Dev DeL

Review of Sonesta Resorts - St. Maarten

Arrived at the resort on 6/12/2019 and I'm staying...

Arrived at the resort on 6/12/2019 and I'm staying until 6/18/2019. If you're looking for a good all inclusive resort, do not stay here. This place posts pictures of the neighboring resort and they give you a map including these things, then when you arrive you learn that you can only access a small area (basically a pool, a small beach, a few restaurants and a casino across the street). You must have a reservation to eat at any of the restaurants (excluding buffets) in which you need to use your room number which you don't receive until check in. We tried to go to dinner our first night but the only two open restaurants are booked all week other than Friday and Monday, meaning we have to settle for the buffet every other day, day in and day out unless we go to town and buy dinner (which defeats the purpose of an All-Inclusive). One of the hostesses was kind enough to seat us without a reservation which was appreciated. On top of that, restaurants/buffets are closed when they're scheduled to be open and THERE IS NO ROOM SERVICE other than basic room cleaning. Guests from the other resort are allowed to access the areas in this one but we are not allowed there so the already small space gets even smaller. In addition, the complimentary WiFi is so bad its border-line unusable. I tried to watch Netflix and the quality wouldn't get higher than 480p and it kept freezing. (For the tech guys, the speed is about 0.8mbps, tested this on speedtest.net) In order to use internet we would need to pay 16$ a day for the premium access. We upgraded to premium and the speed only increased to 1.8mbps but at least now we can watch movies at night. Its also supposed to be a Beach Resort but the Beach is only about 20-30 Lounge chairs, which again, is shared/occupied by guests from the neighboring resort. People will leave their towels on the chairs very early in the morning and be gone for hours at a time. For the first day and a half whenever we went to get drinks there hasn't been any fruit to go with them, such as limes or lemons. <br/>Spa is incredibly overpriced and there is no jacuzzi/hot tub.<br/>For my personal preference, I went with the "Premier" island view. Upon entering my room I went to the balcony to take in the view. In the distance there are nice looking mountains, but the majority of the view includes a dilapidated building, a very messy and unsightly roof and a full dirt lot that looks like a demolition took place and all the debris was left there. I understand that they are just reopening after the hurricane but I wouldnt have paid extra knowing the view does not match the pictures.There is no bathtub, just a shower without a door. So if you decide to take a shower be ready to mop the floor. Also, for my room, the light in the bathroom flickers when turned on as well as the lights above the bed.<br/>.<br/> In conclusion I do not recommend staying here. If anything spend the extra money and stay at Sonestas neighbouring resort, Ocean point. You gain access to significantly more resort and they have features you would expect from an All Inclusive. The most dissatisfying thing I've experienced here is feeling like a second class citizen compared to those at Ocean Point.