Hi everybody, I recently stayed at the Towers at Mullet Bay (July 2010) and I thought I'd leave some comments here for others who had a hard time finding recent info on this hotel/timeshare location. Posts about TMB on this board were quite helpful, but after having stayed there I have some additional comments. We found a great deal for our stay... if I had to pay more I would not stay there again. That said, I'm sure there are much worse places on the island; some things were great about TMB and others were not. I didn't hate it; it didn't ruin my vacation. There were however some annoyances that, at times, bummed us out. I must say, all the "Gold Crown" plaques at the front desk are curious. I don't know what the standards are. I knew what to expect in some regard by the helpful comments on this board, but there were some things that you just can't see or know for yourself until you get there. I'm leaving these comments, in no particular order, to provide a recent view.

LOCATION
I liked the location. You're in a quiet area but close enough to one casino, restaurants, the airport, the Sunset Cafe and close to the west side French beaches. Good location for exploring Bai Rouge and the other beaches on the West side of the island. A pleasant half hour drive to Grand Case. The people who tend to stay here seem to be families and couples, not party animals, which was a relief. For the Dutch side, this may be among the quietest locations. Parking is free and easy to find a spot.

THE ROOM
We had a studio suite (with shower, no tub) and it was plenty of room for two. New dishwasher was nice, and having a large fridge was great. The kitchen was as full as you can get in terms of appliances. We even had juicers, blenders etc that we didn't make much use of. We stocked up at the grocery store on lots (maybe too many) French cheeses and desserts. The bed was a king and was fine but nothing special. The couch was fine except it wasn't facing the TV or anything, really. So the layout wasn't really great. Sure, the room is outdated but it had everything we needed. Ceiling fan worked well with the AC, which was okay but never freezing cold. Hot water in the shower was great and great water pressure. Plenty of closet and drawer space to get settled in. There is a safe. Internet is available for a steep fee (and through the TV... I'm not sure how that would work or IF it would work, considering everything else), but we didn't opt for that.

We were constantly calling the front desk about things that needed fixing, and we're really not the nagging tourist types. When you sign in, you have to do an inventory list of all items in the room, and since we heard that they charge you for anything (even a fork) that's missing, we took the time to fill this out carefully. We were missing quite a few things, which was no big deal, but we thought it was sort of disingenuous not to have those forms updated before we checked in. If it weren't for a couple in the elevator who told us to be sure to fill those out and about the towel return policy, we wouldn't have been so nit picky. Also, the room didn't have enough light. It was in fact missing a floor lamp and the one that we had was broken. And, the tv remote didn't work. It took a while for maintenance to send a good one. Three attempts --that is, three maintenance workers bringing a new remote, the first two of which didn't work. And probably the worst thing, was that we had no water for one half day. A pipe broke. When I called they said, "oh" like it was a surprise, but later found out it is a recurring problem there. And when it came back on, it was brown. We didn't drink the water at the TMB... it might be fine, but it was truly brown at least once each day. While this probably isn't TMBs fault (maybe due to the rains?), when I'm on vacation, I'd rather not deal with these things, and the staff just didn't seem to care all that much even though we were being patient and nice about everything.

PHONE
There is a phone in the room. However, upon my return, my family in the US informed me that they had tried to call multiple times and were not able to be put through to the room. This really upsets me. Front desk either couldn't figure it out or mistakenly switched them to another room, where a stranger answered. I used the phone to call front desk multiple times, so I don't know what the problem was. I agree with others here that if you need to be contacted, just get a cell phone on the island. It's more reliable. We didn't feel like we needed one. I was annoyed though that the front desk didn't tell us that they thought there was a problem with our phone, when they told my mother this when she tried to call and couldn't get through. Lucky for us, it wasn't an emergency, but still. Why not fix it then? Or leave us a note at the front desk that someone was trying to call and call us?

ROOM CLEANING
When you stay one week, cleaning is only one day, midweek. They did not restock soaps and shampoos, etc. You get new bath towels each day, which was fine for us, but if you use a lot you may have a problem with the one-towel per person thing. We didn't need cleaning really, but if you're particularly messy (or have kids who bring in a lot of sand) you might not like this. The room was not spectacularly clean when we arrived. Again, this didn't bother us a whole lot, but there was sand in the bottom of the shower, the dehumidifier (while it was great to have) looked like it had never been washed out (we had to empty the tank every day, otherwise it would not work), and everything had a general mustiness to it. Cleaning is generally lacking... on our first day, I was washing a dish in the sink and cut myself on glass left in the drain.

