Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, Philipsburg

My husband and I went to Divi last week 9/24/11-10/1/11. We loved the resort! Everything you could want including the most awesome snorkling was right there. The people were SO friendly. We knew all of the people working the restaurants and the bar before the week was out. At first we thought the service seemed slow and then we realized it was Island time so it really didn't matter! The food was excellent and I thought the prices were reasonable. We stayed in a timeshare property and had a full kitchen and living area plus a huge bathroom and bedroom. We had everything we could want. I would go back in a heartbeat.

Spectacular view with beautiful beaches. Very nice recently remodeled unit. Infinity pool was beautiful Food in Seabreeze restaurant was delicious, but pricey. You have to go out of your way to be nice to some staff, just like anywhere, but some very friendly. Definitely did not have trouble with getting beach towels, could exchange them 2xday vs only 1xday at a lot of places. No trouble using credit cards Would go back every year

We've owned an upper level timeshare for 8 years. This is a beautiful resort, and the staff is great. You have to get acquainted with them. Their good people- you need to slow down and give them a chance. We have a beautiful view of Little Bay and the Caribbean. We have traveled extensively and stayed in many exclusive area. Those who complain about this resort probably can't be satisfied, regardless of the ammenities!!

Just returned from St. Maarten. We were there 8/21 - 9/4/10. Stayed at the Divi which we love. Staff were helpful and friendly. The room was clean. The location is excellent. I hated to leave and look forward to returning next year.The food at Toucans Restaurant was excellent and reasonably priced. I love the privacy of the resort. Freda

The good: Absolutely beautiful "looking" property! Liked the location. Wonderful / calm beach and water. One friend enjoyed the recreational water activities! Enjoyed the music / band performances. Close proximity (walking distance) to town of Phillipsburg. Enjoyed drinks - esp. the specials and freebies! Enjoyed some of the food. Helpful tour director. Another friend loved the spa / massage. Glad the internet was available (though down sometimes.) Some friendly staff - i.e. bartenders, recreational, bellboy, grocery store, gift shops, general staff performing multiple duties - esp trying to be of service wherever needed, and some of staff at front desk. Met nice people. The not so good: Service problems. Room problems. - Not enough bath towels, bath cloths, diswashing detergent, dish cloths, dish towels, etc. Took forever to get what requested, and if 3 bathcloths were requested, we may have gotten 2 or 1, even 0. We started picking up items from the front desk, to get what we wanted. (Met housekeeping and found out there was a communication / language problem.) - Room thermostat had to be repaired (difficult to control temp); fixed, but took forever ... i.e. days! - Periodic drip coming from overhead vent above the commode, we thought it was water, but a smell developed, so was it someone's bathroom from above!?!. ... was fixed! - Per their suite guidelines, rooms are cleaned 2x per week; more often for more $; but they need to do overall cleaning more often! ... though they will bring fresh towels (inconsistent #), and empty trash daily. - Mosquitos!! ... without the resort giving us anything to use in the room, or citronella candles to put on balcony. Could not even enjoy the lovely balcony due to mosquitos! Sandflies!! ... or so we were told, based on the red bites on my arm, when I thought they were mosquitos (they come out in evenings or at night on the beach, per front desk staff). We were on our own, so ... we bought something in the gift shop specifically for mosquitos and sandflies, which seemed to help, but we were a bit late finding it. Even after I got back home, my many "bites" on arms and legs got redder, itched endlessly, with some swelling and whep-like appearances. Could it have been bed bugs? (Washed everything in hot water! Roommates were itching too, but not the swelling and wheps, They were in beds, I was on pullout couch.) We're fine, but who knows! (Per my doc, who knows, the islands have it all!) - One area of a building on premises had water damage, and it had not been repaired during the week we were there. It was "coned" off for awhile, but the standing water attracted many mosquitos. - Restaurant: Staff not very attentive. If they ran out of a certain food, no effort to fix more. A waiter asked if we wanted anything else to drink, but had moved on before getting an answer (LOL! ... We had to seek out someone). Loved the scallops and ribs! Otherwise, too expensive for general quality and lack of service. - Car Rental: On premises rental available, but they wanted $850 deposit, or cr card for hold (their deductible if car damaged). We did not use them. In off-season, recommend renting a car and driving the island; rent elsewhere, even on-line. Taking a cab or contracting a driver can get expensive if staying awhile. Divi was a bit below expectations, after seeing the beautiful pictures, and knowing its overall high rating. It wasn't just awful, but Actual vs. Advertised = low rating. I would go back to St. Maarten / St. Martin as there is so much to do, and we had a fantastic time; but I would consider another place to stay, or make sure there has been a change in management, services, etc. at Divi.

