I was comprehensive about staying here after reading some of the reports, but was pleasantly surprised. Check-in was a breeze, and we were taken to our room by golf cart. We had a suite on the first level right on beach. We could walk outside our room every day and get beach chairs under a palapa. The room was clean and spacious, the bed was comfortable, a/c worked well for the 9 days we were there. Our room was always made up by the time we returned from breakfast.

All of the people were very friendly, and we had no problems with them understanding English. The resort manager/owner or whatever you want to call him always spoke, as did the restaurant manager. Jack, the singer, was always talking to the guests and included the children. He even offered to take us to the Harley Davidson shop in his own car, and anywhere else we wanted to go.

The food was very good, and we could always find something to eat - we didn't starve. Fresh cooked fish for lunch was excellent, as were the daily specials. Waitstaff at lunch was sometimes lax, but Lynn and Adeline were exceptional. The BBQ buffet with ribs was very good.

Bartenders were fantastic - Francis, Thomas, Maria & Patrick, and had our drinks ready when they saw us walking up to the bar. They always greeted you and shook your hand when you got to the bar. They made their specialty drinks for us, and anything we ordered. The all inclusive worked well if you liked to have a few drinks, because frozen drinks were $6-$8 each, which could add up quickly over the course of 9 days. Bottled water was also included.

We also took advantage of the shuttle services that were free as part of the all inclusive package to the beaches, shopping in Marigot & Philipsburg, & island tour. I wouldn't want to drive there-seems like everyone is first!

We were glad that we stayed on the French side, as the Dutch side was much more crowded. We would definitely stay here again.

Just came back from 2 weeks in the Caribbean and stayed 3 nights at the Flamboyant Hotel (and resort).

St Martin (being the French part of the island) is very French. This said, there are quite a few Parisians which are known for being rude and only helpful because they must. One of these were a youngish woman which unfortunately was placed in the reception when we arrived (and also whenever we needed beach towels) and this triggered some misfortune with some of our friends from across the pond (The US).

Anyway, the hotel is fine and has a very nice kept beach which didn't get crowded at all while we were there (came Saturday and left Tuesday). Sun beds are all free (not always the case in The Caribbean) for the guests to use as is quite a few non powered water sports equipment. The lagoon is very calm but far too much sea grass to be able to walk out far enough to get a good swim. There is some noise from speeding boats, but not too bothersome. Breakfast is brilliant and you sit more or less on the beach (ok surrounded by fishing nets to keep cats and others out) drinking your somewhat weak coffee and having your typical French food. There is a restaurant opposite the hotel (think it was called The Buccaneers) which has an out of this world setting. You will be served a 1st class dinner on the beach with the lights shining through from Marigot.

We had a room in the back of the resort and had a huge balcony with a garden view and little kitchenette with all utensils, fridge and a stow top. The room was MASSIVE with your typical Carib furniture and fine sized bathroom.

I would highly recommend a car if anyone should want to stay at this fine hotel if you want to see the island (on your own - the hotel has some sort of sightseeing as well) which is worth doing. Margot is very French and it feels very much as your back in mainland France... Philipsburg is a typical Cruise ship terminal city with legalized gambling and pole dancers to attract hungry Criusers...Not my cup of tea really.

Overall I liked St Martin a lot and the hotel made it very easy to wind down to begin your Caribbean vacation. There were mostly elderly people staying at the hotel but this could have something to do with the time we chose to go, and it was def. not a bad thing either. If you speak French the service is excellent. If you don't, expect a lukewarm reception from some others not, so it is a bit of a gamble...

This is our third trip to St. Martin and also to this property. However, the last time here was in 1993 and we expected changes because of age. We were pleasantly surprised that the property has been nicely maintained and remains very clean.

Because we were there in early January rather than March, it was very quiet with not a lot of guests. The lack of people meant the main dining room was never used except for breakfast and all meals were at the smaller restaurant, next to the main pool. All the meals were good but would have been pricey had we not been on the all inclusive plan. The AI is the best way to go at this property.

The beach and pool areas were exceptionally clean. Our room was located at the end of the main pool giving us nice views of the pool as well as the lagoon. Make sure you get up to the second or third floor though or your view will be only of a hedge.

