We stayed at the Orient Bay Hotel for March Break 2008. This was our first time back in 13 years. We had our honeymoon on the island, and now with our 6 year old, we returned. We chose the Orient Bay Hotel because we know that Orient Bay is the best known beach on the island. It still is a great place to hang out, but we discovered that there are many more beaches that are excellent for kids - not so much surf rolling in, and had good snorkelling too. I recommend Galleon Bay, Pinel Island, and Friar's Bay for beautiful calm water, families will enjoy. We rented a car to get around. Traffic in some areas was terrible, and parking in either Marigot or Phillipsburg is difficult. Definately go to Grand Case for dinner, I recommend on Tuesday nights. There is a little outdoor carnival going on at that time.
As for the hotel, don't expect much. Towels are changed only on Wednesdays. No hair dryers, no shampoo. Beds are firm but comfortable enough. The place is clean, but you would have to sweep the floor, wash your dishes and make your own beds for the week. You could pay extra to have housekeeping come in! (That was a first for me to see that) We prepared some of our own meals which worked out well for our 6 year old.
Finally, one foolish mistake by us, our sliding door to our unit must be manually locked each night for security. On the Thursday night of our stay (6th night ), we forgot to lock the door. We discovered the next morning our camera stolen (6 beautiful days of pics gone) and $200 US stolen. We slept upstairs and the thief came in to the lower portion of the unit. We reported the theft but there was not much you could do. The hotel does have security - a night watchman but obviously they were not aware of anything. I leave the island feeling sad that this has happened, and I have learned a tough lesson. Thank God all that was taken was just those things and not our ID. We also are lucky we did not get hurt when the theft occured.
We were able to purchase a replacement camera on the Friday of our trip, and took some quick pictures. Please see the enclosed pics for your review.

The hotel is just north of Orient Beach, a brisk 6-minute downhill walk (I timed it), or can drive & park.

We stayed in a 2-bedroom villa which sleeps 4 only. Combined kitchen & living area, front patio with table & 4 chairs, back patio with no furniture. Phone & satellite TV. Note: No hair dryer, & U.S. models don't work here.

One bedroom up several steps & the other on the 2nd floor, each with a double (queen?) bed & bathroom with sink & shower. One shared toilet in a closet-sized room between the bedrooms. Rooms plain but clean.

This property is on a steep hillside, so lots of steps. Grounds are attractively landscaped, free parking close to unit, two small pools, one with tables for optional breakfast. Manager is very friendly and he & many guests are French. French bakery a few minutes walk away.

Orient Beach is the island's best -- sand (not too hot), shallow, 1.5 miles long, lots of beach bars & cafes. Can rent loungers and water sports equipment. Southern one-third is nude (nudist resort there), rest is topfree but with occasional nude walkers. Round trip walk takes one hour.

Best restaurants are at Grand Case, a few minutes drive away on western side. Le Cottage Restaurant highly recommended.

Very good value and location for Orient Beach. Quiet and pleasant atmosphere with French ambiance.

We stayed at the oreint bay hotel during the first week of december 2005. This was our second stay there in three years.

Although we paid for Le Jardin de Chevris, the affiliated group of studios, we were actually given a duplex apartment in the orient bay hotel for the same price.

francois at reception was extremely helpful with all our needs. i did not get that anti-american, french arrogance that i have experienced at other french establishments.

the place is very basic. its good if you are looking to stay on the french side of st martin for less $$$ and looking to escape americans. it is not good if you are looking for amenities. it as extremely quiet and private.

there is a great patisserie down the road with wonderful coffee and breads, which we had for breakfast every morning. we had a great dinner on the road to the hotel at sol e luna.

feel free to write me at akazin74@yahoo.com with any questions about the hotel or st martin (been there many times)

Just got back from one week at Orient Bay Hotel. We stayed in a two bedroom Villa which was great as we were travelling with an eight year old. It was a lot of space for the money, air conditioned and very clean and comfortable. We also found that there was always lots of parking and the gardens are very beautiful. The kitchen was well equipped and there was even a charcol bar-b-que. We ate breakfast on the terrace most mornings after a quick run down to the local bakery for fresh baguette and croissants. There are two small pools on-site and both were very well maintained. You can walk to Orient Beach in about 10 minutes and it is not a difficult walk. You can also drive to Boo-Boo Jam's and park there. We liked this end of Orient Beach as it is much less busy then the other end of the beach. Also don't forget to check out Pinel Island... it is very nice.

This property is a sister property to The Jardin de Chevrise. We spent our first night there and the rest of our stay at the Orient Bay Hotel. The Jardin's seemed fine but we really appreciated the extra space in the 2 bedroom villa.

We cannot say enough about the staff. They were very friendly and helped us arrange a great sailboat tour. When we arrived there was a delicous bottle of local rum punch and juice to go with it... just what you need when you get off the plane!