SERVICE
Overall the service at the TMB was not very friendly. Employees stay out of your way, which I happen to like, but if you are more used to being courted or greeted, you will not get that here. There are a couple exceptions, but this is a general comment. One major complaint is when you check out you really get the feeling like they're trying to trick you into charging you for towels you brought back late, things you forgot to check off on the inventory list, etc. Even with all the other issues, that really was the kicker for me... and why I won't return.

BEACH TOWELS
TMB provides them by the pool. One per person. You have to exchange them everyday by the pool (inconvenient, if you don't go to the pool which is behind the property) or they charge you. This is particularly annoying when you don't spend the day at the Mullet. Also, the window closes around 4:45 (You get there at 5pm--you're late! Tough luck!) and one of the people in there picks his nose. Not exactly the nicest way to receive a towel.

POOL BAR
Pool bars are not really my thing, but there is one at the TMB. It's weird though, because it was empty almost all day, with the exception of a weekly Bingo game and a couple other events. There is a happy hour at the pool, but the bartender there when I was there was not friendly and seemed kind of bored. I guess I would be, too. Also, they're not the nicest when it comes to drinks -- happy hour starts at 5 (or whatever) and if you get there at 4:55 they actually make you WAIT! There was no food at the pool bar.

BREAKFAST/FOOD/POOL BAR
You can order breakfast pastries at the front desk the day before, and they are affordable and yummy. They don't tell you this at TMB--I just knew it from boards like this one!
There is no other food at the hotel. If the food all over the island weren't so good I'd probably have more to complain about, but except for breakfasts in our room, we ate out. There was no food at the pool, despite my reading that there was. No one (NO ONE) went swimming in the pool while we were there. Maybe it was due to the rainy weather early in the week, but it was very dirty. It's too bad, because it had a lot of potential.

SECURITY
There are men with "security" shirts on at a booth right before the Tower building, but the person on duty is sometimes there, sometimes not. That said, I never felt like TMB was scary or dangerous or even in need of security. I guess they do their job then, even if they keep their eyes closed sometimes. I think most if not all parts of the island have a similar practice of security, with the exception of some of the bigger resorts that beef it up a bit. We left our vehicle unlocked and empty at all times, per everyone's suggestions on this board and others.

GOLF
If you play golf, the grounds seemed much much nicer than the dreaded comments I'd read made it seem. Very green. And we saw attendees out there grooming the grounds everyday. We don't play golf, so I don't know how great people who play would think it is, but I was expecting a brown weed-run course, and it was anything but.

WEATHER/RAIN
The weather in July is mostly wonderful. Sunny with some clouds but a nice breeze. The mosquitoes came out a bit at dawn and dusk, but that's normal, and actually there were fewer than I expected.

When there's a storm, the rain does not joke around. In just a few minutes, some roads flood. It rained (like the end of time!) our first two days in St. Martin. For this reason, I would suggest that visitors going to St Martin in July rent a 4 wheel drive (Jeep or other). You obviously don't NEED a 4 wheel drive there, but when it rained we were very happy to have one, driving through 2-3 feet of water in some places, including in front of the Mullet (in two spots, one to the right of the driveway and the other to the left). The road from the town near the airport to the TMB and towards Cupecoy was particularly treacherous during and after the rains. We literally saw smaller rentals abandoned on the side of the road, and late in our trip wen we became friendly with some other tourists they told us they'd wished they had a Jeep because they had to spend time to trade their smaller car for one that could drive in water. Apart from the weather, we were happy to have the Jeep to explore small dirt roads in the northeast part of the island. You don't *need* a 4 wheel drive but if you like some adventure and don't want to be restricted, a 4WD is the way to go.

TV
We had a big TV with about a dozen stations, depending on the weather (satellite tv). Several US stations, including HBO. Not the best picture, but we didn't care because we don't watch a lot of TV.