We noted on this trip that most of the clientele were older (like us) and this made socializing pleasant and also affected the entertainment who stayed with a lot of the old classics.

The furniture in the rooms and the bar restaurant were slightly less than comfortable for older bums. The beach chairs were very comfortable which was great as the weather was superb and we spent most of our time at one or the other. The rooms are spacious and clean but oddly missing any form of radio. The TV had twelve channels or which 10 were French but we didn't spend time watching TV anyway.

Restaurant and bar staff were exceptional and friendly. The front desk staff, while very polite, did not speak English very well. This caused some minor confusion as we had to rely on them for information as our Signature Vacation rep was non-existent.

I would highly recommend this resort to less-than-young travellers and one of the few places in the Caribbean that has great weather early in January. If you are booking through a package vacation, we highly recommend you avoid Signature Vacations unless they replace the rep there. She never showed up at our property except the once when we tracked her down on her cell phone and ordered her to come to the hotel.

This vacation was the first either of us had ever taken, so we were a bit unsure of what to expect. I did a lot of research online before going however, which I think helped (reviews have tons of great suggestions!)...
Room: When we arrived, our room was not yet ready, so we had to stow our luggage in an office (with everyone else's) and change in the washroom (we arrived wearing winter parkas and sweaters, so changing quickly was definitely a necessity!)... When we picked up our bags and room keys and headed to our room, the cleaning staff was still in it, but left quickly enough. I soon found out why - they hadn't finished cleaning the washroom. Having never been on a trip before, I assumed it would always smell like urine if I let them clean it, so I went across the street to the convenience store and bought some all-purpose cleaner and asked them not to have our room cleaned for the duration of our stay. (Got a few weird looks but oh well). The room itself was nice enough - two double beds pushed together, balcony with a little kitchenette area. We kind of overlooked the parking lot, but it didn't bother me too much.

Staff: For the most part, the staff was courteous enough. The staff at the front desk were usually quite friendly if we needed to ask them something, however we quickly learned what bartenders were our favorites and which were rude and slow to serve you. We didn't interract a whole lot with the staff though, as we were usually off the resort, exploring, so it was okay.

Food: The food, for the most part was good. I am not a picky eater, so I was quite happy to eat from the buffet most of the time and we only used our a la carte meal once (I believe we had the option to do two). The a la carte meal was very good. Breakfast served your standard eggs, bacon, bagels, yogurt and fruite, etc. One traveler's 'hint' helped us well - arrive early or the eggs might be cold. :)
One thought we did have by the end of the week is that next time if we stay there again, we won't take the all inclusive plan. We found that we were often at the beach or in town and thus missed lunch at the resort, and instead had to pay for it at a restaurant wherever we happened to be. Next time I'd prefer to buy some groceries at the convenience store and be able to eat better when we are out exploring.
Also, I would highly recommend that you do NOT waste any time or money going across the street to the restaurant called les buccaneers (or something like that). It was horrible. The service was bad (the waiter knew the couple dining at the table beside us and was engaged in a rather loud, disturbing debate in French with them, thus neglecting us and grating on my nerves as I was trying to eat my dinner peacefully). Second, the food was horrible. I ordered chicken and fries because the menu was mostly crazy seafood and shellfish that I wasn't sure I'd like. The chicken came looking half-cooked, next to fries that had been soaked in grease (I mean dripping they were so soaked). Nothing had ANY flavour, and they gave me a little pot of oil with some herbs at the bottom of it to put on the chicken (or fries?) that did nothing toward adding taste. Don't bother going there...

Entertainment: The entertainment at the hotel, itself, is pretty low-key. And when they did have one night where dancers showed up and they had a little party thing going on, it became quite awkward when they were introducing all the staff and what they do, and after about the 10th person, people stopped clapping. We were the youngest couple there I think (in our early 20's) - everyone else was about 40+ (and a lot were more like 60+) so it wasn't the kind of crowd that got all rowdy and excited, adn I think the staff were somewhat annoyed with the lack of enthusiasm... Anyway, we didn't really take advantage of any of the entertainment offered, but we did use the pools (the one on the far side away from the bar is quieter). And one night we had a glorious time swimming in the dark (the pool is all lit up pretty) and after about half an hour, finally noticed the sign that said 'no night swimming' - oops!

