Caravanserai Review

Resort was very nice, beautiful veiw of the Carribean Sea. Room had one large bedroom, two baths, and full kitchen. Three pools. Casino was had been closed for a while. No beach to speak of but a nice one about a 200yd walk. Watching the planes at the Sunset Bar (cheap food, drink) was an afternoon must. Watching 757's land 50 above your head was neat. Casinos, resturants, shopping within walking distance. No rental car needed, ride the bus for $1. Given the time of year, a lot of shops and resturantes were closed. Good water sports selection.

Negatives - noise from the bar until 4am was annoying. Being hawked by the timeshare sellers was annoying, especially the ones at the Atrim, who were down right rude.

Incredible!!!!

Unbelievably good - not pure excellence, but not far from it! We stayed in an oceanview balcony suite....it really was the best accomodations in the house (217). We had 3 views of the ocean, 2 baths and a wonderful small kitchen. Only negatives were that our A/C conked out mid-week in the back room so we slept in the den (fold-out couch), the casino was out of business (so many others, though, nearby) and Bliss was closed as the owners were on vacation. You have to hit the Sunset Beach Bar as larger planes are coming in or leaving - especially leaving. There are folks that will hang on to the fence as a 747 is leaving and are literally lifted off of their feet. Also, recommend going to the morning meeting they offer - you will get a 2 for 1 on something (the "big" prize). Yeah, they are trying to sell timeshares and excursions, but it is still time well spent. I would highly recommend this place - especially if you get our room (and the A/C is fixed!) I can only imagine how nice the experience would have been if every single thing had been "perfect." We LOVED it!!!!

Fall asleep to the sounds of the sea.

My boyfriend and I have stayed at the Caravanserai the last 2 years. I'd stayed at the Pelican a number of times before that. We are a couple in our late twenties (me)/early thirties (him). We are somewhat active, but tend not to party late into the night. Also, we are relatively low maintainence in terms of our accommodations -- we just want clean rooms with a decent view.

The great thing about the Caravanserai is its size. It has all the amenities as some of the larger resorts on the Island, but you don't feel as much like you are packed in like cattle. Of course, we always go during the off-season when things are just beginning to open back up after hurricane season, so its not very crowded on the island anyways.

The first time we went, we reserved a Gardenview room. We immediatly upgraded to an oceanfront room. What a difference, and definatly worth the extra money. The staff handled our request wonderfully and moved all of our luggage for us. Our new room was right by the water, and we fell asleep every night to the sound of the waves crashing against the sea wall. I should warn you that the "beach" at the resort isn't much to speak of, so rent a car and explore the incredible beaches on the rest of the island.

The Sunset Bar and Grill, at the entrance to the resort, has the best burgers on the island in my opinon. You order and pay for it at the bar and bring the slip over to the grill. Sometimes there can be a wait, but its well worth it and you can watch the planes land as you wait.

The planes overhead shouldn't really bother you. You'll be out and about during the day, and at night I think they stop flying in the jets before 11pm.

My only complaint about the Caravanserai is the music coming from Bamboo Bernies on Ladies Night (I think Wednesdays). The base kept me up until about 4am. I think this is rated as a 3-star resort (by American Airlines). I would say its a 3+. Go with those expectations. If you expect a 5-star resort you will be sorely dissapointed.

Finally, try booking an air/hotel package through one of the major U.S. airlines. Keep checking and comparing the prices --we've gotten some great deals that way.

What is wrong with you guys?

I have read your reviews and they could not be further from the truth. We visit St Martin every year and stay at The Caravanserai Resort every year. It is fabulous. It is RIGHT on the water, literally. We have an ocean front room with a two balconies, one of which displays a panoramic view of the ocean that is absolutely amazing. We have a full kitchen and two full bathrooms. The resort itself offers ample entertainment and dining choices. Bamboo Bernie's is a fun place to eat a quick meal or to have fresh sushi. On Wednesday nights, it is ladies night -- it is THE spot to be on the whole island on ladie's night. Bliss is a beautiful restaurant and club as well. The Sunset Beach Bar was voted the number one beach bar in the entire carribean by several different publications -- it is the perfect place to go and watch the sunset after being at the beach all day. Come on -- the island is 37 square miles. Rent a car and drive yourself somewhere, for God's sake. The island is the culinary capital of the world -- drive on over to the french side and eat at one of many, many gormet restaurants nightly. The Boathouse on the Dutch side serves an amazing Grilled Lobster.....Cheri's Cafe (walking distance from the resort) has a nightly entertainment show that should not be missed. This island has some of the most beautiful beaches anywhere in the world. Rent a car and drive to them! Orient offers everything you could ever want in a beach, Mullet offers crystal clear and calm waters with powder sand, Cupecoy is perfect to sit and watch the sunset, Baie Longue is breathtakingly beautiful -- a great place to walk with somebody you love, Baie Rouge is fun for lounging and tackling the surf, Dawn beach offers fabulous snorkeling, Friar's Bay has a great little restaurant to lunch at -- you should rent a little kayak and row over to Happy Bay which is secluded and naturally beautiful as well. The shopping in Phillipsburg is an experience all in itself. When you visit a place that is this amazing -- you have to explore it and see it all. That is what vacation is about. Otherwise I suggest you go to someplace like Jamaica and stay trapped in your all inclusive little world.

1st Trip Loved it!!!!!!

