L’Esplanade hotel sits on a hill overlooking the village and bay of Grand Case. It is a property I have always admired from afar and finally, on a sunny February day and on an invitation from the hotel owner, I got to drive through the gates. My husband and I were both excited to see what it would be like up close. We were about to enjoy another staycation on French St Martin, and this time we would be calling L’Esplanade our home for a few days.
“Two things I was immediately aware of as we first stepped into our room at Le Petit Hotel. One: the surprisingly large size of the room. Two: I was going to have a very hard time leaving this place.”
A bed that is begging to be slept in, furniture in bright and vibrant Caribbean colors, a view to live by, free WiFi and ample closet space with plenty of hangers, this is what I remember most about my stay at the Mount Nevis Hotel. But wait, I am getting way ahead of myself here. Let us start from the beginning, shall we?!
Perfect despite a few imperfections is how I would describe the Fountain Resort Residences at first sight. Located in Shoal Bay East, it’s a quaint place that doesn’t have all the usual resort amenities but doesn’t really need them either. Offering one bedroom, two bedrooms or studio accommodations the Fountain is the ideal place to stay for couples, groups and families.
La Belle Creole was a long time dream of Claudius Charles Philippe, the once general manager of the famous Waldorf-Astoria and a man obsessed with luxury, who had a vision of building a little French hideaway on a French St. Martin peninsula. A dream that unfortunately was tangled in a nasty financial web right from the start, when shortly after construction started it ran into money trouble, which eventually halted the project for several years until it was picked up again by other investors.