Sonesta Great Bay Beach All Inclusive Resort & Casino - Philipsburg

This guest did not leave a comment.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Another wonderful stay at our most favorite island. There is a reason they call St. Maartin 'The Friendly Island'! We so enjoyed our stay at The Great Bay Hotel and Casino. We have been coming to the island for over 10 years..and our visit would only be complete by staying at The Sonesta Great Bay. The staff is exceptional. The location is perfect to […] enjoy the ocean blue, visit Philipsburg, eat at local restaurants, or at the hotel, You can do day trips to other wonderful places on the island. Great place and great people! We consider St. Maartin our home away from home! Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The rooms are ok, but not bad. Breakfast and Dinner are great, lunches were ok. The workers are great.

Genuine Expedia guest review

This guest did not leave a comment.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

After 17 years of staying at this hotel, it was disappointing to be told by management that they were unable to add Budweiser to their beer selection. Over the past several years, the food and drink selection has been reduced to an unacceptable level for an all inclusive resort at this price. Another patron had to ask a local to run to a local grocery […] store to purchase the requested Budweiser so that we could enjoy the Superbowl with our favorite football beverage. This is something management should have done from the start! The room was average at best. The room smelled of mildew and is in need of an overhaul. Some the handles on the dresser were missing, glass missing from the night stand tops and the mirror in the bathroom was held up by a piece of wood.... As always, the wait staff/bartenders were great and accommodating. They are the only reason I might consider returning. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

the employees were very friendly, the house maids were very slow in making-up the rooms, and often forgot to place towels/bath cloth/bath mats/new soap etc.

Genuine Expedia guest review

Did not stay at this hotel. Booked for a 1 bedroomsuite. 3 adults. When reached, no room available. They offered a standard kingsize bed room, very old room, all the way in the back, smelling funny, like the room was not in used, but fixed just for us. With hardly space to walk and wanted to put an extra bed, by taking out the two bedside cabinets. […] I guess. After I refused to accept this, they offered me 2 separate rooms, not conecting to where my 15yr-daughter had to sleep alone. I asked her if she had a daughter that she would have done that. She smiled and said No. And than, why are you asking this. ........ Definetely NO - NEVER again. Was not reimbursed yet, because they said I had to deal with HOTELS.com Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The staff were very helpful, friendly, and courteous. The rooms were OK - our air conditioning was not working so it was quite stuffy/musty. The amenities were basic. Since we didn't spend much time in the actual rooms (besides sleeping really) it was fine. The location is nice - walk right out onto the pool deck and sandy beach. The pools were clean, […] well-kept. They offered various pool activities (volleyball tournament, water aerobics) which were fun. The beach was beautiful - calm waters, clean and non-rocky sand - overall it was amazing. if you do not choose the all-inclusive option, the food/drinks are quite pricey and there are limited options for dining within the building. For example, dinner one night was a Mexican theme and it was around $30 per person if you did not have the all-inclusive package. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

The hotel was clean and very near to downtown restaurants and shopping, but the room was a bit simple for the price we paid. There was no information book in our room, so to find out anything, we had to constantly ask the front desk clerk or other hotel workers. We passed up a less expensive hotel to be nearer to town, but I think it was a mistake. […] Not sure I will stay here again. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

We did not spend too much time at the hotel during the day. Beautiful view, good food, small but nice jewelry store (bought a watch). Easy walk to shopping. Safe parking for car with security guard. Would definitely stay again. Not the night life side of the island, but also not the traffic of the other side.

Genuine Expedia guest review

First of all, we got there and they didn´t Know we were suposed to arrive, as we had our Expedia confirmation they gave us a room, and we had to wait for 40 minutes at the lobby. I bought a mountain view room, they gave us a parking view room. There was no Internet working at the hotel. When we arrived there weren't bedspreads on our beds. It seemed […] like they didn't have enough time to clean up the room. Second day: 4 p.m. and there weren't face towels neither rug for the bathroom. At 11 a.m. we went to the pool area with our towel cards and there weren't clean towels available. Then, we went back to the pool area at 4 p.m. after towels and, again, no clean towels available. Third day: they didn't clean up the room, we arrive there around 6 p.m. and it was looking exactly like when we left, around 10 a.m. Overall, the room and specially the bathroom seemed very grimy and we were very disgusted at everything we had to touch! The only reason we booked this hotel was because of its location, near Philipsburg: that was a disappointment as well, because everyone adviced us not to walk to the village because of the danger, so we had to take taxis anyways. It means that we could have stayed in a much better hotel, take taxis to go to Philipsburg and it would be the same convenience. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

