Visited the Esmeralda to celebrate a special occasion with my wife while staying in Phillipsburg. The place is awesome because of the semi-private pools and the close proximity to the clothes optional Orient beach. Were there only one night but really had a great time. The beach is great, the beach bar/restaurant is really convenient with free lounge chairs and umbrellas for Esmeralda guests. The system to be able to charge to your room food and drinks at adjacent properties is very innovative and of course the beach is nice. Restaurants, supermarkets, etc are very close to the hotel and there is nothing better like been able to swim "sans" bathing suits at midnight in your semiprivate pool. We had a blast. Had an older couple for neighbors next room over but were nowhere to be seen that night. The rooms are ok if somewhat spartan, and it's expensive, but the pools make up for that. Overall had a great time, and wanted to go back for Christmas week but they were fully booked. Maybe some day soon for a longer stay.

We stayed at the Esmeralda during our trip to St. Maarten. We wanted to be in the clothing optional area and that was great. Each of the units has its own pool which was really nice. Our first night there, there were a slew of kids in the room next to us (against the rules, they were thrown out the next day). 2 a.m., they were out screaming and yelling at the pool, trying the connecting door to our room. The next morning, i went to the desk, requested a room change. Staff was very accommodating and moved us to an even better unit, closer to the beach. We heard later, the people that had disturbed us has booked 2 people in a room and there were 9, so they were asked to leave. The beaches are incredible and the food was very good at the restaurant on Coco Beach. We both had a massage on the beach, which was great. Our only complaint is there's no night life on that side of the island at all. We rented a car (thank God), but we would have had to travel to Phillipsburg for night life and St. Maartens (other than the resort area or Phillipsburg) is a ghetto. The roads are narrow and terrible. You have to drive around the holes. If you want a truly relaxing vacation (we were in bed by 7:30 most nights due to lack of anything else to do) go there.. if you want to have some fun in the evenings, stay in Phillipsburg and drive to Orient Beach for the beaches.

Just came back from a week at the Esmeralda. Great place, if we go back to St. Martin we would definitely stay here again. The location of the resort is great, access to all of the amenities on Orient Beach, but on the opposite end from where the cruise shippers are dropped off, so more quiet and private. Staying at the Esmeralda gives you free access to chairs and umbrellas on Orient Beach, which is adjacent to the resort. And access to Coco Beach Bar, which had great lunches, and wonderful vanilla flavored rum!

The rooms are clean, and large, and ours looked like it had recently been painted. There is a small kitchen area (it is larger than it looked in other pictures I'd seen) perfect for making coffee and snacks. Only two burners on the stove, and no oven, so I don't think it would work for cooking a meal.

Helpful hint - there is a mini market behind the Bikini Beach bar/down the road from the Esmeralda which is a great place to get coffee/beer/baguettes etc. We found driving on the island a challenge because of construction and closed roads.

Everyone at reception was very friendly, and helpful with our few requests.

Each villa contains 4-6 rooms/units, and all have their own pool. It is a nice setup because the pools and the landscaping provide lots of privacy on the terraces for morning coffee or afternoon drinks.

I recommend the Esmeralda for anyone who wants a tranquil setting for their tropical vacation.

Hi again to all..... Margaret and I spent October 26th to November 4th at the Esmeralda, and we truly wish we could return again now. It seems that no matter how many times you travel, no matter where, the relaxation necessary to us all is missed most upon returning from a good trip... and our recent escape to the Esmeralda is the highlight of our vacations to date.
The atmosphere, the quiet times easily available, and the beautiful surroundings made the Esmeralda experience truly
worth missing. We will return.
We spent a lot of time on the beach, and enjoyed the friendly atmosphere of Coco Beach Restaurant nearly every morning for breakfast, as well as pit stops every day, along with our beach time thrown in for good measure. We're both still peeling from the burns ...lol...
Restaurants.....well...... on Halloween eve, we went all out and had dinner at Auberge Gourmande in Grand Case. WOW..... a great meal, expensive.....yes....but fabulous. Their wine selection was top of the line. In the midst of wining and dining we had local children and their mothers parading down the street in costumes, loud and smiling, although some of the business owners did not enjoy being trick or treated...all was in good fun.... we thought they were cute...(reminded me a bit of home, but don't tell the wife).
A few days before leaving, we took the ferry from Marigot to Anguilla, and taxi to Shoal Bay East for the day. We ate off and on at Ku on the beach, and swam between Caribe's. It was beautiful there. It was so peaceful, crystal white sand, powder blue water, ...... what a memory... If we go back next year, we are thinking of booking a week at Esmeralda, and a week at Ku.
We did visit the rest of the island, but after the hustle and bustle of Phillipsburg, and all the rest, we decided to limit our excursions to our area.
Well, I promised to write this when my pictures arrived, so I've done so. It's after midnight, Margaret's asleep, and I may have to post the pics tomorrow. In the meantime, I will be thinking of
the sound of the beach, and hoping all of you are enjoying yourselves, no matter where you are....Rick