I am looking for an all-incusive kid friendly resort. We have a 2 yr old son.

Would also prefer a hotel that has a kid friendly beach and that is near some decent shopping (more for the purposes of taking a nice walk with the stroller)

Any suggestions?

The MAHO is an all inclusive resort. There is a nice shopping area as part of the MAHO area. The beach as a severe drop off and is not very "kid friendly", but the pool is very nice. Friars Bay is great for kids, very shallow for a good 20 yards out from shore.

~~ Once you've slept on an island, you'll never be the same ~~
2008 St Maarten Pics

Irene,

There are two all-inclusive hotels that come to mind, one being Maho as already discussed, and the other being Great Bay Maho, which is actually owned by the same people.

Of the two hotel properties, I would think neither is going to meet your needs exactly. Since the island is considered to be a timeshare destination, have you contemplated renting one of those? They wouldn't be AI but you would have more room than a standard hotel room and a kitchen for making light snacks and meals for your little one.

St. Maarten/St. Martin is generally not considered to be an all-inclusive type island because of the vast number of incredible restaurants in every price range, from Subway and Mickey D to the great beach spots up to the most expensive places in Grand Case, but at least the two already mentioned do offer it.

St. Maarten/St. Martin, in general, is a very kid-friendly island but not many of the beaches are too terrific for a child the age of yours'. Friar's Bay, which has no hotels, is very good and LeGalleon Beach is a great children's beach but again, no hotels. Mullet Bay can be great for kids on a quiet day but it can also turn wild in a heartbeat. The restaurants will be receptive to a child but it's a good idea to dine earlier and bring lots of things to amuse the child with.

Great Bay Hotel is a walk from Front St., P'berg, which has a lot of shopping opportunities but not really convenient to walk to with a stroller but the beach along Front St. is very calm and has lots of beach services such as places to eat and rent chairs, etc., that would be most helpful with a little one. Maho Resort has lots of shops and sidewalks where you could easily push a stroller but there will be a lot of ups and downs in doing so.

All the above said, we always vacationed on the island with our kids, who are now married with kids of their own and the next generation have probably been there more times than most frequent-visitor adults. My granddaughter and grandson both started visiting annually when they were under six months or so, so you can have a great trip with your little one.

The thing about St. Maarten/St. Martin that is so very unique is that it's one place where most people typically do rent a car and most do not stay stationary in their resorts but feel the experience is to get out and about and see as much as they can of it.

I don't know if any of this helps or confuses your plans but if you have any direct questions, please feel free to ask away.

Respectfully,

pat

:-) :-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2007 06:26PM by pat.

Hi Pat

Are these 2 hotels you mentioned the same as Sonesta Great Bay and Sonesta Maho Beach Resort? I have seen their websites, but not much info on there.

Are they both near the airport, as I heard that the Maho near the airport is pretty loud with planes flying overhead. Is this accurate?

You mentioned that Great Bay Hotel is not convenient to walk with a stroller, do you mean there is no sidewalk? Is this hotel right on the beach?

For this trip we don't plan on renting a car as there are two babies. We are travelling with my brother's child also and we don't plan on brining the car seats. Besides that with the children we prefer to stay close to the hotel, this is why we would like to find a place which is walking distance to shops and such.

Thanks for the info.

Irene

Irene,

Yes, they are the same hotels and are both owned by the same company and while I don't know exactly what the connection is, they are both under the Sonesta name and have been for the past year or two. I personally enjoy the Sonesta Maho Beach area because there is much more to do there than at most other hotel locations but for sure, it' doesn't have all the things you're looking for either.

As for Sonesta Maho Beach's close proximity to the airport, it is at the end of the runway for PJIA and yes, the planes do fly right by the hotel. We found the airport and the planes to be more of a point of interest than a problem but that's us. We've stayed both there and at Marys Boon which literally abuts the runway and we didn't find the noise to be a problem at either place.

