The Hills Residence

I'd recommend staying here while in Sxm. The room felt modern but homey, with lovely furnishings and a spectacular view, and the staff kept everything clean and tidy. Customer service was excellent across the board: the team was friendly, patient, accommodating, and quick to resolve issues. Jouvan was professional and always ready to help. Since the property is in the hills, I'd suggest getting a car for convenience, though staff can provide drop-offs during work hours.

Manon at the concierge desk handled all our logistics, from booking popular restaurants to arranging an island day trip. Her local knowledge made the vacation much easier. Jouvence was wonderful too, greeting us warmly and checking that our apartment was just right. The whole team was friendly and genuinely helpful. This was our first stay at The Hills Residence, and it exceeded our expectations. The apartment was spotless, which mattered to me because I'm particular about cleanliness, and it had high-end appliances and everything we needed for a longer visit. We spent hours on the balcony looking over the lagoon, watching yachts go by with a glass of wine in the evenings. Being in the heart of Sint Maarten made it easy to get to everything we wanted in Simpson Bay, while the residence still felt like a private sanctuary. If you want a stress-free, luxurious stay with a team that goes above and beyond, this is the place to book.

For my 30th birthday, my boyfriend and I booked a few days here in January 2026. We travel a lot, and it was easily the worst stay I've had. The place seemed mismanaged, communication was poor, and staff were rude. The bed was uncomfortable and looked more like a twin than a queen. Cleaning staff didn't even have proper carts with supplies to clean the rooms thoroughly. Disgusting. There was already a couple in the lobby complaining about their room and check-in time when we arrived. Staff didn't communicate or work together, and the whole place felt like a disaster. Save yourself the trouble and pay more for an all-inclusive. Trust me, don't book even one night. You'll regret it.

After we said we didn't feel safe in the off-site room the host eventually found, the hosts became confrontational. It was around 1:30am, and we felt we had no realistic choice but to stay there that night. The room smelled strongly of smoke and marijuana, the bedding smelled dirty, the walls were marked, and the toilet was hanging off the wall. The place felt unsafe and unclean. We cancelled the rest of our reservation the next day and found different accommodation for the rest of the trip. We had booked this Airbnb for five nights, arriving late after a long-haul flight. Our plane landed around 9:15pm, and we reached the property close to 10pm expecting a safe, straightforward check-in. Instead, security took us to an apartment that was occupied by another guest and their belongings. After that was investigated, they moved us to a second apartment that was also occupied. We waited again, then reception told us the property was overbooked for our first night. The whole process took well over an hour, with us being moved around late at night and getting very little information. While the host went back and forth trying to push us into a one-star place we had already rejected based on its reviews and photos, I spent around 50 minutes on the phone with a comparable nearby hotel to try to book safe accommodation. The delays meant it was past midnight by the time we could have booked it, and that was no longer possible. The host's slow response left us with no real option but the one-star accommodation. We contacted Airbnb support because we were increasingly worried we'd have nowhere safe to stay, but they didn't step in or help resolve it, leaving us to deal with the host directly. I'm an Airbnb host myself, and I found that response extremely disappointing. It felt like guest safety was disregarded. Of the three hosts involved, one was especially short, rude, and at times aggressive. They dismissed our concerns and didn't seem focused on helping guests or finding a solution, which made an already stressful situation worse. I wouldn't recommend staying here. The overbooking, bad communication, lack of urgency, and handling of our safety concerns made this a terrible experience, especially after a long international flight.