have a bathtub. I like to relax on vacation with a long soak in the tub, but that wouldn't stop me from returning. One thing that really surprised me is that there were no bugs (at least not in sight). That is very unusual for the tropics. The beach is right behind the hotel. Once on the beach, in the left corner, we noticed the "nude group". If that makes you uncomfortable, then just go to your right and you will never even notice. I am looking forward to going back and spending more time here. 3 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Good rooms-Great beach Visited: February 2001 Posted by mfoservice We spent a week here and are headed back again this year. The weather was beautiful and the beach was great with lots of food and activities. The restaurants were excellent. The rooms were nice, but mattress was somewhat tough on the back. Staff was nice and very helpful. We’re looking forward to our return trip. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Good and bad Visited: January 2001 Posted by kopps Downside: Shower is in-tub, hand-held sprayer w/small deflection panel (messy and inconvenient). Voltage even w/converter was poor for curling iron, etc. Little pools shared by the villas have surprisingly cold water. Food was hit-and-miss. Many of office staff were stuffy. Almost no excursions directly from hotel. Upside: Pleasant surroundings with a short walk through complex to Orient Beach with its many eateries and watersports. Nice room with fridge, stovetop and vaulted ceiling. Quiet. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Incredibly romantic! Visited: October 2000 Posted by anil My wife and I stayed here for the first week of our honeymoon and it was fantastic. The rooms are great, (I recommend the presidential suites) and the proximity to the beach is even better. If you are looking for nightlife and parties, this may not be for you. But if you are looking to spend a private and romantic getaway with your partner, this is definitely the place. We are definitely going back 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? The best place to stay on St. Martin! Visited: March 2000 Posted by dhayutin2 Esmeralda Resort is as good as it gets on St. Martin! Get a faxed copy of your reservation from the hotel prior to your stay. The reservation should show villa and room number, and then be sure to reconfirm your stay before leaving home. There’s a great beach here. The rooms are spacious and clean. The staff was always very helpful with any of our needs. We’re going back for the sixth time in March of 2002. Can hardly wait to get there! 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A wonderful place to stay. Visited: January 2000 Posted by DLieber103 This has to be one of the nicest places to stay on the island. The accommodations were beautiful, private and quiet. The main restaurant was never crowded and always excellent. We would definitely stay here again, and we plan to return! 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful?

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