# Caribbean Vacations Forums > St. Maarten/St. Martin Travel Forum >  >  traffic and where to stay

## mari

My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to the island for next week and battling between two options I have under RCI. Sapphire Beach Club in Cupecoy, and Cottages Lionviers in Anse Marcel.

Both don't have the best reviews in the world, but at least the Sapphire Beach Club is right in front of the tiny beach, the renovated units seem to be nice, they are supposed to have a jacuzzi on the oceanview 3 bedroom units (which I would book), and a pool (that I doubt we will use, because the pool is not that beautiful ...and we are in St. Martin).   

Our second option is quite simple apartment looking rooms that seem out-of-date, no ammenities ...BUT... they are in Anse Marcel, which is closer to Orient, Grand Case, Friar's Bay, Happy Beach, the island in front of Orient, etc.

So the issue is we don't want to waste so much time in the car, be stuck in traffic, and were even considering taking a portable shower if we stay in Cupecoy so that we don't need to go back to the hotel mid-afternoon to shower and get ready for dinner, since the traffic is supposed to be horrible between 4-6pm.  

So I want advice from someone who has been there and can advise whether it's better to have a nice place but have to drive potentially 40min-1.5hours one way, twice a day to enjoy the beaches. Or to take something very basic, but be 20min away tops to most of the more interesting spots we want to visit. Is traffic really that bad???

Help please! I'm booking my hotel today.

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## andynap

WE have stayed in Cupecoy and liked it a lot. The beaches in Maho and Sandy Ground are nice. I like the place in Cupecoy. Around 10 am there isn't that much traffic to Orient and it isn't that long a drive at that hour. BTW- unless a storm took it out, the beach at Cupecoy was very large.

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## MIke R

Sapphire Beach Reort used to be a really nice place but I ve  heard from people who have been there recently it has gone downhill quite a bit in the past few years

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## mari

Thank you for your information. We are basically trying to evaluate whether driving north and south every day is worth the hassle for being in a slightly better room, with more space, a balcony towards the beach and jacuzzi.  We both live in LA and don't want to be stuck in the car any more than we need to, since we have plenty of that home already and our point of the trip is to rest and enjoy the island.  

...if the drive on the other hand is not so bad, even between 4-6 between Cupecoy and Grand Case for example, it might be worth staying in a nicer place. 

still trying to make up my mind. :)

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## amyb

Anse Marcel is a perfectly lovely calm beach-a true crescent with small waves. Enjoy what is in your backyard.

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## JEK

Mari, not sure any of us on this forum have current information on the drive as we mostly (99%) stay on Saint Barth.

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## andynap

> Thank you for your information. We are basically trying to evaluate whether driving north and south every day is worth the hassle for being in a slightly better room, with more space, a balcony towards the beach and jacuzzi.  We both live in LA and don't want to be stuck in the car any more than we need to, since we have plenty of that home already and our point of the trip is to rest and enjoy the island.  
> 
> ...if the drive on the other hand is not so bad, even between 4-6 between Cupecoy and Grand Case for example, it might be worth staying in a nicer place. 
> 
> still trying to make up my mind. :)



The traffic between 4 and 6 is bad. At least 1 hour from Cupecoy to Grand Case.

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## mari

Thank you all so much for your input! We have decided to stay at the Cottage Lionviers in Anse Marcel and avoid moving much. Looking forward to some relaxation :). Hopefully next time it will be in St. Barts!

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## andynap

> Thank you all so much for your input! We have decided to stay at the Cottage Lionviers in Anse Marcel and avoid moving much. Looking forward to some relaxation :). Hopefully next time it will be in St. Barts!



Have a good time and thanks for posting.

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## bkeats

Hi Mari, too late to help but we stayed at the Sapphire for a long weekend a couple of years ago. The place was ok. Clearly has seen better days but it was fine. We had an ocean front two bedroom with a terrace and hot tub. Rooms were functional. Bedrooms were pretty big. Kitchen had the bare minimum equipment. The pool area was actually pretty nice as its a big pool. The beach at the hotel is miniscule. At high tide, there basically wasn't a beach. Lots of mosquitos there though.

The drive from there to Baie Rouge which is our favorite beach on the French side was never a problem as there isn't much traffic through Terre Basse. If you are heading to Grand Case or Orient, it would be truly unlucky to have it take 1.5 hours. You would have to hit the bridge right at opening during rush hour.

I'm not a fan of Anse Marcel. It's pretty isolated there and the hotels there dominate the beach. Best thing going for that location is that it is close to Orient and Grand Case so that the drive back from dinner is quick.

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## Theresa

Hi Mari.  I hope you are enjoying your stay on St. Martin.  I am very familiar with both locations, and I think you made the better choice by staying at Anse Marcel.  We spent an afternoon there in November 2014.  The bay was picturesque and the water was very calm.  We had very attentive beach service and couldn't have asked for more.  I agree with bkeats that Anse Marcel is isolated, but we enjoyed it enough to consider staying nearby in the future.  Please post your opinion of Cottage Lionviers for future reference :-)  

We prefer the French side of the island, and Anse Marcel is closer to those things we enjoy most.  For example, it's very close to Cul de Sac, where you board the taxi boat to Pinel.  A day at Pinel, and for us, at Karibuni, is truly paradise.  

We usually stay in the area of Pelican Key, but often add a few days on the French side just to enjoy the things we like most without having to deal with traffic.  The traffic can be as unpleasant as what one sees in any major US city.  Another benefit is being able to return to your home base even when many on the island are involved in protests which close down the main road.  Such events occur fairly frequently of late.  We were subject to one such protest in October 2015 when we attempted to get from the Pinel boat back to our TS on Pelican Key.  We ended up stranded and waiting things out until the roadblocks temporarily reopened.  It was especially stressful because our three year-old daughter was with us, and we had an early flight home the next morning.  I hope you haven't encountered anything similar to that.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

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