This was my first trip to the caribbean. The weather in St. Martin was comfortable. Simpson Bay is great location close to some nice bars and restaurants. The Pelican Resort is a large complex. If you stay there I recommend the Marina section with any room facing the bay. We had a studio above the pool area. The room was a good size ,clean and had a great veiw. The service was good and the people working there were very friendly. I would stay there again,but only in this section.

We spent 10 days at Pelican (Feb.22-Mar 3, 2004). I booked before reading reviews and was also apprehensive. The rooms were average. On 3 separate days the toilets wouldn't flush. One night we had no electric.
The phone in our room didn't work. Air conditioner was loud and inefficient. No one seemed concerned about making repairs. Resort is on the side of a mountain, making walking a bit difficult. Beach was nice, although beach umbrellas and chairs needed replacing. We went to the beach bar at the resort next to us, as the one on our beach was so shabby I didn't want to eat or drink anything from there. The staff was not helpful at all, and a bit rude.Maid service was only offered mid week, so you had to use linens sparingly. No night life at the resort, and very slim activities. You need to rent a car, or else you are stranded! There were many nicer resorts that I will go to next time.

Althoug the hotel is far from a resort, I can't describe it as the 'worst'. Generally speaking the staff wasn't over friendly, but they weren't exactly rude. Americans must remember that there's a definite difference in culture. In order to get respect and warm smiles from the staff you must be courteous to them. Don't simply believe that everyone is there to wait on you hand and foot -because you are not going to find that type of service at the pelican.I was pleased with certain things in the room ...like the view..but I was very disturbed that we had a lot of roaches. In truth..this really ruined my vacation.They had a great kitchen..but every time we tried to cook anything to roaches would come out! Some people may laugh while reading this, but I assure you that if you're on vacation the last thing that you're interested in seeing are roaches. Also -they were pretty gigantic. We called the staff to wash down everything and they obliged but the roaches still came out of the wicker furniture during the night!The beach was ok..In truth we spent most of our time on the sand because of the roach problem....I did notice a great deal of beach erosion.the Flamingo is definately a 2 star. Keep in mind, st maarten is not really intended as a night life spot -it's more or less to unwind. If you are looking for action of any sort, you won't find it.We went into town...to their so called hot spot and didn't find much going on besides some untalented reggae band and a man dressed in drag.I wouldn't come here again. If it wasn't for some of the friendly staff I'd definately have more negative comments.

When you consider the Caribbean, you imagine beautiful lavish beaches, superior first-class hotels, cozy hospitable natives, and an abundant amount of nightlife attractions. However, the island of St. Maarten is a yarn, and insults the true definition of a Caribbean dream vacation.Departing Los Angeles, I had a stop-over in Atlanta and then it was off to St. Maarten. I flew Delta Air Lines, and the flight staff was very friendly. Arriving in St. Maarten I immediately noticed the poverty and scarcity of this island just by the construction, sanitation, and makeup of the Airport. Moreover, after viewing this it immediately made me want to go back to the United States, back home! After you fetch your luggage, you are snowed by over 20 cab drivers and rental car employees desperately begging for your business.We stayed at the Pelican Resort, and arrived to a line of about 20 people. Arriving at the hotel I said under my breath, ?This must be a joke.? This hotel is no doubt 2 stars. After finally getting our beach front room we were aware this wouldn?t be the dream Caribbean vacation. We had two rooms, and they were absurd. The beach was very nice, and we spent most of our vacation there. The Hollywood Casino is about the size of a bathroom in Las Vegas. It is definitely a casino for beginners, and is pretty shallow and offensive to be named a Casino. All the Casinos on the island are a joke. The island is unsafe, and many natives I talked to said they?d pay me if I saw police anywhere. As a tourist you feel very scared and nervous to walk around the island and even your hotel. The Pelican is truly no resort, the hotel staff is very rude, and do not have personalities. Most people on the island are the same way, walk around with no smiles, make their living off you, and don?t offer any help, compassion, or understanding. Maids come once a week, not once a day, which is unreasonable. There are many insects on this island, and mosquitoes will make you leave the island.The nightlife is outrageous, only a few things to do: dinner, sleep. However, I found some interest in The Platinum Room Strip Club, because I?m a bachelor, and also at the Q Club. Moreover my experience was ruined at the Q Club by natives who were discourteous, impolite, and just straight mean. They find jealousy in those who come to their dance club, especially tourists. There was no true highlight of the vacation; the sports books are ridiculous too, about the size of a room with one big screen.St. Maarten is definitely an island where you have to create your own activities and get into your own mischief, which is really not fun in a 3rd world country, and who knows where you?ll end up. If I won a dream Caribbean vacation to St. Maarten, I?d give it back. Hopefully, you will realize how horrendous and dreadful this vacation was. Many people?s opinions and experiences are equal to mine. Don?t let pictures fool you, and people from the states who are cheap and have just came back from their first vacation. Don?t waste your money, go to Cancun, Hawaii, or Atlantis, but don?t go to St. Maarten, you?ll regret it. There?s not one 3, 4 or 5 star hotel on the whole damn island. The Pelican is worth about 39.99 a night, no different then a Motel in the City of Compton. Any questions email me at omghadi@excite.com.