Attitude and Biting Dog
Orient Bay the beach and Plaza are nice and we had lots of fun. Orient Bay the residence and hotel area however looks like Disneyland’s Main Street after a crack induced weekend. Buildings need painting and a gardener. The Palm Court Hotel is well groomed and stands out far better than the rest of the complex. The owner has a dog that runs around greeting guest and escorting them to their rooms. The dog is called “Puppy” pronounced “Poopy” with the French accent. Puppy followed us out to dinner and two different beach bars and back to the hotel. A party dog for sure but don’t get her excited on the beach, it might nip you and jump up on you with it’s long sharp nails injuring you like it did me. I have a bruise on the thigh from the dog’s nip. I told the owner and she was like, “oh well.” Not even a sorry. I expected more for this being rated by Trip Advisor as the #1 hotel in Orient Bay, it’s easy to be #1 when the rest is really poop. When the water went off for 30 minutes or so, I called the owner and she said, “They cut it off sometimes and they don’t tell us”, “Sorry”. Well it would have been nice to know before soaping my body up in the shower that the water is subject to being cut off without warning. The design of the buildings, are nice and the room was clean, although the toilet room had a locked window, leaving you to your own smells without ventilation. I kept hearing what I thought was someone running back and forth in their room above while I was trying to sleep, but it turned out to be the wind knocking the roof about. When all is quiet and nothing going on, it is annoying. It is a solid 3 star hotel, so don’t look for the personal service, because it doesn’t happen here. The lady owner seemed annoyed at questions on the phone, she was like, “now what” in attitude, not words. I called her twice, to ask about the water being cut off and if she had an electrical adaptor for 120v. If you don’t have your own computer and have to use the hotel’s, you better get there before 5pm because even though she says she closes the office at 6pm, don’t trust that. I just expected better service at just over $200 a night, that’s all. It is annoying to have to enter and exit the property through the driveway gate with a code. Next time I will continue my stay in Grand Case and just take the 10 minute drive over to Orient Bay to party.

Our first trip to St Martin and we chose the Palm Court Hotel because of location and the great reviews on TripAdvisor. The staff was VERY friendly and beyond accomodating! We arrived at the Palm Court very late (after reception hours) but Alex was very sweet and made arrangements for us to check-in on our own. Alex was also very nice to email me driving directions before we arrived and she even reserved an excursion for us to Prickly Pear on board the Winner Touch (also highly recommend).The breakfast at the hotel is included with your stay and they offer a good variety of breads & fruits, etc. and it's a great opportunity to meet the other guests at the hotel. In the afternoon, they offer cocktails and crepes for purchase - - we enjoyed stopping in for a quick drink on our way in from the beach. The location of this hotel is GREAT!! It's slightly hidden, but it's literally a 2 minute walk to Orient Village and a 3 minute walk to Orient Beach. The grounds of the hotel are beautifully kept - wonderful trees and plants everywhere. As it was our first trip, we weren't sure whether we should worry about safety and crime, but we always felt very safe in Orient Village and at The Palm Court Hotel - the hotel and parking lot are gated (one of the few gated hotels in Orient). We loved St Martin and we will definitely be back! And, we will definitely stay at the Palm Court Hotel again!! Just FYI - if you're a big resort kind of person - this is not the hotel for you.

The staff at Palm Court can't be beat. From Alexandra in the reception area, to Judine in the hospitality area, to the chambermaids, the staff is friendly, helpful and efficient. This is the fourth year that my husband and I have stayed at Palm Court and we will stay there again next year.
The proximity to Orient Beach,with free chairs and umbrellas provided at Wakiki Beach, is terrific, and easy access to local markets and restaurants make the location of Palm Court ideal. The morning breakfasts and afternoon crepes served by Judine are "icing on the cake."

Our fist full week stay at the Palm. Private gated property with lush gardens and wild life. Very well maintained. The bright colors get little annoying after a few days. Although the room was generally very clean we had bugs in our bed the first night and got ate up under the sheets. They changed all bed and it was better afterwards.

You can't enjoy the balcony very much because of the tiny bugs with the big bite you never see. No screen door to enjoy the breeze.

Negatives

1. 90 percent French TV, so don't expect to relax in evening by the Telly . Poor reception on abc channel.
2. Beach chairs are in a poor location relative to best beach spots. Skip them and pay $15 at Kakao the best food overall and service on the beach.
3. Large Average bed, not extremely comfortable. No comfortable chair or couch in the room.

Positives

1. Good location. Short walk to village and beach.
2. Nice breakfast with fresh boiled eggs, fruit and assorted breads.
3. Pool bar nice place to relax after day at the beach for few drinks.
4. Lots hot water good water pressure. Air conditioning worked well.
5. Well maintained facility.

Will we come back, maybe? In October we plan to stay at Grand Case Beach Club and drive to Orient. Palm does not compare to GCBC. Better than Alamanda.

Overall most will find it a satisfactory place to stay. Nice staff and no hassles.