I made such a mistake. I chose Sonesta Great Bay because I feared the planes landing and departing so close to Sonesta Maho Bay would be too noisy. But they are actually entertaining, and worth the noise because Sonesta Maho Bay is a true resort, while Sonesta Great Bay is a dump. We took advantage of the arrangement that allows guests to utilize both […] resorts. I literally cried when I saw what we were missing. From the moment you drive into Maho Village it is clear that is the more elegant of the two resorts. The lobby is beautiful and the grounds are landscaped. The staff at Maho Bay are professional and attentive. By contrast the staff at Great Bay seem to regard guests as a burden. On the first day at Great Bay I asked the bar tender to recommend a St. Martin specialty drink. He said " St. Martin doesn't have a specialty drink.". After the 10 hours of travel to get there I wanted him to wow me. I ended up with a beer. When we visited Maho Bay I asked the bar tender what specialty drink he could recommend. He smiled and said "I'll mix you something!" and he poured a delicious mix of his own creation. Later in the day he suggested I try something different and mixed another delicious drink! Another example of poor service is a room maid who would not leave an extra towel, though I repeatedly asked for one. I use two towels at home, why should that be a difficult request in a hotel? I went to the front desk to request another towel and they gave me a hard time. Over a towel! Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

We had a wonderful stay. There were several negative reviews but we realize not everyone knows how Island time works. Things move slower. We did tip extra and got excellent service. We believe in tipping if someone does something extra for you.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Everything was super, exept the smell inside the room.

Genuine Expedia guest review

The employees were great. Dj kept the music on and loud, bartenders kept the drinks cold and the food was always hot. The pool was clean, beach was spotless, and dining areas were also clean. Upon arrival there was a lot of construction going on. Painting, Spakaling, Electrical work, etc. The website is a bit deceiving as well. There were only 2 restauraunts […] here and (1) of them was only open every other day. They do have a sister hotel that was also available, free of charge which also only had (2) restauraunts. Overall a good experience just a bit deceiving from what i gathered on the website. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

I liked the hotel location and beach is very nice. Stay here if you want to shop in town and basically stay at the resort. I like the French side better, but is more expensive. Stay at hotel was worth the money.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Awful service... mediocre food... okay atmosphere, room, building, and beautiful beach.

Genuine Expedia guest review

First off, the staff did the best they could. Management is dreadful. You cannot get anyone to talk to you. The place ran out of bacon, yet had a chafing dish out marked bacon during breakfast. The bars constantly ran out of different liquers. They tap beer ran out on Friday night and at the main bar there were 4 cans of Miller light left at 9 P.M.. […] They instituded a new beach towel procedure yet never informed the staff that they had done so. When I asked to speak to a manager, I was told they were in a meeting. I said I would wait, yet 37 mins later no one could be found. The person at the front desk disappeared into the back room never to return. I have stayed at this resort 5 times in the last 20 years and went back for my honeymooon. The buffet night that featured prime rims was a nother nightmare. They had chafing dishes for baked potatoes, empty, prime ribs finaly came out and they still had a pulse, totally inedible. We ate off premise 5 nights out of 8. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

The hotel was old and needed updating. The food was poor and not a lot of choices. Staff at the front desk needed better training in Customer Service.

Genuine Expedia guest review

We have stayed at Sonesta Great Bay on more than one occasion. We really like it and its' location. We had a few minor problems but when reported to the staff they were very responsive and took care of them immediately. When we return we definitely plan to stay at Sonesta Great Bay!

Genuine Expedia guest review

We really enjoyed a lot about our vacation - the hotel pools are nice and the beach is only a few steps from the pools. There was some litter on the beach but it was mostly clean. The food was ok - there was a lot of repetition at the buffets (potatos, rice, chicken, etc) but they had pasta and omelette stations that were good. Some of the staff were […] really nice and helpful, especially at the pool bar. Internet was expensive - $8 for 30 minutes on the hotel computer or $18 per day per device for access on a personal laptop, etc. Our room was really nice - it was an ocean view deluxe suite and had a small terrace that was almost above the water. They had a good salsa band that played one evening and a steel drum band that played during lunch one afternoon, and both were really fun. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

Food was fair and hard to get service. No leadership at hotel , staff was good or very bad.

Genuine Expedia guest review

In its class you get good value for money in this hotel. Rooms are okay and clean, hotel staff is friendly, restaurant is not high class, but again: good value for money. Of course the hotel is nicely located, Not only for tourists but also for business men because Philipsburg and its businesses and offices is around the corner.

