Looking for a great Caribbean all-inclusive? Make sure you consider the half French, half Dutch island of Saint Martin / Sint Maarten. Sitting cliffside just north of Maho Bay lies the unique Ocean Point Resort & Spa. My husband and I chose to check out this adults-only all-inclusive resort during the 4th of July holiday in 2022 (see how we maximize our limited PTO here). And if you were curious, both pronunciations / spellings are correct: the French side is spelled Saint Martin while the Dutch side (owned by the Netherlands) is spelled Sint Maarten.
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Ocean Point Resort
The Sonesta has two properties on the island and they are located side by side. Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino sits adjacent to the Sonesta Ocean Point Resort and offers all-inclusive amenities to guests of all ages while the Ocean Point Resort is its higher end adults-only counterpart. Ocean Point guests have full access to both properties in full.
The location of Ocean Point is perfect for airplane fanatics as nearly every room faces Maho Beach and have a balcony ideal for plane spotting (higher floors have the best viewing experience). It is worth noting that there are a couple of rooms that face the Azul pool that do not have airport views (but they are a little quieter).
Ocean Point Resort has has two pools exclusive to the adults-only resort. One Zero Pool is perfect to have a drink while watching planes land at SXM while the Azul Pool is ideal to read a book and take a nap. Rooms are good size and clean, some even with swim up access. There are a couple of fantastic restaurants on the Ocean Point property, but our favorite would have to be the Azul Restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner cliffside. From made to order omelets to multi-course dinners, this is a great spot to begin and end your day.
Maho Beach
If this beach sounds familiar, it may be because it is pretty iconic due to its proximity to the SXM airport runway. This location results to some epic pictures. This beach gets pretty crowded (especially when cruise ships are in port). However, just grab a drink and relax. There will be plenty of times during the day when you can take your incredible photos and videos without too many background extras. I think we nailed it! Spend a few hours hanging out at the Driftwood or Sunset Bar watching the planes take off and land. While a well known beach in Sint Maarten, Maho Beach is not very big. Other than for watching planes, it is not the best location to spend a day relaxing on the beach.
Mullet Bay Beach
To find the best beach near the Sonesta properties, you will take a short stroll through the golf course on the north side of the resort. This leads you down to Mullet Bay Beach. I would recommend grabbing a pre-made sandwich from the Sonesta Resort for lunch and heading there in the morning. OR you can have a tasty meal at Da Waterhole Caribbean Restaurant. Rent a beach chair and get comfortable for a relaxing day at the beach. With white sands and calm waters, this is a great place to spend a beach day. We spent multiple days snorkeling, reading, and relaxing on this beach during our stay on the island.
Stroll around town
If you are a vacation shopper, I would recommend taking a cab down to Philipsburg. Between the 2017 hurricane season and covid travel slowdowns there are certain areas on island that have had a hard time recovering. The town of Philipsburg is one of them. Even with this recovery delay, you will still find a handful of souvenir shops, some of your favorite handbag brands, the best bourbon shop in the Caribbean, bars, and a great beach.
Note for our bourbon fans: GULMOHAR’S and LUXBAR SXM are a must for your St. Marteen itinerary. To say the very least, Gulmohar’s is Blanton’s hotspot…and I’m not just talking about Original Single Barrel. After blowing your budget on bourbon, walk across the street to LUXBAR and have the bartender create some of her specialties. Once they liquor you up, you will likely walk back across and buy one more bottle.
Things to do
SXM is a great island to relax. Most of our time was spent relaxing at the resort. BUT there are many more things to do on the island. Just keep in mind that many areas are still hurricane damaged from 2017 and in need of repair. If you are considering a trip to the island, here are a few other activities you can check out:
- Orient Beach
- Grand Case Beach
- Day trip to Anguilla
- Day trip to St. Barths
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