Divi Little Bay Beach & Racquet Club

We just got in last night (Nov. 8/09) and I have to say that this is a super resort...It has been thoroughly renovated throughout. We had one of the newer two story units on the beach (room 1025). Great location...and just a few steps out your door to the beach. I would recommend a unit on the 2nd floor as we got quite a few bites from sand flies...perhaps due to being on the first floor right on the beach. Plus the water was amazing...We swan every day! I thought the location of the resort was great...as it was just minutes from Philipsburg. The resort's beach is very private and November was the perfect time to go because there weren't a lot of people fighting for a chair on the beach. You have to go to Serafina's french bakery in Marigot...as it has amazing croissants and french pastries. There is also an outdoor market there where the locals display their goods and the prices are quite reasonable. Also, take the time and go to the italian restaurant called Spiga in Grand Case...Excellent food! Try the carpaccio...and osso bucco...plus the gnocchi was amazing! Do not miss out on this restaurant!!! The restaurants at the resort are nothing to rave about but they serve a very simple and small breakfast buffet for $14.95 including your coffee and juice which is cheaper than going a la carte. There's a great little coffee shop with a small grocery store on site so I would pick up my morning coffee there. The weather was perfect even though the weather.com kept showing rain for the week...We were in St. Lucia in April and St. Maarten has more to offer...We're so glad that Westjet is flying there now! For Canadians...wait and buy your Grey Goose or Belvedere vodka in St. Maarten as the prices are very good...The newly renovated airport is quite a nice change for the Caribbean and has some nice duty free shops...The other islands in the Caribbean could take a few lessons from St. Maarten...

The resort is currently renovating some of the buildings, but with the exception of one pool and the laundry being closed, there wasn't any inconvenience. Some of the hotel units were being combined and converted to 1 BR units

The pools are smaller than I expected, but sufficient for the occasional dip. The beach is large enough to accommodate the guests with plenty of lounge chairs available (poolside lounge chairs and umbrellas are taking quickly).

You cannot park near your unit, but even the furthest buildings are no more than a few minutes walk. Staff is available to help with your luggage. If you have problems walking, you'll want to get a unit close to the pool and beach otherwise you'll be depending on staff to give you rides to/from your unit (golf cart).

Some units face Great Bay (buildings B1-B12) and you can see the cruise ships come & go, but the winds came from that direction so sitting on the balcony was a bit windier than sitting on the beach.

Our 1 BR unit (#621, Bldg B-8) was listed as a Full kitchen, but it was more of a limited kitchen (No dishwasher or oven). There was a built in stove-top, but it was only a two-burner. Since it was just my wife and me it was not an issue. The other odd thing in our unit was that there was no dresser (or bureau) in the bedroom. The only place to keep your clothes was in the combination TV center/dresser in the living room. I saw other units that had a 4-burner stove top and dressers in the bedrooms. Dishwashers for the 1 BR units are probably overkill anyway, since there are not enough spare dishes fill the DW prior to running it.

Except for the wait staff, everyone was courteous and helpful. The wait staff wasn’t rude, just indifferent. I had to chase them down on occasion. I thought the food was about average, though I did not sample the entire menu.

Downtown Phillipsburg is a short drive away, but parking can be difficult and you might find yourself parking a fair distance from the shopping on Front Street and the beach.

The resort has a small store, which is good for picking up a few food items, but it is a bit pricey. The grocery store just outside of Phillipsburg (Le Grande Marche) is the best bet for food shopping. If you are looking for duty-free liquor, the store at the resort (located in the jewelry store) had better prices than some of the stores in town, so shop around.

When you check in pick up your Divi Discount card, it offers some discounts on stores, restaurants, and activities.

This was my first trip and I’d return, but I would probably not eat too many meals at the resort restaurants. There were better choices in Phillipsburg (Chesterfields & Mark's Place) and nearby Simpson Bay (Pineapple Pete's) If you go to Orient Beach check out Andy & Cheryl’s, which is towards the southern end of the beach right before you get to the clothing optional section.

I have stayed at several St. Maarten resorts but my two recent stays at the Divi were just great !

The rooms are being fully redone section by section, the area with 2 pools with the bar and restaurant (furthest from the main entrance) were just redone this August/Sept.

One of the best beaches around, protected bay with calm waters. Variety of watersports, watercraft, and excursions at the dive center. Onsite shopping and sevaral food choices a big plus. Great location for exploring the island.

They have a new maintenance manager who started this spring. Became friendly with him and he has a lot of plans and ambition to spruce the place back to high end condition. He also knows his stuff. He pointed out to me that maintaining a seaside resort is more like a ship than buildings, for example, he started them using maritime grade hardware and fasterners for all projects so things stay nice longer. His attitude and knowledge were very impressive.

So I am confident that the next visit will be even better....

2006/2007 will be our third year to Divi, St. Martin. The staff is mixed, some people are so awesome while some just so rude you don't know what to do with yourself. The food is great! The small supermarket had everything I needed for emergencies for my small son.

The coffee shop is the best, (go see Wendy, tell her Natalie sent you, she will hook you up!) Walter is the best waiter and manager in the restaurant, ask to sit with him, he takes care of you! The island is great! Lots to see and do, the rooms are decent, there is a lot of remodeling going on and some of the finished rooms I saw are beautiful.

There used to be a swim shop but they closed. Too bad because they had great merchandise for sale, although you can go into town, it's about a 3 minute ride there and get some nice stuff. The spa is a wonderful way to relax to the fullest and I recommend a long walk along the walkways.

I love it there!

We just recently came back from a trip to St. Marteen where we stayed at the Divi Little Bay. The only fault with it was that the parking is aways from most units and many flights of stair in the building. Ask for a ground level floor if you can't take doing the stairs everyday. The service was very good - the maid knocked on our door to ask if we need clean towels everyday and midweek on Wed. they came in and changed the beds and cleanup - even a few dishes I hadn't washed yet! Snorkeling was just okay at the resort. Better snorkeling at Cocount Grove and Pinel Island's Yellow Beach on the French side or on the Island of Anguilla.