Beaches: Ahhh, the beaches... If you're up for a walk (or happen to catch one of the random buses - which I highly recommend you do at least once), go to Baie Rouge. It turned out to be our favorite. The first day we went there, we were astounded at the beauty of the water, it wasn't too crowded, adn there's a nice reef nearby that you can snorkel (but we didn't do that)... The only thing to keep in mind is when the waves are high, it's a high-risk zone and it's not patrolled - we showed up on the second last day of our stay and the waves were dangerously high, and no one was at the beach except a few teenagers who were playing in them, regardless).

Orient Bay: this one is definitely a beach you should go to at least once, but it wasn't our favorite. We arrived in time to get two loungers (that cost us money to use, can't remember how much now though), and the beach was crowded. We happened to park ourselves right beside the nude beach and thus had countless men in their 60's (and older) parade by our chairs in the nude (something I would have preferred to wait until I was of the same age to experience). We did get used to it though as there were the nudes strutting up and down the nude beach (they were all walking laps, it was bizarre) and there were the rest of us, many of whom felt compelled to take off at least their tops while swimming. Anyway, the water was fantastic and beautiful, and we had lunch at a little place run by a couple of Americans who make fantastic ribs. :)

The only other beach we made it to, was Maho beach. Very cool, we stood down by the water and filmed/took pictures of the planes as they flew in overhead (and I mean 50 feet overhead). Can't swim there though, the waves are crazy.

Sites/Tips:
- take the tour offered through the hotel to acquaint yourself with the island - it takes half a day and you see both the French and Dutch sides;
- take a bus ride into Marigot - I recommend this both as a neat cultural experience and as a way to observe how driving is done on the island, I guarantee it's not like it is back home;
- rent a car - there's lots to see on both sides of the island and a car is the safest way to do it (we got stranded at Grand Case when the buses stopped running in the evening and actually had to hitchhike back to our hotel);
- climb up to the fort above Marigot - the views are spectacular and the fort is neat too.. :)
- buy Ma Doudou rhum - it's excellent (you can sample all her flavours free at the mardis gras in Grand Case on Tuesday nights);
- If you have time, do have dinner at Grand Case in one of the fabulous restaurants overlooking the ocean - we never did and I wish we had!
- If you're looking for a truly unique, but relaxing experience, stay on the French side, the Dutch side was busy, dirty and we were bombarded constantly by people trying to sell us trinkets or timeshares;
- Take a trip to the butterfly farm, followed by horseback riding along the beach at the Bayside Stables. We did an hour-long ride, followed by a ride in the ocean, where the horses swam with us on their backs, followed by a complimentary drink at the beach-side bar before riding back to the stable.
- While you are out and about, keep in mind that there are some areas you don't want to venture through alone. One such area the one between La Flamboyant hotel and Marigot - we were told not to walk through there alone, and thus bused through it instead. There is a lot of poverty on the island (on our way into Grand Case, we were dropping kids off at homes that were little more than shacks with chickens and goats scratching around in the front yards). People are friendly though, and I was rarely 'uneasy' but I wouldn't venture through these areas by myself.
- If you walk to Baie Rouge from the hotel, bring sun protection (we burned the heck out of ourselves walking back from the beach), and do not bring children. The road is narrow and bordered on either side with forest (that is full of garbage and the odd homeless person) - it's perfectly fine if you're aware that the cars come around the corners fast, and close, but if you want to feel at ease while heading to the beach, take a shuttle or a bus.

All in all, our stay in St Martin was a good one, though we didn't take advantage of all the island had to offer, being that we were on a budget, and were new to travelling - if we go back, I will also go scuba diving and to Anguilla. :)

As for the hotel, like I say (and many others have too), if you're looking for a 'resort' (ie: parking yourself on the beach and not moving), this is not the place for you. But if you're looking for touring adventure I recommend la Flamboyant highly. :)