TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin any recent visits to Belair Beach Club 2 bedrooms?

Hello there, it's that time of year again.Got an exchange thru RCI to a 2 bedroom at Belair. Have never stayed there? Any comments..how suitable for 2 couples? Possible a 5th person to use pullout sofa? Time frame is Jan 2 for a week

Haven't visited there recently, but the second bedroom is VERY small.. Barely big enough for the bed to fit. You will need to have a discussion with the other couple about who gets the small bedroom. Not sure on the couch, as haven't visited there lately.

Thanks Carol,,,if you had your choice,,,between Belair and Divi ...which would you choose? I have never driven down to either of them, But if my hunches are correct,,they are not very close to La Vista where we stayed this past January...like not walkable is what I mean?

I'm sorry, I have never been inside any of the units at Divi, so I cannot really advise you with regard to them. Frankly, I would not want to stay at either one of them, because neither is close to where I want to be, but that is just me. No, no WAY you could walk to LaVista from there. Divi is very close to P'burg and Belair is just a bit further, both are VERY far from Simpson Bay, in the walking sense.

thanks Carol,,,I assumed it was too far. I do like the Royal Palm for location. Stayed there back in 2010 or 2011?? loved it,,,but no exchanges into there yet. With the u.s. dollar vs Canadian dollar right now,,I have to use my exchange this year,,to pay for a place outright would just be too much right now. I do appreciate your comments, maybe someone else will share their opinion if they have been there recently. We always rent a car,so maybe will just have to not worry too much about actual location. The pics do like nice of the beach and view......will see??

I stayed at Divi a long time ago and would still pick it over Belair IF you get a decent option on a room. There does not seem to be many complaints about Divi. You might message "jazzgal" as she spends her time at Divi.

Like Carol, other places would be my first choice but between the two you mentioned it would be Divi. We had a 1 bedroom there the time we stayed and it was huge.

Hi,

I own a unit at Divi and have visited Belair many years ago. If these are your 2 options, Divi by far, especially for 4 maybe 5 folks in a two bedroom, as the Belair second bedroom is just big enough for the bed. I'm guessing you will be getting a time-share unit at Divi and they are large.
These two resorts, next door to each other, are a bit remote for many on this site as they like the Simpson Bay and Maho areas. A rental car cures that with some extra driving and the fun of finding a parking space.
The beach has calm and clear water with no drop off to speak off and you have the view of Saba most days and the fun of seeing the cruise ships coming and going.
If it was just one couple, I'd say it would be a toss up.

IMHO

As I recall, all Bel Air units are identical with 2 bedrooms.
The 2nd bedroom is very small and I would not recommend Bel Air for 2 couples....more suitable for 3 people.

I am more familiar with DIVI.
For 2 couples I would suggest a one bedroom "sleep six" as categorized by RCI.
You get a large common area with pullout sofa, bedroom has King bed plus another pullout sofa.
These units have 2 full bathrooms.
They are located on the Little Bay side or on the Great Bay side or on the hill (Casita rooms) with marginal view.
RCI exchangers do not get to choose.
The "sleep 4" one bedroom/one bathroom units are nice too but not for 5 people....not sure if DIVI would provide a rollaway bed for the 5th.

As far as location is concerned, it really depends on where you want to go. I regard Bel Air and Divi locations as ideal for getting to OB in the daytime and Simpson Bay in the evenings...15 minutes to either.

Just sayin!

We spent a week there early this past summer. Two couples will be a bit tight. King bed in Master and a double in the small bedroom. The small bedroom is more suited for 1 person than a couple. The pull out sofa is a queen and ours was more comfortable than either of the regular beds as they were really FIRM. Just like a pool table.

Unit was impeccably clean and everything worked. We had a light bulb go out in a bedroom and they were there w/a replacement within minutes of calling the desk.

Great views of the bay and beach. Nice sized balcony. We were on the 3rd floor at the Divi end of the complex.

Restaurant was Ok. Beach was great. Having assigned chairs all week was a real plus. We got to pick where they were placed and our names were put on them w/tape.

Belair does have a very nice view from the balcony and living room, as all rooms are full ocean view, but it would be difficult for two couples. I actually don't remember whether there is only one bathroom there, as I only visited there, didn't stay.

I do seem to remember Divi has some kind of a 'resort fee' now, in addition to timeshare tax. Don't remember how much it is. And it is possible that Belair has one too, I don't know.

OK, It's time for accurate information on Belair since we've been going there for a long time and own time shares there.
1. Master bedroom is large with King bed and full bathroom, two wardrobes and large bureaus + TV.
2. 2nd bedroom is small but has enough room for double bed and wardrobe plus has its own bathroom with shower.
3. Kitchen is small with full size refrigerator, microwave, toaster oven and two burner cook top.
Living room/Dining area is large that opens to deck that has table and chairs as well as a chaise lounge. Couch that opens to Queen bed and love seat.
Belair is our home away from home but we have accommodated 6 people often in the 20+ years we have been going there with no problems.
No better view of Little Bay than that of Belair that is small and more private than Divi.
PM us and we will be happy to tell you more or you can talk to us when you get there since we will also be there week#1.

Sometime all of us get protective and defensive about our "homes away from home" but I remember when hurricanes destroyed so much of Divi and Little Bay and the Belair took in many that had nowhere else to go because it withstood the hurricane with little damage.
Tom and Lisa Green

I'd take Divi over Belair BUT Divi has a limited # of 2 BR's.

