We stayed at Oyster Bay Beach Resort (OBBR) from Jan. 26 through Feb. 1.

Our room was in the hotel part of the resort (the second floor above the lobby), and was not a time share. The ocean view room overlooked the pool and the new construction. However, when the door to the balcony was shut, we could not hear any construction noise. We had a small room with a king-sized bed, a nice-sized closet with a safe, and a small refrigerator and microwave.

The pool is beautiful and over looks the ocean. We spent most of our days at the resort beach – Dawn Beach. The resort has many lounge chairs and umbrellas at the beach. We never had a problem getting chairs. There are towel stations at both the pool and the beach. The beach was about ½ mile long. You could walk until you hit steep rocks that separated the Westin from OBBR. The women selling bags, necklaces, etc. on the beach were annoying at times, but if you politely told them you weren’t interested they usually didn’t bother you.

The lobby and bar area has free Wi-Fi, which worked well except for a 1 ½ day period that it was out. We used our laptop and Yahoo Voice to call home, which was much less expensive then calling from the hotel phone in our room.

Through the resort activities desk we arranged a half day three island snorkeling trip with Captain Alan, which was a lot of fun. The mud bath on Tintamarre Island is a must-do! Captain Alan is very knowledgeable and friendly; he snorkels with you and guides you through the three different snorkeling stops.

We also did the around the island full day sail with Golden Eagle tours. The all day catamaran trip was a lot of fun and included several stops to snorkel and swim, open bar and snacks on board and a lunch at a Grand Case restaurant.

While at OBBR we did not rent a car. There are a few restaurants either on the property or in safe walking distance. We ate one night at Beau Beau’s and thought it was just so-so. The meal wasn’t bad just nothing memorable.

Another night we ate at Daniel’s By the Sea (it is Mr. Busbys during the day). The food was Italian and was OK. We ate several times at Big Fish and it was amazing; the food was fresh and delicious. Next to Big Fish is a small grocery store “Mom & Pops” that has fresh baguettes and croissants every morning.

Beau Beau’s is on OBBR property. Daniels/Mr. Busbys, Big Fish and Mom & Pops are just outside the gates of OBBR but before you get to the main road. Big Fish and Mom & Pops are on a boat dock.

The nearby Oyster Pond Marina is in close proximity by car, but not safe to walk at night. At the marina there are a handful of restaurants. We heard that Mama’s Pizzeria was fantastic and some people also loved Captain Oliver’s, the Dinghy Bar and Le Planteur. The resort’s activities desk can arrange for Captain Oliver’s to send a car to pick you up and drive you back. However, on a busy Saturday night we were stood up and when the front desk called Captain Oliver’s to see where our ride was, the restaurant said they were too busy to get us (even though the ride was pre-arranged).

The OBBR has a hop on / hop off bus ($10 per person per day or $25 per person for the week) that goes to Phillipsburg, Orient Beach, Marigot, Grand Case, Maho and to as grocery store.

The OBBR staff was friendly and helpful. The property was very nice and clean on a beautiful beach. However, it was a bit off the beaten path and didn’t have too much to do besides the beach and pool.

This was my husband and my second time to St. Maarten and to the Oyster Bay Beach Resort. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed both the pool and Dawn Beach. The property is still beautifully maintained and even while there was construction going on, it didn't interfere with our time. We rented a car again and toured the island, visiting our favorite spots and learning about some new places to go. We LOVE the french side for food and highly recommend Spiga in Grand Case. As far as the food options around the resort, we enjoyed Big Fish Grill very much. There is a small store right next door to Big Fish that is extremely well stocked. The restaurant at OBBR is not that good to be honest and the only complaint we have about the whole resort (the reason for above average, instead of excellent, rating). I recommend this resort for couples and family with younger children who are looking for quiet during the day at the resort. We have teenagers and wouldn't take them here because there are not enough activities to keep them amused at that age.

We loved the Oyster Bay Resort for many reasons. First the service was great. Marian at the front desk was great and always available to answer any questions about the Island. The cleaning staff was top notch and we couldn't muster a single complaint. The infinity Pool was magnificant, the beach charming and the activity and food at Beau Beau's kept he party going. We wil be back this september.

We just got back from St. Maarten. We stayed at the Oyster Bay Beach Resort. We had a wonderful time. The massage out by the pool was great. We stayed in a standard room and it was right over the pool. View was great. Restaurant by the pool was only OK. Got there Sunday evening and we couldn't decide if we wanted the BBQ buffet or a hamburger and they kept moving us around depending on what we were going to eat. I thought it was pretty stupid because there were plenty of empty tables in both areas. We took the shuttle in the evening to visit different places and the drivers were wonderful. At times we were the only ones in the shuttle and we got to talk to the driver. He always had alot of information about the island.
Went to quite a few casinos. The Atlantis World Casino and Casino Royal were great. The Dolphin Casino was terrible. The employees were rude and the manager was even ruder. Treated us like we were bothering them.
The roads on the island are terrible. They were better on the French side then they were on the Dutch side. We got to the island after dark and if it wasn't for the people at Ace Car Rental giving us directions we never would have made it to resort. We could not read the signes at night. The people at Ace Car Rental were great and we even got an upgrade on our car.
All in all we had a great time and would go back.