I do exactly what you do, and do it on Orient Beach. I prefer the style of the French side, and rarely venture onto the Dutch side. In Orient there are a ton of different places to stay, from rental apartments to cool small European hotels. With amazing food and basic services nearby, you could work it that you never leave the area and never walk more than 10 mins at any one time on your whole vacation.
Others here feel differently, but this really works for us.
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