Genuine Expedia guest review

Broken chair in the room. Not enough light in the room. The hotel has very limited TV programming, all analog too. Very little variety in the food serve. Movies shown at night were all old. The staff were all helpful and all spoke English. The location of the hotel is right on the beach which is really nice and to us this is the best attraction. Good […] view. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

Hotel is dated and could use renovations more on the rooms than the common areas. The casino is not really a full service casino. There is Black Jack, Poker and Roulette but they are electronic and no live dealers. There are slot machines as well. The pools were nice and the beach is nice but the water does get deep real quick which is not good for […] young kids. This is common on many of the beaches so my advice if you have small kids, is to rent a car and drive to beaches that stay shallow for a good distance. I was able to get a listing on the Web of the various beaches and their personalities and some where shallow and some good for snorkeling. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

The hotel is nice and the location is convenient. The beach is not good for kids. The hotel staff specially the ones at the reception are not friendly, looks like they are doing the client a favor receiving them. If they are talking between them and some guest step to ask a question they ignore the guest till they finisht their conversation. Eventhought […] I alerted that my stay was due to my wedding anniversary none special detail was worked. On the other hand the food was good. The all inclusive says international drinks, I only saw International beers and tekila. No international vodka or whiskey. On Fridays all the bars at the hotel closed early, so even you had pay for all inclusive if you havent buy something to have a drink you will have to go to bed! Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

Hotel is a bit run down but staff were right on top of fixing issues that I reported

Genuine Expedia guest review

When we arrived I had to ask housekeeping to change the duvet covers as they had ketchup and God knows what else stained on them. But they did change them for nice clean covers. The mattresses are the most uncomfortable I've been on in a long time. After a few days, the place was not so bad. The staff were somewhat friendly and helpful. If you truly […] get a great deal, then I guess it's worth it. Otherwise, keep looking. I tried to reach out to Expedia to get us changed to another hotel while we were there, but never heard back from them. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

Just a nice resort, not worth what we paid. Resort really needs to be updated and the elevator from the lobby to the upper floors needs major repairs. There is only one elevator and it barely makes it to the upper floors and then stops at whatever floor it wants to. The swimming pools are too deep to relax in without treading water all of the time. […] The pool bar is staffed with only one bartender so you stand and wait a long time to get any service at all, sometimes the bar is not staffed at all for long periods of time. Food was good but is the same almost every day, no variety from day to day. The resort is definately not worth the price we paid. Would not recommend. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

Why they need to charge so much for Internet connection?

Genuine Expedia guest review

Our recent stay at the Sonesta in St. Maartins was a pleasant experience. The staff was pleasant and very helpful. One drawback was the food. The breakfast buffet was excellent, however lunch and dinner buffets were extremely disappointing. The staff in the restaurant buffet were excellent but in the specialty restaurants, were very disappointing. The […] beach was clean, but to reach the water you had to go down an incline, Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

The hotel property is well maintained and attractive. The lobby is clean and rooms are spacious. the restaurant has good service. pool is next to the beach. great beach.

Genuine Expedia guest review

It was OK, but mostly 'meh'. Air conditioning in the room was not working, but they did move us to another room. Cleanliness of the place was definition questionable. Beach was great, pools good.

Genuine Expedia guest review

Great value for the money. Not a 4 or 5 star location. Rooms were very damp and musty smelling and beds not comfortable. They did keep the room clean, lots to do, great beach, food was average but enough variety. Staff was friendly but not like a 5 star hotel. People staying at the hotel were good..no party crazy people or resort filled with small children. […] Movies and activities were great if you were looking for something to do. The beach was amazing and you were never bothered by people trying to sell u something. Felt very safe at hotel. Nice walk along beach into Philipsburg. Great tour desk went on the pirate ship for snorkeling and it was amazing. I wish we had gone on a tour of the French side. I would not recommend this as a couples resort but great for a group of friends or family to go to or if you are there to buy jewellry. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

Very nice, clean place -- but the building is a little awkward. Up & down a lot of steps or elevators to get to and from rooms, pools, beach and restaurant. Front Street and the boardwalk are very close and very walkable. Most importantly, Hotel Staff is friendly and helpful.

Genuine Expedia guest review

Buffet food was excellent for its type. Restaurant sit-downs were good for the money (we took the all-inclusive option), but by no means gourmet. Staff friendliness and helpfulness were excellent, as were the rooms and pool facilities. Water activieites (kayak etc were merely ok)

Genuine Expedia guest review

It's a nice play to stay, but if you are looking to have a good nightlife, there were many places around to hang out, nor for dinner. Check out time is at 11 AM and your flight is latter, after several request for late checkout, they did not granted, but at least gave a room for 20 minutes to take a shower before leaving.

