Le Beach Hôtel

Le Beach Hotel consists of three large, imposing buildings on the main road that leads west out of Marigot (you can’t miss it). A huge parking lot spans the length of the hotel and has plenty of free parking. The unique lobby is enormous, with the reception at one end by the entrance and a dock leading to the pool and beach on the other. Although it is an indoor space, the lobby is interestingly landscaped with gardens, palm trees, and shrubbery and there's lots of guest seating as well as a bar. Right outside of the lobby is a pool and restaurant on one side, and a beach on the other. Behind the main building is a dock with lounge chair seating that leads out onto the water.Guests are a good mix of families, retired folks, and young couples, mostly French-speakers (the property is on the French side of the bilingual French-Dutch island). The property underwent new ownership in 2014 and the new management have been making extensive improvements on this older property ever since. 

Le Beach Hotel is located slightly southwest of Marigot, the capital of francophone St. Martin, a charming town filled with shops, bistros, and small winding streets. The hotel is a  10-minute walk to both Marigot and the Marina Port Royal, which has numerous restaurants along the water -- note that it's safer to take a taxi after dark. There's also a grocery store a five-minute walk away. The Princess Juliana International Airport and Grand Case, with additional restaurants and shops, are each a 10-minute drive away, while Simpson Bay and Maho Beach take just a couple of minutes longer to reach. It's an eight-minute drive to Loterie Farm, a nature retreat with tours and zip-lining, a 17-minute drive to Orient Bay, and an 18-minute drive to Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side.    

The 144 units in the hotel are quite basic, with white tile floors, wood furniture, caned chairs, floral curtains, and satiny red or deep blue bedspreads on comfortable beds. All units have flat-screen TVs, air-conditioning, minibars, and safes, but lack coffeemakers. The bathrooms are dated and have white-and-blue tile walls, white porcelain sinks, weak tubular hairdryers (the type that resemble small vacuum cleaners), and shower/tub combos. The Suites have similar decor to what's found in the rooms but are spacious and have large living rooms, two balconies, generous bedrooms, and double sinks in the bathrooms. 

A free breakfast is included in most room rates and is served in the hotel’s on-site restaurant, located right by the pool. Offerings include eggs, meats, pancakes, and continental items served with coffee and juice. The reasonably priced restaurant is also open for lunch and dinner and serves French-inspired food. The hotel's ocean-facing pool is on the small side for a property of this size. However, it doesn't get a lot of traffic and thus securing a lounge chair is rarely a problem. The hotel's rocky beach is also smallish, but has plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas along with a fairly priced beach bar, open daily. However, it's mostly shaded by the hotel and doesn’t get direct sun exposure until late afternoon.    Event space at the hotel includes two meeting rooms with projector screens and writing boards. One can fit up to 50 guests while the other is large enough for 70 people. There's also free Wi-Fi throughout the property.