MULLET BAY BEACH
The nearest beach is Mullet Bay, which has (usually) calm waters and is big enough to find your own spot away from the crowd or put your chair on the busier side near the Lolos. When you stay at TMB, you are entitled to beach chairs without paying (just tell the guy--he won't be happy but he'll get your chair--with no cushion though like the rest) but you have to pay to rent an umbrella. This was sort of lame, but the whole chair/umbrella business is an industry of its own all over the island---Mullet Bay Beach seemed no different. Since it's not the TMB's beach, you don't feel like you're any more entitled than anyone else. It's essentially a public beach. The snorkeling was also very good there. So were Rosie's Ribs (and cheap), although truth be told they weren't my favorite on the island. You're very close to the airport, and you can see planes on their descent into the airport, but Mullet Beach is not *the* beach where planes land. I was happy about this. While in the water, you could see planes coming and going, but it wasn't so loud that it blew exhaust into the water. All that plane talk said, it's very fun to go to Sunset Cafe and eat and watch the planes land. So mesmerizing it's somewhat surprising actually. I sort of rolled my eyes when I read that visitors spend part of their time doing this, but I was one of them! We went several times. The food there is great, too, as is the service. Went several times.

The bottom near the rocks at Mullet Bay was very, very dirty. There were things down there that one should never see while snorkeling... I'll just leave it at that. We did have a great time snorkeling a little further out. Also, while it is possible to walk to the beach from TMB, it's not that convenient if you have kids and/or a lot of stuff (towels). It's not that the walk is long, but you have to cross a street (which was flooded for part of the time I was there), and the golf course, and in the middle of the day, it's pretty hot! I knew that TMB was not directly on the beach, but I admit I was surprised that it was as far as it was from the beach. Again, it's not the distance, it's just well, hey, I'm on vacation, I don't really feel like lugging my stuff. You can park in a small parking lot on the beach like others do... before my trip I'd read that lot had maybe closed but it was open as of July 2010. When I read that some people drive and park, I thought that is really lazy, and maybe it is, but that's what we did! Much better!

Thanks for the review. It seems you pretty much got what others have said about the place. I've never stayed at Towers, but I do have a couple of comments about it in general.

The water (and electricity) go out here all the time. No fault of the resort, but the power company. Folks here are so used to it, we just go on about our day. hence the reaction from the staff. They should have explained it better. Also, when the water comes back on, it is usually brownish in color for a minute as it clears the old distribution pipes. The water is perfectly good to drink.

All beaches on the island are public. Every one.

Any happy hour, if you arrive early, you will not receive happy hour prices. Same as I've found in the states.

Can you comment on the rest of your trip? What did you do, where did you dine? Did you enjoy the island?

They should have explained the water situation, you're right. To act surprised when we approached the front desk rubbed me the wrong way. Especially when he had heard from others that this happens frequently.

We found Mullet Bay beach to be great, except that when we arrived, even though we were entitled to chairs without paying, there was no sign or anything indicating that we were entitled. And the guys there at first asked us to pay, but we told them, again, that we were staying at TMB. It's not a big deal, but I felt like if they could've cheated us into paying, they would have.

And about happy hour, I used to be a bartender. If someone came to my bar five minutes before happy hour, and said bar had been completely empty for hours prior, I would have no problem providing drinks for them, especially considering it would take them more than five minutes to drink. It was an unreasonable technicality. There was no gracious "island mentality" at TMB.

Our trip was great and we enjoyed St Martin very much. Since we had rain (lots) our first two days due to a storm, we altered our plans a bit... we did a lot of driving around (no swimming, really), even in' the rain. And we didn't get away for a day trip to Anguilla or St Barth's because in the days left we figured we had too much to explore on SXM. But here is some of what we did (yes, a lot of it is about food!):

We went to Pinel Island, which was well worth the short trip. We hiked across the island and had an entire beach to ourselves. On the other side of Pinel we ate at Karabuni and had a fish special that was out of this world. Great snorkeling at Mullet Bay, Bai Rouge and Grand Case. And Pinel Island of course. Orient Bay was neat... very French. We went there on one of the rain days and no one was on the beach, but we just drive over there to check it out. Friar's Bay Beach was also nice. Shopping in Marigot was fun, but we didn't do a whole lot of shopping because it's not my thing. We drove up the mountain to Pic Paradis on our last night. It may sound weird, but there was a full moon, and it was very bright and clear sky, so we had a lovely view up there and of the mountainside.

We ate at Le Pressoir in Grand Case and had one of the best meals of our lives. We also had a meal at Soleil (?) in Grand Case and the meal and service were superb. The ribs at Talk of the Town were delicious. The crepe place at the Atlantic Casino area is great. You wouldn't think it would be, but that's the thing about St Martin which we found: you can't really get a bad meal anywhere! The breakfast at Zee Best is all that people say it is, plus the service is great. And as I mentioned before, we ate several times at the Sunset Bar next to the airport. Their mahi mahi sandwich and fries were delicious.