We stayed in a 1 bedroom ocean-view room that was great. Very clean with a full size kitchen. No I couldn't walk right to the beach from my patio,but I could walk 3 min. to Maho Beach. Yes the airport is right there,but that is part of the fun. Staff is friendly and make sure you talk to Bob in guest services. We will be back. Email me I would be glad to answer questions. Do rent a car and explore. There is a new Express Mart 4 minutes away. Make sure you eat Etna ice cream made on the island!!! Bring suncreen and have a blast!!

Stay here if the noise of the plaines doesn't bother you.

We stayed in a Garden view room for 7 nights.

As you've heard, the hotel is right in front of the airport, but there is no flight during the middle of the night. The Maho beach is 30 seconds away from the hotel and it's a small beach (no chairs or paralols), but you see airplaines passing above your head and taking off, and it was a fun. Kids, not only kids would love it. There are lots of beautiful beaches in the island anyway. Mullet bay is in about 10-15 minutes walk, this was a fantastic beach. If you are going to rent a car,(recommended) go to the French side, also, like Bay Rouge or Bay Longue. If you can, stay in a Ocean view room, as they are on the beach side and 1 block away from the airport. the sunset is breathtaking. Don't forget to take toothbrush, toothpaste and room slippers. Mini fridge helped us a lot, there is a supermarket in 5 minutes walk. (some nice restaurants, club, casino are around there, too) Safe, iron & ironing board are provided, too.

Apart from expensive tel charges(even local) and the noise from the airport, (if it annoys you, just walk to the next beach) it should be a fantastic place to stay!!

Delightful location, subpar room amenities

If you go to St Maarten for the plane spotting, this is the place to stay. The location is literally right on Maho Beach, the closest hotel to the famous beach which is right at the threshold to SXM's runway.

The hotel features two pools, one with a bar overlooking the ocean where sunsets over Maho beach can be seen and are magnificant. Maho beach is clean, fun, and for the most part, uncrowded. The Sunset bar and grill is located on the hotel grounds, just on Maho beach and serves great grill style food and inexpensive beers, highly recommend the Sunset bar and grill. The Caravanserai is also ideally situated not to far from Phillipsburgh. There are many great restaurants within 10 minutes drive of the hotel. We didnt eat at the restaurant as the prices seemed a bit hi. Now for the room amenities. Though the hotel staff seemed friendly and cordial, the mattress was the worst I had ever slept on. The king sized mattress was horrible. It was very droopy in the middle causing you to roll in the middle of the bed. The rooms feature credit card style door keys but many guests, including myself had their keys fail on them. The bathrooms are nothing to rave about.

Water pressure is adequate but not what you would expect. Do not use the phones to call broadside as I found out calling the USA was $3.00 a minute. Airconditioning worked great. this hotel was overall a decent hotel. Also, with most rooms, the noise originating from the airport can be very loud at times. This didn't bother me as i was there to plane spot. With the above exceptions, the Caravanserai could be a great hotel, but for the price you get close to your monies worth.

As a word of caution, do not book your hotel through St maarten online as I did. Unknowingly, they charge 25% commision to book your room with the Caravanserai. Call the hotel direct and save yourself the money.

Basic Fun

The hotel is nice and clean. Our room was a basic hotel room. I have stayed in top of the line resorts in the USA and some bottom of the line hotels as well (business travel). This hotel is in the middle. I had no problems with the airplane noise at all - could barely hear it.

And you won't be spending that much time in your room, anyway. It has a nice pool but definitely check out Mullet Bay... one of the nicest beaches on the island. (it is a quick walk from the hotel) My fiance and I visited the island in Dec. 2002-January 2003. My advice is.. rent a car to explore the island and different restaurants, learn some french (my fiance and i are fluent french speakers and were rewarded for it...we noticed we got much much better service in a restaurant on New Years than a couple from NYC..in fact the owner/chef came out to talk with us about the food and island. But just in case, everyone speaks some level of english.) As for the service...everyone is totally relaxed on the island..that means you need to be as well. Requests will be done eventually (not always in your time frame)... I had to hunt down TP from a maid during a freak rainstorm since they did not get to my room in time. But it is a great island. Relax, get a tan and have a cocktail!

Nice place, but no bargain

12/04/03 thru 12/11/03. The staff at Caravanserai Beach Resort was pleasant and helpfull. Our 1bdrm was cleaned daily with fresh towels and toiletries. We were disappointed that the resort does not have it's own beach, but there are beaches within walking distance. The best part of this location is it's proximity to the airport runway and the Sunset Beach Bar. Drink Caribs and watch the big jets and island hoppers land and takeoff less than 100 yards from your bar stool. Also a great place to party and meet new friends. The downside is the noise. Don't stay here if the jet noise will bother you, it's all day long. Also the music starts at 8:00PM and doesn't stop until 3-4 AM. The constant pounding will keep you awake all night. Stay away from Bernies Restaurant (on site), the service is unbelievebly bad in both the restaurant and bar as well.

Loved the Caravanserai Beach Resort

We just returned from St. Martin on March 19, 2003. I can't say enough good things about the Caravanserai Resort. It has a very Caribbean look and feel. The location is perfect, only a half mile from the airport. The beach is fine although there was an undertow. There is another good beach just up the road. The Dolphin Casino is right on the property and the payoffs are pretty good. I played for 4 hours for 7 evenings and only lost about $3 per hour. The penny machines were great fun. We loved Breakfast on the Beach each morning and Grand Cafe for evening meals as well as The Boathouse....all in all a great week highly recommended to any traveler.