Hotel L’Esplanade

An Exquisite and Intimate Boutique Hotel in St. Martin

About St. Martin:

On September 6th, 2017, the island of St. Martin was changed forever. Hurricane Irma, a category 5 hurricane, devastated the island and destroyed pretty much everything. As most Caribbean islands, the economy of St. Martin is made up of 84% tourism. And with almost all of the hotels damaged, the past year has been a tough one for the small island.

However, St. Martin has proved itself strong and is on the rise back up. After a little over a year, most restaurants and hotels are beginning to re-open. And along with them are the mouth-watering restaurants that make Grand Case the dining capital of the Caribbean, and a local gem of a hotel called L’Esplanade.

Continue reading for all you need to know about Hotel L’Esplanade, and check out this post about everything you need to know about St. Martin (in general).

Hotel L’Esplanade:

L’Esplanade is a beautiful boutique hotel in St. Martin that contains only 24 exquisite rooms, nestled in the hills of Grand Case on the French side of St. Martin. The hotel has been family owned since the beginning, and is currently owned by Marc and Kristin Petrelluzzi. They are always at the hotel making sure everything runs smoothly. The entire staff really takes the time to remember each guest and make sure that their stay is as unique and personalized as possible.

The Rooms:

L’Esplanade offers 4 different room categories, but all offer picturesque views of Grand Case, the Anguilla Channel and beautiful mountains. We stayed in a “deluxe loft”, which had a full kitchen, king-sized bed, half-bath (downstairs), and full bath with a walk-in rain shower (upstairs). But the best part about every room at L’Esplanade is the balcony! I love spending my morning on a huge balcony overlooking the water.

Breakfast and Amenities:

They leave breakfast cards in your room, and each day you fill it out and return it to the office for the next morning. You choose from coffee, freshly squeezed juices, pastries and danishes, and you select the time you want it delivered. We had ours delivered at 8am every morning and enjoyed it on our balcony. The freshly squeezed orange juice was out of this world!

Also, there are daily Yoga classes that are complimentary for L’Esplanade guests, and a brand new Ti Spa offering massages and facials.

In addition, the staff puts out several bottles of wine in an ice bucket in the lobby for guests to enjoy each night. The had great selections and an especially delicious Rose’. This is just another reason why L’Esplanade is the best boutique hotel in St. Martin.

The Pool and Bar:

Just down the steps is a gorgeous pool and the famous L’Esplanade pool bar. Alain has been the bartender for years and years and everyone knows his name. He is so good at what he does (maybe too good, lol) and can literally make you anything that you desire!

As the hotel is quite small, everyone really gets to know each other. And if there was ever a place to mingle with new friends, it is at the bar with Alain! Every evening, like clock-work (around 4 or 5 o’clock), everyone comes out to the bar to begin their evening with great drinks and great friends. This truly allows the guests to feel like family.

Sister Property: Le Petit Hotel

Because L’Esplanade has such great views, the hotel is located up the hill and away from the beach. It is only a short 7 minute walk down the hill, to the public beach access in Grand Case. However, it is extremely convenient for guests that L’Espalnade has a sister hotel called Le Petit Hotel which is located directly on the beach. Guests of both hotels can come and go between both hotels as they please.

Beach chairs are not free on the public beach of Grand Case, but guests of L’Esplanade can use the beach chairs at Le Petit Hotel for free. It is a bit of a walk down the beach to get to Le Petit, but it is good exercise and worth the walk. Le Petit Hotel only has 10 rooms (hence the name “the little hotel”) and while I did not go inside any of their rooms, I could just tell that they were just as nice!

The Dining Capital of the Caribbean:

L’Esplanade is located in Grand Case and it is located on the French side of the island. Grand Case is known as the dining capital of the Caribbean, and now I know why! Every single thing that we ate was out of this world, from the local grills (that locals call Lolols) to the world renown French and Italian restaurants that line “Restaurant Row” in Grand Case. Read more about where we ate in this post.

Conclusions:

I could not have been more honored to work with L’Esplanade in this project. I was truly impressed with the hotel and the entire island of St. Martin. I truly believe it when I say that L’Esplanade is the best boutique hotel in St. Martin, and probably the best hotel period. There is just something so magical about being somewhere so beautiful and feeling like family, especially knowing the devastation that they JUST went through.

Every tourism dollar that we spend helps these people to survive, and St. Martin needs our help more than ever! So as you plan your next vacation, truly consider St. Martin and Hotel L’Esplanade!

You can read about my “must knows” about St. Martin (in general) here.

More Wine and Weekends:

I hope that you enjoyed this post, learned something new, and are leaving inspired. Please follow me on Instagram to keep up with all adventures, current and future! You can also follow my Facebook page.

Previous Post: Why the Island of St. Martin should be your Next Vacation

Until next time,

Xo

I was given complimentary lodging at L’Esplanade in exchange for writing this review. However, all opinions stated in this blog are honestly and organically my own.