PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

This vintage West Indian-style guesthouse has a prime spot on the beach in Philipsburg, sandwiched between the busy, narrow main street of Philipsburg and the harbor. It's set back and shaded under tall trees, a charming relic from another time. In fact, this was once the summer home of the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina, and the interior has a gracious, late-19th-century feel, with peacock bamboo chairs, Indian spool tables, and a gilt-framed oil portrait of the Dutch queen. The small- to medium-size accommodations have queen-size, double, or king-size beds with four-poster designs; some are in the main building and others are in an adjoining annex. The finest have genuine colonial flair, with antique secretaries and four-posters swaddled in mosquito netting, madras valances, hand-stitched quilts, beamed ceilings, and still life paintings. Set among lush palms is the harborfront Pasanggrahan Restaurant, which specializes in fresh fish caught by the hotel's own deep-sea charter fishing boat and family-style dinners. Even if you don't stay here, this is a lovely, peaceful oasis for lunch or a drink after a day wrestling the cruise-ship hordes in downtown Philipsburg. The food is good and fresh, and the view of the harbor from the old wooden veranda, with Fort Amsterdam in the distance, never quits.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Portable St. Maarten/St. Martin, Anguilla & St. Barts, 2nd Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Find Hotel Deals on Yahoo Travel»