So, it was a relaxing 6 days.
some good, bad and the ugly
Eden Rock: I think this was my favourite hotel of all. I loved the rooms on the rock side, they were all unique and individual. The beach was just super here.
Breakfast: Their breakfast was the best too- it had fresh chesse , fresh juices, ( options of smoothies), and a few hot dishes. Fresh jams, cold cuts, etc, just nicely done.
Cons: It’s missing a spa. If the hotel is willing to offer spa treatements in the rooms, why not convert one of the beach front rooms/garden rooms into a spa? It only makes sense.
Most ideal for family with teenangers, or honeymoon clients/ couples (not families with kids- unless you stay on the beach side of the property).
Ile-de-France: The renovations that the rooms had done were really nice. The views of the beach were good too. The free cold sodas and snacks were a nice touch along with the american plugs in the rooms.
Cons: Turn down service for our night there, didn’t happen, so no fresh towels. Even after calling for towels, they didn’t arrive. The hotel called us at 11.45 am , to see if we needed help with checking out. Seriously? I know check out time is at 12, if I need help with my bags, I could have called myself.
Breakfast: Quite a poor selection, no hot food, and there were flies everywhere. My least favourite.
Great hotel for honeymooners/ couples, again, not most ideal for families with kids, unless they are older. Restaurant Parci next door in Hotel Taiwana was great for Italian food.
Hotel Gunahani:
Great ambience, it was the largest hotel in the island, over 60 rooms. It has tennis courts, a proper clarins Spa ( which was good), spread over 7 acres, kids club.
Breakfast: It was good, again, no fresh cheeses- only packaged ones, so that was a shame. Eggs/ pancakes made to order, which was nice. Pasteries were decent. Nice capsule coffees and efficient service.
Rooms: I personal prefer the renovated rooms, over the non-renovated ones. The plunge pools were a nice touch. Very happy feeling to the entire hotel, as this was all done in pastel colors and the lobby was super vibrant.
The beach is not as nice as the other 2 hotels, nor as large, but still good.
Hotel La Samana:
Compared to hotels in St.Barth- this looked slightly more outdated, but they are planning some renovations starting Aug 1st for the lobby.
The Rooms: They are nicely done, but I didn’t love them. I think they could have done a better job. My room had a lot of little ants, which also traveled back to NYC with me.. I was not happy about that.
Breakfast: It was the largest spread, but bigger doesn’t always mean better. They used these cheap Pyrex dishes, that you had to remove the lid and put down , before you can serve yourself any food. What happened to chaffing dishes??
The juices, (all 5 of them) were not fresh. Why??
The cheese options- were all cut up and not very nice looking.
There was 1 person making eggs/pancakes/waffles at a live station with 2 burners. Clearly not enought with the the # of rooms and guests staying.
The regular toaster that they had , worked poorly- why not have the ones where you just put the toast in and it has a roller and the toast just pops down below.
The hot food for me , were just ok, pasteries were very good though. I think that they could have done a better job with the breakfast and make it more special for the guests.
Rooms service: The pasta Bolognese, was good, but there was pasta for 3 and not enough sauce. The meat burger- that was ordered medium, was sent twice,and still raw and cold in the center, the 2nd time around. They didn’t remove if from the bill till we discussed it with the front desk manager , upon check out.
Overall, a nice property- best rooms were the villas, that come with private butler and and amazing villa to be at. I would go back, just to the villa.
The beach was good, but at this time of the year, it was a little rocky so not ideal for kids and the tide was strong.
St. Martin, is not nearly as nice at St. Barth’s but more affordable restaurants exist here.
pearltravels 