Genuine Expedia guest review

The hotel has a great location and nice rooms, but the concierge was only there half the day and she didn't know 2 of the 3 basic questions we asked. The 5th floor hallway reaked (the other floors seemed fine). you will still love your time in Maho.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Great beach, good views, nice pools, good clean room. Mattress was firm and the food at hotel was priced for all inclusive so not a good single night hotel. We stayed New Years Eve and if we didn't want to pay $50 each for New Years Buffett we were out of luck and not safe to walk after dark. Breakfast same way at $21 per person for Breakfast. Would […] stay again but would want to be part of all inclusive because of lack of food options and prices. Oh, front desk was dis-interested at best Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

There are a lot of good things to say about this hotel / resort. It is so well located on The Great Bay, at walking distance from all the Philipsburg shops and boardwalk, with its own stretch of beach, 3(!!) swimming pools and a breakfast area overlooking the bay. It has its own casino. The room decoration (we had the luxury beach view room) is not […] impressive, although we liked the bathroom. Wifi is costly and not reliable, while many other places offer it for free and at high speed. Breakfast is not worth the $23/p charge, we had much better elsewhere on the island for (much) less. So overall, not bad at all, but not your romantic getaway where you get spoilt rotten. What is nice is that you find all kinds of people staying here: young and old, couples and families. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

Hotel location is good. Very nice beach & short walk into Phillipsburg. Our room was good; 2nd floor ocean view (we would have preferred higher). Daily music & poolside activities were appreciated by all. Maid services were inconsistent from day-to day (obvious over our 6 day stay). Shortage of towels meant we had to request lacking towels each day. Food […] quality at buffet & Italian restaurant were less than we hoped for; thankfully we did not have the meal plan & would not recommend that to others. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

real good hotel except the buffet are always the same types of food but still the cofee is very good, and the workers are good hopping to go back next year great location just 20 min from shopping u dont have to rent a car if going to shop

Genuine Expedia guest review

The Sonesta has a sister hotel near airport which can be used by both hotel guest. This is a new program and is very worthwhile if going all inclusive.

Genuine Expedia guest review

Great Hotel. Great and friendly staff. I would suggest going for the all inclusive. It includes 3 full buffet meals per day. Drinks are included from either the buffet, the lobby bar, lounge bar, pool bar, casino or the pool level bar. If you have an ocean view room. you can watch the cruise ships come into the Great Bay and dock on the far side in […] the morning and leave come night fall. When the room states "Mountain view"...They mean it. Across the tiny street in front of the hotel is a very steep mountain with a radio tower on top. The Hotel also offers 1 and 2 bedroom apartments for rent. these are very nice & come with a small kitchenette, dining table, fold out couch and a larger bathroom with a tub. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

Great Hotel. Great and friendly staff. I would suggest going for the all inclusive. It includes 3 full buffet meals per day. Drinks are included from either the buffet, the lobby bar, lounge bar, pool bar, casino or the pool level bar. If you have an ocean view room. you can watch the cruise ships come into the Great Bay and dock on the far side in […] the morning and leave come night fall. When the room states "Mountain view"...They mean it. Across the tiny street in front of the hotel is a very steep mountain with a radio tower on top. The Hotel also offers 1 and 2 bedroom apartments for rent. these are very nice & come with a small kitchenette, dining table, fold out couch and a larger bathroom with a tub. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

Due to road work thaty takes place yearly during the off season it took 2 hours for a 20 minute ride from airport to hotel. We were blasted with rap music by the poo for hours every dayl .Front desk personnel placed higher priority on their private conversations and we repeatedly had to wait for them to finish before being attended to. One maid left […] too much water on the tile floor of our room and I fell landing on my elbow causing a painful bruise. She blamed our balcony door being open 5-6 inches causing the moisture. 15% service charge is posted on all restaurant bills but none of this goes to serving staff. In order for them to get a tip an additional amount had to be left. The trips advertised for water sports aren 't run by the hotel and vendors weren't answering their phones. TV reception was poor and no movies were available. Requested aisle seats for my wife and I on airline were not assigned as requested though I was assured they were both aisle seats. None were avsailable at check in. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

x

Genuine Expedia guest review

The pictures looked great and the ater was....the facilities have seen better days. We were looking for luxury and got abudget hotel. My husband was stuck in the elevator for an hour and they were not working much of our visit. The dining staff was wonderful though-attentive but not intrusive, and friendly. The food was plentiful but much was spicy-a […] no,no for both of us. I would not go back. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

The only thing I would like to mention is that the internet connection was very slow. THere were times when there was absolutely no connection.

Genuine Expedia guest review

This was a nice hotel for the money in a good location but needs updating. Staff was friendly and helpful. We did not have a meal plan but ate at their restaurant a few times for the convenience and it was costly. Wish hotel would offered a more affordable meal plan. Biggest complaint is that there was no music/entertainment day and night. We would […] go back again since the price right. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review