TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Sonesta Stomach Virus

Checking out today. I was unlucky and got the stomach virus while at the Sonesta Resort. Hotel management is trying to contain the spread of the virus but their efforts have been unsuccessful. Many are sick.

Below is a link in the news. Might be wrong but I think almost every yr there is a post here about some sort of stomach issues occuring March / April in the Maho area

Not pleasant to be sick on holidays - hope you get better soone
J&B

http://www.smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-ma...ntrol-plan.html

With the 200 tourists arriving the same day, you'd have to wonder if they got the virus on the plane.

The news release notes
...This was reported among approximately 200 tourists that arrived from Canada around February 17....

The Sonesta Maho, post Ocean Pointe probably has about 250 -275 rooms?, so doubting 200 guests showed up on one day - though maybe 100 rooms turned over on a Wed??? and Feb 17 - no non stops from Canada, just AA and Delta flights that stop in the US - so again not really sure 200 Cdns showed up enmass on Feb 17 - even if they did not from one plane, would have been at least 3 - 6 planes min, all stopped in the US [JFK, Atl. Miami, CLT PHL and others] and took on extra passengers.

Nice news release - says very little, maybe passengers brought it, but maybe its just the same bug that seems to hit Maho most yrs in March and April

J&B

I had the norovirus @ home & can tell you it is not pleasant; nobody talks about it but google it - that stinking virus can live on hard surfaces for something like 2 weeks & indefinitely in the fridge or cold places & forever in a freezer. Nothing but bleach kills it.....& you can get it again!

Cruise ships like to say their problems are from Norovirus however, some incidences have been proven to come from shellfish taken from too warm waters. This is when only some aboard ship get ill. Noro is very contagious so 2 people in same cabin should get it but if only one does you can be sure one ate shellfish.

Since the post says Sonesta has problems in March or April repeatedly, maybe it's more of a seafood poisoning? Once stayed at Divi (in March) ate mussels there and got just as sick as a friend who described their noro symptoms. Hubby did not get sick the entire trip. Needless to say I no longer eat shellfish NOR do I eat at Divi!!

Just to clarify - it was me not the OP who noted it seems stomach issues at Maho March / April seem to be an annual event. I remember 2014 as I suffered when staying at La Plage as did several other guests and pretty sure same note last year.

J&B

I believe the primary source is coming from the food. My wife did not catch the virus from me in close quarters in a hotel room for 3 days? I did not have any seafood. My Guess>> Eggs

A friend of mine was there in January of this year with a group of 40 people. They all came down with the Norvo (sp) Virus.