Relaxing in Maho Beach, St. Martin

It is very rare that I am traveling and have a totally free day. Quite honestly, I woke up totally baffled about what to do. Then I remembered that I was on the Caribbean island of St. Martin and the fact that the internet wasn’t working very well and I had nothing scheduled might not be bad at all.

The weather seemed to be about the same each day of my trip – partly sunny in the 70s with a little bit of rain at some point.  I went to the buffet at the Sonesta St.Maarten Ocean Terrace Restaurant for an egg white omelet filled with veggies, saving my calories for the scrumptious croissants. I then headed out to explore the large property before heading downtown.

The hotel is directly in the center of Maho, a small town filled with stores, restaurants, clubs, a market and even a Häagen-Dazs ice cream shop. I walked around a bit exploring, though nothing really caught my eye worth a stop.  I went back to the Sonesta for lunch at the Palms Grill Restaurant. It’s set outside overlooking the beach. I enjoyed the peaceful setting (and a turkey club sandwich) before hitting a lounge chair for some reading.

I am not very good at sitting still for too long (unless I'm at a computer), so I walked along the beach a bit and enjoyed the sunshine and turquoise water. I spent a little time at the pool and had a drink at the swim-up bar, however, the water was just too cold to swim. (Note to all Caribbean hotels: adding cold water to the pool is great when it's 90, but not so great when it's 75.)  There was only one thing left to do – take advantage of the invitation I received to go to the spa.

The Serenity Spa at the Sonesta Maho is just a few months old so everything is brand new. They carry a number of impressive beauty lines, including Sothy’s Paris nourishing body elixirs and moisturizers. I loved the selection, especially vanilla cinnamon, orange & cedar, cherry blossom. They also have a number of Aromatloria products for scrubs and body polishes that relieve muscle aches and stress.

My stress was non-existent as Spa Manager Jardin told me about the products and treatments here, all to get guests in the vacation mood and keep them in that frame of mind. I was already in the relaxation mood, but it went one step further after a perfect massage from Leo.

I couldn’t believe how late it was when I left the spa. (Where does the day go when you are basically doing nothing?)  I quickly changed for dinner and walked down to The Point, Sonesta Maho's fine dining restaurant.

I was told there was a bit of a wait for the restaurant, so I sat at the bar and enjoyed a glass of wine and the live music that they have at the hotel each evening.  Before I even finished my glass I was shown to my table. I was a bit worried that the menu was too filled with fish for me to find something to eat, but they were very accommodating and started me with an antipasto plate, made without anchovies just for me.

 For a main course, I enjoyed the Gnocchi with a tomato eggplant sauce that was creamy without being too rich.  I had a tasty Banana Flambe (actually mousse-like) for dessert with a latte and decided to head downtown to see what was going on at the clubs. 

It was still a bit early for the clubs to get going so I started at the Casino across the street. I managed to keep $10 going on a slot machine for an hour before heading next door to Cheri’s Café. It was a karaoke night and the crowd was growing, but I was getting a bit bleary eyed and decided it was time to turn in. I had a really big day coming up as I was asked to come down to Island 92 Radio and speak on the air. It was something I was excited about and I was equally anxious to check out the area down at St. Martin’s Simpson Bay.

Leaving the Group for More St. Martin

It was my final day at the Westin St. Maarten and my final day with my fellow journalists, but I still had time left on this beautiful island. I was just leaving Dawn Beach for Maho Beach.

I got up early to pack and I took one final walk along the beach at the Westin before joining my new friends for breakfast. The hotel’s executive chef, Robert Reed, came by to meet us all and we told him how much we had enjoyed our dinner at Aura Restaurant before dispersing to pick up our belongings and get ready to leave.

We all piled into the van for the last time and took the scenic road down the mountain to Maho Beach. It was there we met Marla of the St. Maarten Tourism Board (the Dutch side) at the Sunset Bar & Grill.  This place is party central for St. Martin for a number of reasons. First, it is literally right on a beautiful white sand beach, with aqua water. Second, it is also at the beginning of an airport runway, which means the planes fly directly over your head just before they land!

They have a big menu, but we all decided on pizza. Our selection of pizzas were delicious and we washed them down with some Caribbean style drinks. I started with a Bahama Mama (Bacardi Light Rum, Bacardi Coco Rum, fruit punch and pineapple) and finished with a Pink Paradise (Bacardi Coco, Amaretto, cranberry juice and pineapple juice).  We laughed and enjoyed each other’s company one final time, before they took off for the airport and I headed to the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort.

I was supposed to have a friend with me for the next few days, but it didn’t work out. I was on my own and I settled in my Sunset Suite, which included two balconies, a full kitchen, living room, separate bedroom and large bathroom with a Jacuzzi. It could have used a bit of remodeling, but it was more than spacious for me to enjoy for the rest of my St. Martin stay.

The Sonesta Maho Beach was also going through some management changes and I listened to the General Manager Armando Pizzuti tell me about plans to expand the all-inclusive service to include more activities, room service and restaurant options. The one thing they definitely didn’t need to approve was location. The hotel had this great beach on one side and the nightlife and shopping of Maho on the other.

I explored the grounds a bit, but it had been a long day after an extremely long week. I decided to have dinner at the Ocean Terrace Restaurant, where there was an Italian buffet. I only had a half a glass of wine and a small plate of dinner before finally succumbing to fatigue. I had a full day ahead of me to enjoy Maho Beach and there was no reason to rush to it.