The drive west from TMB towards Grand Case was one of my favorites, in terms of exploring beaches. There are several there that are less crowded and varied in waves--some have a ton of waves, other beaches are calm. We also drove east from the airport up the coast and took a lot of side roads with our Jeep. The island has so much to see... beautiful vistas, lovely beaches that are all different, windy roads, long hilly ones. Driving in itself was fun. My husband went to a local barber shop and we both had a great time, talking to locals.

We didn't get a vibe from locals really though... I was curious about this and thought maybe it was because it was summer and people were away, but unlike other places I've visited in the Caribbean, I did not see a lot of local pride. Perhaps I wasn't looking in the right places. I had the impression that locals were kind of annoyed at the tourists. And quite frankly, when I saw loud groups of young Americans yelling and drinking and being rowdy (especially near Simpson Bay), I was embarrassed and wished they'd stayed at Myrtle Beach SC.

Overall, our experience in St Martin was kind of weird at first because of the rains... when we arrived to the rains, I was a bit depressed. But when the clouds parted, it was like a new place, and we left feeling sad to leave but knowing we'll return someday.

I forgot to mention that we rented the Jeep from Unity Car Rental, and it was a breeze. Competitive prices. They pick you up at the airport and drive you back on your way home. Michael is super and answers emails very quickly when arranging the vehicle before the trip.

Thanks Lucy. Sounds like overall a good trip.

wOw.
This place is a time share right?
yOUR NOT HAPPY with the way the furnitures arranged?
You called the maintainacne people over remote controls?
Time shares arent hotels and they dont supply your shampoos and lotion for the week at least not all the ones I stayed at.
If the room was dirty you should of complained to them about it but folks who make a mess should clean it up or make arrangements to pay to have it done but one cleaning is pretty much the norm isn't it?
The Towel People pick there noses? And the towel location isnt convenient? I read about one place that makes you use the same towels a couple of days running. Now that would be grosse and inconvenient to me at least.
The bar people making you wait for the happy hour to startbefore giving you HH prices?
No food at the place?
No signs for free chairs on the beach?
The water at the public beach had unmentioned things in it.
All this and you enjoyed yourself?
You sound like an interesting traveller but probly one that doesn't do a lot of Carribbean timeshares, this island called st marten or maybe should stay at LaSammanna to get what your looking after.

Lucy - nice report, though as an owner I am a little concerned. Did you do a trade or were you renting per night. If you rent per night, you should have had full housekeeping, towels, trash and new shampoos daily. As a timeshare exchange, towels and garbage daily, and midweek cleaning where they restock the shampoos, soap etc. If you needed more towels, they would have been more than happy to provide them.

As for the beach towels, you can keep your towels for the week, or exchange them daily, you are charged if you don't return, but upon checkout when you turn in your towel slip, you are credited. Way back there was an issue with towels being stolen, they were big, fluffy and with the resort logo on them.

Why could you not get food at the bar? Nothing fancy, but sandwiches and burgers and fries were always offered? Has that changed. This is a small resort, and even during high season there is rarely people at the pool. During off season, the resort was probably at 10-15% occupancy.

As for the inventory, never been charged for missing items, just advised housekeeping it was missing and they would bring one. Actually was charged for a lamp, but that was our fault - long story!!!

It just concerns me because I have never met an unfriendly worker on the property, and if we ever had something that needed to be fixed, they would, with a smile.

Ah, well I figured it wouldn't be long before someone criticized me for leaving my honest portrayal here. Truth is, anonymous, I do travel quite a bit and like to know as much as I can about where I'm staying before I arrive. I couldn't find that much on TMB, so that's why I posted here. And there is actually a lot in between TMB and LaSammanna. That was exactly my point.

My vacation is over now. No need to criticize me. I won't be posting here anymore. I just hope that some of the info I provided is helpful to people visiting this site who are on their way to TMB in the near future. A lot of info that is online is outdated. That's all.

This is a helpful board and it would be a shame if that changed.

don't worry Lucy
Feel free to post your honest comments here whenever you feel like it.
Philippe and I make sure things stay friendly and do not get out of hand here.

[barcann.livejournal.com]

I think answering some of my questions would be helpfull as well. Not sure what you are reading that is outdated. There are full reports on this board as well as others that the resort is not the same since 1995 and the main resort being closed.

