St. Martin and Barbados pre-and-post hotels

[ciaoYacht]

Recommendations for hotels pre-and-post cruise in St. Martin and Barbados?  Traveling Feb/Mar 2023 and in looking online I am seeing dumpy places for around $300-400/night and places that look "ok" for $1200 ++ per night.  Don't mind spending money when its worth it, but for some reason its hard to get a clear picture of quality and value of accommodations in these two destinations.  Can anyone with experience in these ports weigh in with their recommendations?  Thank you!

[adolfo2]

I caved in and went with the Seabourn "Hotel" in St. Martin. https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/pre-post-travel-cruise/hotels.html

 

Not happy on spending more on one night in the hotel than one night on the ship but it's a special event for us. Hopefully some of the included amenities will make up for the high $$$

 

 SEABOURN’S HOTEL PROGRAM INCLUDES

• One or more nights’ hotel accommodation
• Full breakfast
• Applicable taxes (including V.A.T. and G.S.T.) and bellman gratuities
• Porterage
• Private Car Transfer between airport, hotel and ship

[ciaoYacht]

1 hour ago, adolfo2 said:

I caved in and went with the Seabourn "Hotel" in St. Martin. https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/pre-post-travel-cruise/hotels.html

 

Not happy on spending more on one night in the hotel than one night on the ship but it's a special event for us. Hopefully some of the included amenities will make up for the high $$$

 

 SEABOURN’S HOTEL PROGRAM INCLUDES

• One or more nights’ hotel accommodation
• Full breakfast
• Applicable taxes (including V.A.T. and G.S.T.) and bellman gratuities
• Porterage
• Private Car Transfer between airport, hotel and ship

But what hotel is this?

And what do you mean by ‘caved’? Are they charging you a premium over what you could pay otherwise? Is there some added benefit that you can’t get otherwise by booking through Amex fine hotels or a virtuoso agent?

[Dunnedg]

Is the post night in Barbados and are you only staying one night?

The problem you have is it is peak season in Barbados and most hotels offer only a minimum stay of 3 nights. If you are only staying one night your best bet is probably the Hilton.

[ciaoYacht]

Pre cruise 2 nights in St. Martin. Post cruise 1 night in Barbados. Didn’t even see the Hilton come up in my search so maybe they have a minimum night requirement, but did see Fairmont which looked great but was $1600. 

[Fletcher]

The only hotel worth looking at in St Martin in La Samanna.   We love this hotel and it's the only nice thing about this otherwise grotty island.   Barbados has lots of resorts, all of which have various issues.  On the whole the best bet is the Royal Pavilion, a chain hotel but pleasant architecture and a great stretch of beach.

[Dunnedg]

Hilton definitely does single nights. Also try Accra Beach or Courtyard by Marriot, Coconut Court or Coral Mist.

Fairmont Royal Pavilion is absolutely fabulous but when you are travelling as you have seen is not cheap. 

[fudge]

Thanks for the recommendations, we need a hotel post cruise for one night.

[adolfo2]

22 hours ago, ciaoYacht said:

But what hotel is this?

And what do you mean by ‘caved’? Are they charging you a premium over what you could pay otherwise? Is there some added benefit that you can’t get otherwise by booking through Amex fine hotels or a virtuoso agent?

It's the Belmond La Samanna Resort (I did supply you the link) 

I "caved" in that I didn't want to spend that much. Also decided to book w/Seabourn for logistical reasons as it was pretty much a $wash booking via anyone else.

 

[Dunnedg]

5 hours ago, fudge said:

Thanks for the recommendations, we need a hotel post cruise for one night.

Some of the suggestions I have made are not ‘Seabourn’ standard but are clean and well maintained. Its only one night and you will be in and out before you know it. Happy to make other suggestions. (Barbados is our second home😁)

[fudge]

40 minutes ago, Dunnedg said:

Some of the suggestions I have made are not ‘Seabourn’ standard but are clean and well maintained. Its only one night and you will be in and out before you know it. Happy to make other suggestions. (Barbados is our second home😁)

Thank you again, I have viewed all your suggestions, we like the look of the Coral Mist Hotel, we asked how much it would cost from the cruise terminal to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport, they quoted 25 US, for both journeys is that fair?

[FlyingScotSailors]

4 hours ago, Dunnedg said:

Happy to make other suggestions. (Barbados is our second home😁)

Slightly off topic, but is Oistins open?

[Dunnedg]

18 hours ago, fudge said:

Thank you again, I have viewed all your suggestions, we like the look of the Coral Mist Hotel, we asked how much it would cost from the cruise terminal to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport, they quoted 25 US, for both journeys is that fair?

Hi. I would say it is perhaps slightly higher than you should expect but not much. Probably fair including a tip but Barbados feeling same inflation as rest of the world at the moment. Most taxis/drivers in Barbados are very fair and honest but it is always best to ask for a price before you get in. Make sure you know which currency you are being quoted,  Barbados $ or US$. Its 2BDS to 1US give or take a cent. 
I have stayed in Coral Mist for a couple of days and is well situated on a beach and close to good restaurants. Champers is very nice but expensive. Mojos, just across the road is reasonable and tasty. You right on the beach but a short walk takes you to Rockley (akna Accra) beach. Tiki Bar on Rockley beach is good for a sundowner and a snack and more food options across the road and a bit further West.

[Dunnedg]

14 hours ago, FlyingScotSailors said:

Slightly off topic, but is Oistins open?

It is. Busiest on a Friday night but open every night for great fresh fish fry up.

[fudge]

15 minutes ago, Dunnedg said:

Hi. I would say it is perhaps slightly higher than you should expect but not much. Probably fair including a tip but Barbados feeling same inflation as rest of the world at the moment. Most taxis/drivers in Barbados are very fair and honest but it is always best to ask for a price before you get in. Make sure you know which currency you are being quoted,  Barbados $ or US$. Its 2BDS to 1US give or take a cent. 
I have stayed in Coral Mist for a couple of days and is well situated on a beach and close to good restaurants. Champers is very nice but expensive. Mojos, just across the road is reasonable and tasty. You right on the beach but a short walk takes you to Rockley (akna Accra) beach. Tiki Bar on Rockley beach is good for a sundowner and a snack and more food options across the road and a bit further West.

Thank you for most informative reply, very much appreciated, I have just mailed the hotel to inquire about an early check in and a later check out time, if available of course.

[SailorJack]

In Barbados We stayed at the Radisson Beachfront Resort two days ago - for two nights - at a really good price. The resort is a little dated, but has the most beautiful beach! Pure white sand, palm trees, and not crowded! Staff was delightful and we enjoyed our stay.

 

We walked over to the Hilton to check it out. Much bigger and nicer, but much more expensive and their beach was not nearly as nice.

 

 Main drawback to these two hotels is that they are quite isolated. Nowhere town which was a $15 cab ride away.

 

it was a $25 cab ride from the airport and a $17 ride to the port.

Edited October 14, 2022 by SailorJack

[conchyjoe]

In St. Martin look at Le Petit Hotel in Grand Case. If you don’t already know, Grand Case is the epicurean capital of St. Martin and well worth at least a 3-7 day visit in its own right.

On our last visit we did a rental apartment in Grand Case right on the waterfront which was lovely. We had a rental car to explore the island and then back to Grand Case for dinner out each night. Food was extraordinarily good.

[christraveller]

In Barbados, the Courtyard by Marriott was friendly, clean, well kept and efficient. The Hilton didn’t seem that way during our stays there.   Yup, the Courtyard is not a beach resort, and yup, it’s cheaper. Still our choice now!