This 36-Room St Maarten Hotel Has Huge Suites, Atlantic Views, and a Hillside Perch Above Dawn Beach

There’s a different side of St Maarten beyond the energy of Simpson Bay, the beach bars of Maho and the shopping streets of Philipsburg. Head east, toward Oyster Pond and Dawn Beach, and the island becomes greener, quieter and considerably more residential.

High above the water here is Princess Heights, a 36-room boutique hotel that has been welcoming travelers to this corner of St Maarten since 1995. It’s a hotel built around space and views, with oversized suites, private balconies and a hillside location overlooking the Atlantic.

It’s also one of the more unusual places to stay on the Dutch side of the island. Princess Heights feels somewhere between a boutique hotel and a private apartment residence, particularly once you get inside the rooms.

Every accommodation comes with a kitchen, a private balcony and a large bathroom with a spa tub. Studios start at 500 square feet; one-bedroom suites expand to 900 square feet, while the two-bedroom accommodations reach 1,500 square feet and can sleep as many as six people.

In St Maarten, where so much of a vacation tends to involve getting out and exploring the island, having a room with this much space can change the rhythm of a trip.

A Different Kind of St Maarten Stay

Princess Heights occupies a steep hillside just above Dawn Beach, close to the border between Dutch St Maarten and French Saint Martin. The elevated position is a major part of the experience: balconies look out across the Atlantic, and from the pool terrace you can see neighboring St Barth across the water.

The setting also puts you in an interesting position for exploring both halves of the island.

Philipsburg is within easy driving distance, while the French-side beaches and restaurants around Orient Bay and Grand Case are close enough for an afternoon or evening excursion. Oyster Pond itself is one of the quieter pockets of the island, removed from the heavily trafficked resort districts farther west.

Dawn Beach is just below the hotel, giving you a nearby stretch of sand without having to drive across the island. Princess Heights also provides portable beach chairs and umbrellas for travelers who want to spend their days trying different beaches.

And on an island with more than 30 beaches, having a car here makes sense.

One day can mean Dawn Beach. The next might be Orient Bay or Friar’s Bay. Another could take you west to Mullet Bay before dinner in Simpson Bay. Princess Heights works particularly well as a base for exactly that kind of St Maarten vacation.

The Suites Are the Story

The accommodations are what distinguish the hotel most.

Even the entry-level studio is considerably larger than a conventional Caribbean hotel room, with a kitchen and living space along with the balcony. The one- and two-bedroom layouts give families or longer-stay travelers the ability to spread out, prepare breakfast or lunch in the room and spend real time on the terrace.

The two-bedroom suites, at 1,500 square feet, are closer in size to a condominium than a hotel room.

Princess Heights was conceived with those ocean views in mind. The Lee family, which began visiting St Maarten in the 1980s, eventually chose the Oyster Pond hillside for the hotel, designing the suites to face the Atlantic. Construction was completed in 1995, and the property has remained an intimate independent hotel rather than becoming part of a larger resort brand.

There are only 36 rooms and a staff of 14, according to the hotel, giving the property a distinctly small-scale feel.

A 165-Foot Pool Above the Sea

The centerpiece outside the rooms is the hotel’s 165-foot swimming pool, set on a broad terrace high above the water.

It’s an unusually long pool for a hotel of this size, with expansive views toward the Atlantic and St Barth. There’s also a waterslide, making Princess Heights an appealing option for families who want the conveniences of an apartment-style stay without giving up traditional hotel amenities.

Elsewhere on the property you’ll find a small gym, barbecue areas, laundry facilities and parking. The hotel can also arrange massages and spa treatments either beside the pool or in your suite. Continental breakfast can be served in the room.

The result is intentionally uncomplicated. Princess Heights isn’t trying to be one of St Maarten’s large full-service resorts. There’s no sprawling restaurant collection or entertainment complex. The appeal is having a very large suite, an ocean-facing balcony, a pool and a quiet place to return to after exploring the island.

Why Oyster Pond Works

St Maarten rewards travelers who venture beyond their resort, and Oyster Pond is particularly well placed for doing it.

You’re near the French border, meaning Orient Bay, Grand Case and the restaurants of the French side are all natural additions to a stay. Head in the opposite direction and you can reach Philipsburg, then continue toward Simpson Bay, Maho and the beaches of the western end of the island.

The immediate neighborhood remains comparatively peaceful. Dawn Beach is close, while several restaurants can be reached within a few minutes by car. Public buses don’t serve the Oyster Pond area, so renting a car is the most practical option for most stays.

It’s one of the reasons Princess Heights works particularly well for travelers who already know St Maarten — or those who want to get to know it.

Instead of spending an entire vacation inside one resort, the hotel gives you a comfortable base from which to experience both sides of the island: beach mornings in Saint Martin, lunch in Grand Case, shopping in Philipsburg, a sunset stop in Simpson Bay and, at the end of it all, a balcony high above Dawn Beach.

St Maarten has no shortage of big resorts. Princess Heights offers something considerably more intimate: 36 rooms, some of the largest suites on the island and an east-coast perch where the Atlantic fills the view.

What It Costs

I found rates for about $221 on Google Hotels. That gets you a deluxe suite with a king bed and a kitchenette (because in St Maarten, you’ll be heading to one of the markets, particularly on the French side, to fill up that fridge).