Lucy,

I've read your posts with much interest, and those of the others, as well, and some of what you've listed is right on the money. The Towers being a Gold Crown Resort would fall into that category. It was GC once upon a time but as much as I still love it, there's no way I would consider it to be of Gold Crown caliber today but again, I understand why it is what it is currently. But other things you've commented about are a major surprise to me.

When we corresponded back in June right here on this board I personally told you many of the things you spoke of - such as the food at the pool bar being hit or miss and the ability to order fresh pastries in the evening for morning delivery and that you would need a car because there were no restaurants on site. I recall telling you the same thing Kim did about how to handle pool towels and not to forget to turn them in on Friday before your Saturday departure and get your receipt back so you wouldn't be charged. I thought I told you about the free chairs on the beach but that not all chairs were free. You're right, chair and umbrella beach rentals really is a major source of income to many of the islanders, but I honestly don't think, if they understould you were a Towers guest they would have tried to scam you.

Most of this is in the notebook in the room (which really needs to be seriously up-dated, too) and some of it is posted on the big sign in the lobby in front of the desk for all to see. I also suggested you attend the Monday morning orientation to pick up any other vital and/or useful information.

The only thing you said that really bothered me was that the room was dirty - in 20 plus years I have NEVER had that experience. Not to say it couldn't happen but if it did, I'd like to know you told management and even more important, I'd like to know how they handled it. The maids there work very hard and are lovely ladies all, and I can't imagine them turning over a dirty unit. I also know for a fact if you needed more shampoo or towels they would have gotten it for you happily.

I don't mean to give you a hard time because it was nice of you to come back and share your personal experiences and thoughts but so much of the information you've given was here or was given to you just as it would be given to anyone else who asked about it.

The Towers isn't for everyone and I try to be pretty fair and objective with people when I respond to questions and I guess that's why I found some of your comments to be a bit of a surprise.

Respectfully,

pat

To bring hangers-not to bring hangers-that is the question. I've only stayed in Gold Crown resorts that were truly worth the title, so all the is new to me!

I am almost ready to call RCI and see is something else is available on the island-Dutch or French!

Kathy,

To stay there or not is certainly your choice and chances are they (RCI) would easily be able to move you to a different propery depending on the time of year you're going.

We love The Towers - and wouldn't dream of trading our weeks there and in fact we keep looking for more weeks for sale that would work for us. But I would suggest it's not a destination for a demanding or discriminating traveler who is looking for services more akin to a 'starred' hotel. Most timeshare guests are fine there but not all, for sure.

But I'm not sure why you want to know about 'bringing' hangers. There are plenty in the closet - more than enough for my husband and myself and our clothes for a typical two week stay. But should you find you need more, you need only speak to one of the maids or call housekeeping and they'll be more than happy to get you more. And basically, that would apply to almost anything you might need or require to make your stay pleasant. The maids are a little standoffish at first but once you greet them and exchange a few pleasantries with them they'll go way out of their way for you. Or such has always been my experience with them.

If you have any additional questions, both Kim and I own time there and would be happy to help you out if we can and as objectively as possible considering we are owners there.

Respectfully,

pat

Does anyone know what the view would be from room 409? What is mean is what direction would it face? Bay, golf? Thanks for the info if you know! Sounds like we have some owners and long time travelers with great information.

KD,

We happen to own an "09" unit, a little higher up, but the view is the same and we love it.

From the larger balcony off the livingroom you look towards the Mullet Pond inlet directly in front of you along with the few boats that seem to be permanently moored there and beyond that your main view is of Point Piroutte and the golf course including Mona Island although if you look into the distance from this vantage point you also have a view of the open waters beyond Sandy Ground and Marigot and out towards Anguilla where you can sometimes see the lights sparkling at night. This same view also shows the French hills in the far distance. Closer to you and towards the right you can see the airplanes as they take off and enter the clouds and in the very near distance you can look towards the Maho area though I'm not really certain how much of it you can see from the 4th floor. And if you're interested in who is coming and going, you're directly looking at the driveway as it winds in from the main road and straight down from the railing is the sidewalk out to the pool.

From the master bedroom balcony, which by the way is very small but big enough to stand or sit and watch the cruise ships leaving in the evening, but your main view from here is of the golf course and towards the point on Mullet Bay Beach with a pretty good view of the open ocean.

My husband absolutely loves all the views from this particular unit and corner of the building over all the other Mullet Bay units we've seen over the years up to and including the penthouse units we've stayed in. I hope you enjoy it half as much as he does/we do.

Respectfully,

pat