We have been to Orient Bay probably 5 times. This time we stayed at La Esmeralda Resort, and loved it. This will be our new 'go to' place. We will definitely return here. We stayed in #48-3, a Deluxe room, which is a large single room with a microwave, sink and refrig.. The location was perfect.
As you'll read other reviews about the semi private pool we initially weren't impressed, thinking we'd never use it. We loved it and used it 2-3 times a day. The proximity of the room to the beach was about one city block. We would come from the beach (at lunch time) and use to pool to cool off and rinse off the salt. The alcohol/food on the beach was pricey so we bought french bread, cheese, chorizo and wine, and had lunch at the room; then back to the beach.
Obviously the beach and sand were perfect and the weather great.
We met many people who have been coming to La Esmeralda for 8+ years, that speaks for itself.
ALL of the people who work there are warm and friendly and very helpful. Leo, the concierge, was very accomodating
As of note they said August they're closed, September for families with small children, October, last month before prices go up.
The restaurant attached, Astrolabe, is phenomenal. Excellent food and great waitstaff.
Of important note: The walls between rooms and suite are VERY thin. Absolutely bring EAR PLUGS if you are a light sleeper. I had read someones review previously about this and was very happy I followed the advice. We had a toddler in the suite next to us...or I should say a 0630 alarm clock......everyday.
Other than the walls...La Esmeralda is a perfect place!

This resort is in what my wife and i consider one of the best places to vacation. It is on Orient Bay on the French side of St Martin. Yes the beaches here are very european. The rooms are nice each has its own semi-private pool which is great when you don't want to be on the beach or at night for a private swim.

The hotel restaurant is also one of the best restaurants around.

We highly recommend this resort when staying in St Martin

Our 3rd stay at Esmeralda in 3 years. It is the most relaxing, laid-back resort. The rooms are large and meet our every need. We LOVE sitting on the porch in the early morning and late evening, enjoying the sounds and breezes. Even with all the wonderful beaches that we do spend every day on, the villa-side pool adds a wonderful touch for before beach swims and after dinner wind-down. The free continental breakfast is delicious - who bakes better croissants and baquettes than the French? We love to bring that to our room and eat on the porch as the world wakes up. Wide-screen TV! Never even bothered to put it on. We appreciated the AC. Every single staff member was pleasant, kind, and helpful. We went off-season (August 12 - 20) and got exactly what we so desperately needed - rest, relaxation, a time to reunite, read books, tan, nap, talk about things we don't have time for at home.

JRN & MAN

My husband and I have been to many resorts in our 18 years of being married but the Esmeralda Resort on Orient Beach is one of our favorites! This was our first time vacationing in St. Martin (June 2 - 9th 2012), and it won't be our last! We cannot wait to go back next year and stay at the Esmeralda Resort again!

The staff was very kind as Leo (great guy!), welcomed us and gave us the rundown on the resort. Claudie, the general manager, also upgraded us to the villa next to the presidential suite to help celebrate the fact that I am a breast cancer survivor (thank you soo much!). This was my first tropical trip since battling breast cancer. Leo, Claudie and all the staffers were always accommodating to any requests. The front desk clerks happily helped us with food reservations and transportation (cabs). I hurt my ankle on the 2nd night in St. Martin and Leo (front desk clerk) found a walking cane for me to use to get around. Miss you Leo!

The villa we stayed in was beautiful. There are 4 or 5 rooms to each villa and each Villa has a pool. You also have your own front deck which was great to have coffee on each morning and cocktails each night before going out to dinner. Housekeeping and the maids always made sure the rooms were cleaned everyday and honored any requests we had with additional towels, etc. The TV was great to watch early morning and before going to bed and had a large amount of cable channels to choose from. I hate it when you go to a resort and only a couple of stations are offered. The rooms are well decorated and very comfortable and extremely clean. We heard the hotel went through room renovations and could tell that everything was freshly painted (outside and inside). The bathroom is very nice with new aqua tiles and a beautiful rain shower head. We never had a problem with hot water or water pressure as you might have at other resorts.

The grounds are beautiful and well kept at the Esmeralda Resort! Our pool was clean and maintained by the resort 2 or 3 times a week.

We ate at the Astrolabe restaurant (next to the Esmeralda Resort) a couple of times and can only rave about the fabulous food. We can eat at this restaurant every night....the food was that good.

Coco Beach is the beachfront area that is next to the Esmeralda Resort. Coco Beach is beautiful and you get two chairs and a table or two (requested) with an umbrella. There are waiters that bring you drinks and are very nice and funny! The food at Coco Beach restaurant was very good. I highly recommend eating here (the burgers and pizza were great!).
The beach is beautiful and appears to be in a more relaxed area of Orient Beach. My husband looked forward to walking the entire stretch of Orient Beach everyday and would comment how beautiful Orient Beach is! There are more active areas of Orient Beach but if you want a more relaxed atmosphere stay at Coco Beach! I'm telling you Coco Beach is where you want to be if you want rest and quiet time to enjoy your book! I also think Coco Beach is the prettiest section of Orient Beach!

We have stayed at other resorts (including all inclusive) and this resort is by far our "New Favorite". We cannot wait to go back next year. In fact, we met several couples that told us they have been coming back to this resort for over 17 years. We also met a young couple on their honeymoon (2nd leg of their honeymoon) that stayed in a suite next to our suite, and they said the Esmerala Resort was better than the place they stayed at on their first leg of their honeymoom trip which was a Sandals Resort. This Honeymoon couple were not happy with the Sandals resort but loved the Esmeralda Resort!!! They also said that the food at Astrolabe and Coco Beach was far better than the all inclusive food at Sandals.

If you are on the fence about all inclusive vs. non-all inclusive....we have decided that you still pay the same. Our food and beverage bill came out to be the same if we had paid for all inclusive yet we had top notch food by allowing ourselves to dine at any restaurant on Orient Beach. You also get a Food and Beverage Card when you check into this hotel. This card allows you to go to any restaurant on Orient Beach and have your beverages and food charged to your overall food and beverage invoice at the end of your trip.

Don't believe the 1 or 2 star reviews, as the majority of reviews are 4 and 5 star reviews for the Esmeralda Resort. This resort is great! It has everything you need. Where else can you go and have a clean and comfortable room, a beautiful pool to every Villa, a pretty beach front, a wonderful staff that runs the resort, and a great restaurant on the premises?

Thank you Esmeralda Resort for making my trip fun and memorable! We cannot wait to book you again next year! Miss you already. The "Musso's".