Yesterday morning I drove from Maho over to Phillipsburg and toured the Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort.

Set on a small hill above the town of Phillipsburg (which is the capital of St. Maarten), it provides absolutely stunning views of the bay and the cruise ship docks.

This week I will tour the other Sonesta in Maho, right near the Princess Juliana Airport (video of planes flying in over the beach to come). 

Check out these photos from the resort:

 

 

 

Yesterday, we took the Great Bay Express high-speed ferry over to St. Barths ($80 round trip). It was about a 40-minute ride, but the time flew by as we were treated to views of the different Caribbean islands (St. Maarten, Saba, St Barths, others that are uninhabited). 

We landed in Gustavia Harbar and had a really nice day (stories to come), but one of the biggest surprises is the fact that accomodations are 70% luxury villas and 30% hotels - there's only about 500 hotel rooms on the entire island. 

Not that you'll mind when you see what the villas look like - I was lucky enough to tour one of them yesterday. 

Prices can range from a few thousand to over $25,000/week. 

Check out this three bedroom, priced on the low end (which makes you wonder what the high end looks like): 

 

View from the kitchen.

 

Pool and hot tub. 

 

View from the bathroom.

 

View from terrace of Flamand Beach.