OK - this is the Islands and things aren't like in the States. We travel the higher end of the hotel chains, but I am not a snob about it. I can handle some things, but if I don't feel like something is clean, it creeps me out a bit. This is the oldest resort on the island if we were told correctly. It had been remodeled, but the attention to detail was lacking. It looks good from the outside but don't look too close up or you will see the bumps. We were originally given a studio that had no view of the bay; and, we had to use the key to get in/out of it! When we finally got out of our studio, the actual door number was hanging from one tack instead of four. This was either an omen or a short look at how things were at the resort. We were changed to a larger nicer suite when we told them of our troubles. It is nice for the Island but was not clean enough to my standards. I felt creepy there. The property has been recently remodeled, but they did clean all the dust from where the conditioned air ducts into the room. The rooms were repainted but there was gunk around the outlets from the previous job because no one took the time to properly prep for the new paint. The shower was not level so the water pooled and did not drain properly, plus it was clogged and had to be corrected. The jacuzzi bath had seen better days. The actual jets were black. I don't even want to think what was growing in them. The beach was not cleaned so if someone left a cigarette butt there, it stayed there. Otherwise the grounds were well maintained. I would not stay here again. The restaurant was along the lines of a Denny's in appearance and food quality. Nothing special. Positives: easy to get to Front Street, snorkeling in Little Bay is some of the best on the island, great security (very important) Learnings: use WIOL.com to book next vacation on island, will stay on the French side (this is our second visit to the island - both on Dutch side) even if euros mean higher cost, will book on Orient Bay - this bay is the closest to what you experience in the British Virgin Islands - white powdery sand, beautiful water, lots of things to do if you want to do something and nothing to do if that is what you want as well Complete takeaway - don't stay here until you see them trending up from a lot of reviews

Loved the location-peaceful, secure, pretty, yet a short taxi ride from downtown. Staff was great and friendly especially Eugene in activities and Paul and Alberto in the cafe. The beach was lovely, and one pool with hammocks nearby was our favorite to swim, admire the view, and then get some shade. The room we had on second floor was very nice and clean with a comfy bed. Due to the flooding after the hurricane the first floor of the hotel was being totally redone. That needs to be done, but did not love staying above the gutted rooms. Our room had a beautiful view and again was lovely so we did not change to room away from construction, but if someone was going there they should see where they want to be. The shops and cafe were nice on property as was the managers cocktail party. We got breakfast buffet and room and that was perfect. It let us try restaurant by cab at night or after one of the tours or sunset sailing cruises on the Celine in Simpsons Bay. We went as a family and our college kids had a good time too. . Wishes: Boat to get to snorkling besides jet ski rides, and a game room for families. The exercise room my child said was very well equipped. By Spring all should be back to normal from Hurricane.Would go back and also try one of the rooms with refrigerators. There is a shop to buy groceries, get on internet, etc. usually open to 6pm...Loved Divi!

Web site showed updated luxury rooms. Most are not updated and those that are are not being used that I could see. My first room was a studio and it smelled like urine. TV, Microwave did not work well. Stove was electric and was 25+ years old with rust.Mirror in bathroom looked like paint was splattered on it but it was just old and missing the reflective paint. Bathroom tile was very moldy and shower head was caked with rust. Refridgerator leaked water all over the floor. Requested second room and got it the next afternoon. Same old style but smelled clean and was not in as rough shape at the first one. Water was off and on most days. Room service never changed linens in the 7 days I was there. Had to find a maid to get fresh towels most days. Laundry facilities are coin operated but they have no change machine. HUH? Getting change at the office or any place they suggested was impossible. Very frustrating. Prices for food there is very high. Expect to spend 15-25 dollars a person on breakfast. 25-30 for lunch and more for dinner. Drinks range from 3-6 bucks. There is a deli that has sandwiches for 5-6 bucks that are not bad. The cafe by the pool is reasonable with burgars and fries for 8.95. My bill for 2 people was 25 bucks there. Expect to pay 4 bucks a person to go into town one way. 15 dollars for 2 people to go to the airport. After 10pm the taxi's can charge what ever they want. Also expect to pay for electric upon check out. Plus 25 bucks for a beach towel if you lose one. Service at the resort is slow at best. sometimes they offered an entertainment and you got there and they cancelled because there was no staff to run it. All in all I will not go back.

the location was awesome, but the service was bad, they seemed under staffed. Housekeeping didn't get to our room until 4-5 in the afternoon, just as we were wanting to rest or prepare for dinner. The rooms are in need of updating, they looked very tired, especially the bathrooms. The food options were poor, the resturants lacking ambiance and options. It was difficult to get information as the front desk and concierge desk were typically un-manned. It was OK, but we would not go back, for the price I suggest you look elsewhere.

This is a wonderful place to go for a all girl vacation. The weather is great. The employees were friendly and helpful. We went there like 10 years ago. There was a casino on sight and everyone there was great. There were fun dance clubs. The pool was nice and the beach is right there by the pool. The water in the ocean is warm. I have nothing but good to say about this resort.