We've stayed at Divi in a 1BR Deluxe facing Great Bay with another couple since the 1BR has a King bed and the sofa in the LR is a pull out queen. We had no problems. We offered to switch mid-week but the other couple said they were happy & comfortable. Those buildings are like apartments instead of glorified 2 hotel units put together and called a 2BR. They have LR DR pullman Kitchen 2 baths. Those units are waterfront but you can't enter water there. It's less than a minute walk to the beach. These stand alone buildings are like duplexes in that they have a 1BR on each side then either a 3 BR upstairs or a 2 BR and a lockout used as a studio.

The units beachfront are the old hotel converted. That's why they look like 2 hotel room together to me.

I'm not sure you can pick a certain unit when you use RCI

As to Divi having a resort fee as Carol said, I'm not sure what that would be---maybe it's something charged to RCI exchanges? When we stay there we don't pay a resort fee.

Exactly what I was looking for,,,someone with a lot of experience or who stays there often. I have some decisions to make...the only drawback so far for me,,,is the distance to places like Maho,,,Pineapple Petes, toppers, etc for night time,,,because it's nice to be able to walk if you happen to have had some drinks during the day.....I now know the location of Divi and Belair are too far for walking to those places. I have only been to sxm approx 5 times and each time I forget to look up these two resorts,,,this time I will. Decisions, decisions. Thanks you all for your comments, It's nice to have friends like you guys!!

I've stayed at the Belair a few times and I agree with "Tom" completely. I will add that parking couldn't be more convenient.

When was the last time you stayed at Divi? I understand that resort fee was pretty new, as of 2015, perhaps.

Tom--I know, we all love the place we stay at the most, otherwise we wouldn't stay there! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" /> You DO have to admit though that the second bedroom at Belair is SMALL, and definitely not equal to the other one, so you need to make sure that the couple in the second bedroom is good with it..

No way does the Belair 2br compair to the royal Palm. Never been in a divi 2 bed so can't coment.

Not sure that Royal Palm was ever part of the equation, as the OP was talking only about what they could get on an exchange, as they said they couldn't afford to just book it outright. The OP was unable to get RP or other places in Simpson Bay on an exchange, from what I gather.

Correct. I was just letting them know that the type of unit won't be near the same as what they experienced when they stayed at the Royal Palm if that is what they are looking for. Who knows a unit might still open up on the exchange. Maintenance just went out and has to be paid before it can be banked.

ok.

Carol,
Second BR @ Belair is small, I would not suggest that it is not but some information on this thread was not accurate and we all need to make sure advice we offer is correct before we make recommendations. In fairness, Divi is larger (hundreds of units), newer, and as expected, would offer some advantages. Belair is smaller (70 units), older and more private and offers some advantages.

The time we stayed at the Belair the small be room had two twin beds. Asked front desk if they could put them together and they said no, they had to stay that way. Our guests then slept on the sofa bed. That was back in 1999. We then went for a property tour at flamingo and bought there.

Carol you are correct...so far the only exchange offered was a place in nettle bay,,which we were not interested in and just yesterday an exchange came thru for Belair Beach. However, I understand that most maintenance fees are paid around this time of year, so I may wait it out to see if anything else comes up. The first week in January was good for us, but we could chance a different week. I had mentioned the Royal Palm as we had stayed there before and I really liked the location. La Vista Beach was good as well, we stayed there last year. Fingers crossed,,,,for an exchange....I have till midnight tomorrow night to accept or pass on the Belair.

Are you an owner? I certainly paid one, and I'm an owner. It's relatively new and replaces the old "energy surcharge" and was instituted when they made the wifi, such as it is, free.

The resort fee was $13 per day in March 2015. As Jazzgal noted, it replaces the old energy surcharge and includes free in the room wi-fi.

I'm with you, larger is not necessarily an advantage to me personally.

No one can tell you what to do, but if you don't have to have that particular week, I might risk waiting a while longer. I wouldn't want to stay in that area, because I perceive it's far from everywhere I want to be, but that's just me. We stayed at Guana Bay and in Pt Blanche area each one time and I kept thinking the whole time that I was doing a whole lot of driving because of where I was staying.

I hear you Carol....thanks again for your help,,,we will figure something out. And thanks to everyone else for offering up their thoughts. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

We didn't go 2015 due to an operation. Thanks for the heads up for our 2016 visit---unless we stay at GCBC.

Jazzgall
How can you say the energy and Wi-Fi are free if you are paying $13 a week extra.
megamania
Unless there is a unknown to me reason for not wanting to stay at Baie Nettle, check out "beerman's" trip reports. He loved the place.

Beerman did enjoy staying there, but many others did not.We enjoyed staying at Nettle Bay back in the early 90's when it was a proper resort, but would not prefer staying there now.

Better re-read the rate. Its 13 a day not week.

I didn't say it; Divi did. They previously were charging separately for each. They announced wifi was now "free" but that they were instituting a resort fee.

Scubaman
You are right. The last time I stayed at the Belair there were no extra charges. Same was true for the Flamingo, Simpson Bay, La Vista, Royal Palm, Royal Islander la Plage, and the Towers. Unless things have changed recently, all the rest do in various amounts. To drop the term "energy", start calling Wi-F- free, and then adding a resort fee, seems like a little slight of hand.

Just got back from an RCI erxchange at Belair. I also own 3 weeks at Belair. There is a $50 timeshare tax collected at checkout. Wifi is $35 for the week. You can opt in or out of the $1 a day contribution toward education. Yes the second bedroom is small but it is doeable. The location is superb and the beach and water are wonderful. I often sleep on the couch without opening it up so I can hear the water all night long.

Glad to hear the WIFI is still $35/week but still think that should be no charge to owners. Any change to amount of beach? We will be there next month, a bit later than usual for us.

Tom
They could call the $35 a resort fee and charge everyone and advertise "Free Wi-Fi.".