This was our second visit to St Maarten and the Atrium in the last two years. Due to a point increase by RCI, we were only able to get a 1 BR this time, but that's not the Atrium's fault. We had a wonderful stay. The resort and room were very clean and the staff was very helpful, be it providing a rollaway for the 4th person or insuring we always had 4 towel in the room. The kitchen was well equip. The staff, minus 1 housekeeper, were very friendly and more than willing to assist us. Patricio was exceptionally kind and helpful. There is construction nearby, so the balcony was a little dusty and wet feet or rain can make for a bit of a mess. The resort offered a secure place for our luggage and a hospitality room for post-checkout convenience.

Some pleasant changes since our July 2005 visit are that the ajoining restaurant in now open and there is a grocery store across the street. I think the general cleaniness of the property and grounds, to include the beach was cleaner, not that it was bad in 2005. The new airport has a much better a/c - don't rush to sit on a hot plane for the return trip if it's not at an attached gateway.

Things that didn't get any better - driving roads are in poor repair and you've got to drive aggressively or plan on waiting a long time for an opening. The cost for food, even at the larger grocery stores, is quite high. We wish we had brought more breakfast/snack food with us.

The resort was very quiet which was fine for my wife and I, but a little lacking for our teenage son and his friend. The hotel seemed full, so I'm not sure where everyone goes. The restaurant and the Buccaneer Bar are not part of the Atrium (I think), otherwise it would be good to incorpate some evening entertainment or activities to get folks out of their rooms.

We dove with Dive Safari and had a great time. The water was choppy which kept us close to Simpson Bay, but the wrecks and coral attracted a large variety of fish, rays and eels. Wish we had made a trip to Saba.

We visted a few other beaches - be prepared to pay $15-$20 to rent 2 recliners and an umbrella away from the Atrium. Mullet bay and Orient were fun. Bay Rouge was nice, but no one was very thrilled with it. Expect tops optional at all beaches, even at the Atrium.

Favorite restaurants: Lee's (BBQ), Jumbo's (Mexican) and the Bavarian House (German) - all within walking distance. Peg Leg was very good, but not much less than $25 on the menu.

Overall, we all had a great time, even the boys, and would have no problem going to St Maarten and the Atrium again.

Wife and I celebrated 10 years recently, and we stayed at the atrium for 5 nights. We had a week reservation, but could not take advantage of the entire period. I called in advance to inform the resort that we would be arriving a day late (Sunday vice Saturday). No problems there.
After the 10 minute drive from the Airport to the resort, we checked in. The resort did not standout that much from the other nearby buildings. Another nearby resort was having some major upgrade work though and from a distance, I worried it was the Atrium. I was happy when I realized that the Atrium was not that resort.
The resort has a nice, open lobby. Plenty of plants and small furniture to go with the island decor. A desktop computer with DSL internet was in the lobby and 2 rickety elevators were very close by. The front desk staff was helpful, but wondered why we were a day late. Apparently he didn't get my message; no problem. We were able to check in around 2:30pm. We were given a unit on the third floor (303). We entered to find the housekeeping performing their last minute cleaning. After seeing us, they smiled and quickly finished up.
Our room was clean, odor free, and had an ocean view, although several palm trees blocked all but a few glimpses of the beach. I would recommend getting something on the 4th floor or higher if you really want a good view of the beach. As luck would have it, I had a nice view of the pool. The nearby (1/4 mile) resort construction/repair was easily visible, but did not generate much noise. The unit had a full kitchen with stove top and oven unit, tall fridge, dual kitchen sink, and several cabinets full of dishes. A table with 4 chairs sat right under the TV hutch. A fold out sofa was at the far end of the room, facing the 36 inch LCD television set. Our bedroom had a king size, although very firm, bed, with two in-tables, a chair and dresser. The complimentary safe was a pleasant surprise and was located in the back of the closet.
Our bathroom was clean, modern, but not new. It had a single sink with a toilet and shower/tub combo. It had a bedroom and hallway entrance and plenty of room to handle both of us at once. With only a few cosmetic flaws, this bathroom passed the wife's test with a good score.
We received fresh towels and clean sheets our first 2 days there. The cleaning lady came Wednesday (3rd day), but we were taking it easy so declined her services. We received nothing on Thursday, our final day (but the resort did not know we were leaving). When we left on Friday, they had installed a wireless internet connection in our room. It came with a note stating that all the rooms were going to get wireless internet service in the next few weeks.
The resort parking was easy to get to and we never had to search for a spot. The gate was opened by your room key, and was left up during the day. Security was present most days, if not in the parking garage, then around the lobby and pool. Speaking of which, the pool was small, but adequate. It was close to the restaurant and only about 50 yards from the beach, but was not in direct view. Nothing too fancy. We ate lunch at the resort restaurant, Picantes and had a decent meal and great drinks. $40 for the two of us, including tip.
I must say that the one thing that the Atrium has going is its location. Simpson Bay has tons of restaurants within walking/staggering distance. A couple of casinos, a beach, grocery store, and marina were 10 minutes away by foot. It is easy to get to/from, and isn't right on the main road. Traffic can get backed up around the Simpson bay area pretty easily though.

All-in-all we liked the Atrium. I knew we were not going to get a ritzy, lush resort. I set my expectations accordingly and was pleasantly surprised.
PRO's-- Our room was clean, comfortable, and functional. The staff did their job and helped out when asked. The location can't be beat and really mitigated some of the worries I had about getting around the island.
CON's-- The ocean view was distracted by the nearby construction. We got asked to attend a timeshare presentation (but only once). Many small repairs were going on around the property (i.e.. picnic table repairs, tree replacement/thinning, and pressure washing of the pool areas), but this may have been due to it being the off season.

We would gladly book here again!

We are RCI members and used our trade to stay at the ATRIUM, everything went smoothly with no problems. There were 4 of us and we had a 2 bedroom unit. The room was very clean and newly decorated including LCD TVs which we never had time to watch , and a fully equiped kitchen which we used primarily for breakfast. The view of Simpson Bay and the Ship harbor from our balcony was great .The beach was nice and not too crowded with plenty of chairs and cabanas. The construction on the hotel about a block away is continuing but we did not find the noise level a problem. The hotel staff were always helpful and friendly. We found the location of this hotel perfect as we could walk to 25 plus resturants and 2 casinos in 10 to 15 minutes. The food was good and prices less than in the States. We ate at LEE'S good, the BOATHOUSE very good ,JIMBO'S good and our favorite THE BUCCANEER on the hotel grounds which had the best burgers , pizza and hotdogs on the island. Live band several nights ,$ 1.00 drink specials and modest prices. We rented a car for 1 day [which was enough for us] and drove around the island. The french side was nice but more expensive and not as convenient as the Dutch side. It was raining so not much happening at Orient Beach. We took the boat to ST BARTS which is very French and beautiful with a great beach at ST JOHNS ,but be prepared for high prices in general, still worth the trip. The sea is quite rough on this crossing but it only takes 45 minutes. WE WILL GO BACK TO ST MAARTEN AND THE ATRIUM

We had a great time after one week with 3 other couples in St Martin. We went with 3 other couples who have all been to St Martin some of which in excess of 7 times. The hotel staff did what they could to make our stay there a great one. Although the rooms were somewhat outdated none of cared since it was clean and close to the two main cities on the island. The beach is ok but half of us love Mullet Bay while the other half like Orient Beach better. But again the rooms were open clean and very comfortable. We had a two bedroom on the eighth floor with great views from one of the bedooms and living room. The group would all stay again at the Atrium as we would make that our 3rd time at the Atrium. Can't wait to go back to St Martin and the Atrium.