Great value, great location and nice accommodations
 |
 |
Villa Monchal was the perfect spot for my wife and I to discover St. Martin. The location of the villa in Terres Basses is ideal: Five minutes or so to Purto Cupecoy with many restaurants and a full-service grocery store, 10 minutes or so to Simpson Bay’s many spots and 10 minutes to Marigot. Terres Basses itself has three wonderful beaches. The closest, Plum Bay or Baie aux Prunes can be reached in two minutes walking (across the street and 50 yards to the right). During morning walks, I would be the only person on this spectacular beach. We never saw more than eight others on the beach during the day. The necessity of going through a guard station to enter Terres Basses certainly keeps many island visitors away. Baie Rouge, five minutes by car, and Long Bay, which connects with Plum Bay Beach have equally beautiful beaches. The villa itself provides ideal accommodations for a single couple getaway or for two couples. The third bedroom would work well for families with kids. The villa has been updated and repaired post-Irma and shows zero damage. The pool deck is in the process of being replaced and enlarged by about 300 square feet with a modern composite material. When completed (soon), it will be spectacular. The pool is great and the whirlpool worked fine during our visit. The kitchen provides all the amenities one would need, ample glasses, silverware, dishes, cookware, blender, coffee makers, etc. Although the stove, oven and microwave are pretty average, they do the trick. Judith, our concierge was available to answer questions, make reservations and provide island advice. Because the deck was not complete, we were given a complimentary dinner which was a nice touch. Croissants were delivered the first morning of our stay. The bed was very comfortable and had many pillows. Air conditioning worked well in the bedrooms and the family room. We had plenty of hot water. The only downside, other than some deck work taking place on the first day we were there, was very spotty T.V. and Internet reception. The T.V. did not work for the first four days of our stay and then suddenly worked great for the remaining three days. We were told they were doing utility work during the period we had the T.V. problems. We did not find the mosquitoes to be bad and to the extent they were out it was only at dusk. I would recommend repellent if going to the beach at sunset as the “no see-ums†can be pretty bad if you’re on or near the sand. Villa Monchal is in an area surrounded by multi-million dollar villas. Donald J. Trump’s $15+ million home is across the street. With security guards monitoring access to Terres Basses, we felt very safe during our stay. During one morning walk security guards were monitoring the beach access. A rental car is a must for a visit and with one it’s very easy to get to all the spots on St. Martin/St. Maarten. For the money paid, we felt like we received GREAT value at Villa Monchal. As there have been prior negative reviews from pre-Irma, I thought it appropriate to report that our experience has been great! The villa provides everything vacationers need for a wonderful stay on St. Martin. Very comfortable and very private.
V6464EMjohnd
Dates of Stay: Dec 2018
|
