{"id":13537,"date":"2011-04-29T07:00:40","date_gmt":"2011-04-29T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=13537"},"modified":"2016-12-15T11:48:00","modified_gmt":"2016-12-15T17:48:00","slug":"beach-vacations-split-the-difference-the-two-sides-of-st-maarten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2011\/04\/beach-vacations-split-the-difference-the-two-sides-of-st-maarten\/","title":{"rendered":"Split the difference: The two sides of St. Maarten"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hugged by hills and the Caribbean coastline, Radisson Blu Resort shows off French beach style with flair. <\/p><\/div>\n

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By Vince Font<\/em><\/p>\n

St. Maarten is a tiny island with a big, big heart. It\u2019s even got two alternate name spellings — St. Martin for itsFrench-run half, and Sint Maarten for its Dutch-run other — which in my opinion has always been the sign of somewhere truly unique. But St. Maarten\u2019s got a lot more going for it than alternative spellings, as anyone who\u2019s ever been there can attest. Looking for Caribbean beach vacations<\/a> that\u2019ll take you someplace you\u2019ve never been? Take a closer look at what this 37-square-mile paradise of St. Maarten, where it\u2019s not land mass that matters, but what you do with it that counts. Here are two great places to start for all budgets, starting with the affordable Captain Oliver\u2019s Resort and rounding off with the posh Radisson Blu Resort.<\/p>\n

Captain Oliver\u2019s Resort<\/a>
\nThis is one of the more affordable of the St. Maarten beach vacation packages where average nightly rate is concerned, but when it comes to quality and amenities you\u2019re making no sacrifices. It\u2019s also one of the best places to be able to simultaneously experience the island\u2019s French and Dutch influences: on the French side of the border you\u2019ve got the hotel, and on the other side you\u2019ve got the marina and three restaurants. One of the restaurants, appropriately named Captain Oliver\u2019s, features a stunning glass floor that gives a grand view of the aquarium below that\u2019s home to a wide variety of marine life, including sharks and turtles. Lodgings come in the form of private bungalows with terraces and balconies that overlook the water, but even the bungalows that face inward have a view made great by lots of dense tropical shrubbery. Rates average around $115 per night, but you can frequently take advantage of specials offering additional nights free, not to mention the savings you can rack up by booking your stay and airfare at the same time.<\/p>\n

Radisson Blu Resort, Marina & Spa<\/a>
\nI\u2019ve always felt that the best beach vacation destinations for people who aren\u2019t sure what they want to do when they get there is to pick a spot whose very name screams \u201cchoice!\u201d The fact that the Radisson Blue is a resort, marina and spa is one such place that proclaims no matter what your mood, you\u2019ll find something here. Where location is concerned, you really can\u2019t do much better than the Radisson Blu, which sits on Ance Marcel beach facing the Caribbean and is surrounded by lush green hillsides on its 3 other sides, providing an aura of isolation that\u2019s hard to capture in most beach vacations. Whatever you\u2019re into, you can pretty much find it here. The hotel offers rentals of banana boats, kayaks, and wave runners, or you can head into the marina to arrange water skiing or fishing. Rooms range in size from 430 square feet to over a thousand (a home away from home, anyone?) and are bright, airy, and border on lavish. Nightly rates start in the upper $200s, but package deals for hotel and flight are available that\u2019ll help you save a hefty chunk of change.<\/p>\n

Insider tip: Need to brown up your winter white into bronze? Save up to 50 percent off on beach vacations<\/a> at featured hotels on Orbitz.<\/em><\/p>\n

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