TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin villa/apartment rental

looking at renting Sunrise 21 villa/apartment on Orient Beach. Anyone stay there or have info about it -

Mikeandsandy

We rented Sunrise 21 through Francois on Airbnb and couldn’t have been more happy! I believe we were only the third or fourth guest that’s stayed there since it was redone (4/10-4/17). There were five of us and it was our first time renting with Francois. Hi end appliances, king beds in all the rooms and an incredible view of Orient Bay directly behind Wai Plage. The unit is very comfortable and the outdoor space is gorgeous! Francois is extremely easy to deal with and very accommodating. We didn’t take him up on all the concierge services he can provide (private chef, boat charter or massage) but he did print out our Red Cross COVID-19 test results along with our US Attestation forms without hesitation and checked in with us during our stay.

We’ve already booked another stay through Francois in November but in another unit since it’s going to just be my wife and I.

Let me know if you have any specific questions about the furnishings and I’ll be happy to respond while it’s still fresh in my mind.

I didn’t post any trip reports this last visit since there seemed to be a lot of activity on the board and my reports get repetitive very quickly. Bloody Mary on the beach, incredible lunch at Orange Fever, Karakters, FBBC, or Rainbow Cafe followed by dinners at Papa Dan’s, Bistro Caraibes, Spiga, La Piment and La Villa. Wonderful people, food and beaches!

I’m a creature of habit and don’t venture too far out of what works and I know what I like.

BenB Two questions, my wife is concerned that it is in an isolated area - To me it appears to be in the village - Am I correct. Also, somewhat concerned that the full payment is due at time of booking, is that normal or should I be concerned. Thanks

The unit is on the second floor of the complex with no one above you. Living area and one bedroom on main floor with balcony overlooking ocean and two bedrooms upstairs. All bedrooms have their own bathrooms.

The condo is about 100 yards from Orient Village. You can walk to restaurants and grocery either on the beachside dirt road or through the paved road that goes behind the square where the restaurants are. Street lights light the complex roads at night.

We chose this place specifically for it’s location. We only rented one car for five adults and it allowed everyone the flexibility to come and go as they chose. My wife and I could walk to Orange Fever early while others slept in or walked into town for breakfast.

The 100% payment isn’t uncommon or an issue. I think the individual owners dictate whether they want all the money up front and what their cancellation policy is. Airbnb is your protection similar to VRBO in the event you have a conflict with a host. We paid 100% up front on this unit but could’ve cancelled up until the day before our arrival which is pretty lenient.

This really is a gorgeous unit! Everything from the glassware and cookware are very nice. Cabinets are all touch open and very European. You won’t be disappointed!

Thank you for the info - reservations made - TTonline is the best

Mikeandsandy

Is there a washer and dryer in the unit? Looks very nice!

There is a washer and dryer with pods provided! They’re both newer HE type units but the dryer is ventless and dries very slowly. If you’re use to packing light and washing once it’s definitely a nice feature!

Please remember that the safest way to pay, although it will cost you a few bucks, is to pay through VRBO/AirBNB, wherever you found the listing. If you're paying directly to the owner then you own any fraud risk. If you're paying through VRBO/AirBNB then you have some protection.

Paid thru VRBO - Several years ago rented in the Oyster pond area and paid thru bank transfer, dierct thru the owner. Worked out well, but a lot less expensive so I wasn't concerned. Many years ago, early 80's made reservations at Hevea, which I highly recommend by the way, but on that occasion flight was late and we did not get there until after 6:00 only to find that we were considered "no shows" and our unit was rented out. They arranged to move us to Chez Martine across the street and all ended well. However, they were reluctant to return our deposit - they eventually conceded and returned it