Royal Islander Hotel

I stayed just one night and had a really good time. The service wasn’t great, but it got the job done.

The room is a decent size, with a big bed and a fridge that works. That’s about all I can say in its favor. The AC rattles loudly and doesn’t cool the room, and there’s bass and music nearby day and night. The shower tap is broken, so I have to turn it from the internal fitting. Water sprays everywhere from the sink tap. The safe doesn’t work, there’s no kettle, the carpets are worn and badly stained, and the toilet is stained too. During my five nights, nobody topped up the shower gel or changed the sheets. At check-in, they said my Expedia reservation showed the wrong room rate and tried to charge me again, even though the bill showed the total with fees and I’d already paid. I was ready to leave over it. They eventually agreed to honor the pre-booked price, then added hefty resort fees and more taxes despite the Expedia bill showing taxes paid. I asked them to waive the extra taxes since I wouldn’t use the pool. What are the resort charges for? There are no bikes or laundry service, and nothing included beyond the room I’d already paid for. The added fees make a seemingly cheap rate more expensive than places with higher prices and no such charges. The manager told me I shouldn’t complain because I had the cheapest accommodation on the island. That’s nonsense. The hotel across the road, Castaways, is cheaper. I’d also skip the restaurant at royal islander. Hardly anyone was eating there while I was around. The soup I had one day tasted nice, but when I tried to eat it in the seating area at the back off lobby, the receptionist sprayed strong room spray as I was eating. It was rude and spoiled the meal. The next day I ordered sides, and the portions were tiny. The plantain was rock hard, old, grease-soaked, and reheated. The rice was old and reheated too. The jacket potato was tiny, about the size of a small child’s fist, and its soft skin made it seem like it hadn’t been baked in an oven. They seem to put tax on tax, and the listed prices don’t reflect what you end up paying. Just avoid this place. It felt like a huge rip-off, and the female manager’s response made me feel as if I was being made to doubt my own judgment.

We had a great week here. The grounds, pool area, and beach were kept neat and clean, with plenty of beach chairs. I saw the pool attendant cleaning it every morning while I had coffee on the balcony. The room attendant was excellent and very thorough. The restaurant food was tasty and the portions generous. There’s a market across the street and plenty of places to eat nearby. The hotel next door seems to be where the parties happen, and you can hear them until around 3 a.m. Check-in was a letdown. It’s at 4 p.m., and we had to wait until exactly then even though we later learned the room had been ready since 1. The rooms are spacious and clean but very dated, and could use an upgrade and more outlets for chargers and USB devices. Our dehumidifier never worked and showed an FO error, which Google says means a sensor error. The people of St Maarten were very friendly, and we never felt unsafe. We enjoyed our stay, and returning is still possible, but I’d bring a few power bars for the lack of outlets.

The food was a real highlight. I had curry chicken for dinner and shrimp and grits at breakfast, and both were delicious. The staff were very nice too. The rooms feel like they’re from the 70s, or maybe the 80s at best, but it works well enough for a night while waiting for a flight.