I know virtually nothing about Maho Great Bay beyond that it's not anywhere near the airport and is within a long walking distance to the main shopping areas in Philipsberg but to the best of my knowledge there are no true sidewalks and it wouldn't be an area to walk the babies in strollers, IMHO. As far as I can recall, it is on its own beach but it's been years since I've been there and I wouldn't begin to comment on the quality or safety aspect of the beach when it comes to little ones.

I have to be totally honest with you - I just can't think of the property on St. Maarten/St. Martin that will fit all your needs for this trip. The closest place that comes to mind might be the Grand Case Beach Club which is on it's own calm beach but it isn't AI and while you could walk to Grand Case, there's not a lot of shopping there and you'd still need to have a car. Other than that, I'd say Maho Sonesta is your best bet even with it's negatives but if you're truly refusing to rent cars, it would probably be the best location for you overall and given all your wishes regarding a property.

Sorry, but I'm afraid that's about the best I can tell you.

Respectfully,

pat

:-) :-)

Pat, I honestly think that she could walk with a stroller down from Great Bay Hotel to the Sea Palace and then pick up the boardwalk from there. I know that Paul and I have walked it many times from the Villas on Great Bay and it is not a bad walk. I know that there are sidewalks outside the Villas but I can't remember if they go down as far as the Sea Palace. Senior moment you know.

Annie

Thanks, Annie,

I have to admit I'm really not all that familiar with Great Bay beyond that it's recently been refurbished and they are supposed to be developing timeshare units there, also. It wouldn't surprise me if they could do the walk into Town but I just don't recall any sidewalks in the area.....and I'd far rather give no information than misinformation that someone might ultimately depend on as gospel.

Thanks for the private e-mail and the good news to date.

Respectfully,

pat
:-) :-)

Irene,

Another possibility that came to my mind this afternoon was Divi Little Bay. It's my understanding they do offer an AI option and the beach there is very protected and should be ideal for children. They also have timeshare units there which might or might not be available for rent - I have no idea about that one and I can't speak for the quality of the hotel on a personal level but most people really seem to enjoy Divi.

But again, this is not a destination that would lead itself, IMHO, to walking the children in strollers or to shopping and once again, if it were me, I would have to have a car or if you are two families, perhaps two cars.

Respectfully,

pat
:-) :-)

Irene,

Sometimes I wonder where my head is at. Another possibility in AI options came to mind - the Divi Little Bay Resort next door to the BelAire. They definitely have an all inclusive option and it has a very gentle beach and from my understanding, at least 1-2 nice pools along with other resort amenities.

The drawback to Divi would be that it's not within walking distance of any shops and I doubt you could walk to town and this time I'm 90 percent certain there wouldn't be any sidewalks to take with the strollers.

Personally, once again, were it me, I'd want a rental car but this is a resort where you could go and stay put if that were in your game plan. You might also be able to rent a timeshare unit from them as opposed to just hotel rooms and then you'd have the benefit of a kitchen, too.

Good luck and whatever you end up doing, have a wonderful time.

Respectfully,

pat
:-) :-)

Irene:

We have stayed at Great Bay a few times, the latest for two wks Jan/Feb this year.
There were a few families there with young ones.

You can walk from Great Bay into Philisburg, just out from the lobby there is sidewalk all the way. Front Sreet has been redone over the last few years. From Downtown to the villas,which is only 1 block from Great Bay Hotel. The last block to Great Bay Hotel does have a narrow sidewalk right beside the road.

The only thing you would have to check for are what days the criuse ships are in. Some days Front street is very busy.
Hope this helps

Um, why wouldn't ya take your car seats? Airlines will let you stow them for free (it doesn't count against your weight allowance). Plus, I think nine out of ten people on this board will advise you to rent a car to see and get around the island. The most child-friendly beaches are a car drive away. As is the "shopping" which is in Phillipsburgh and Marigot.

By the way, we're planning on returning to the island in November (this time with an eighteen month old) and we're planning on Grand Case Beach Club. The beach there is relatively calm, we can walk to restaurants and the grocery store, and it is a good "starting-point" for other destinations on the island. There is very little "shopping" in Grand Case, though, which suits me fine.