We stayed at Le Petit Hotel in January 2008 and could not have been more pleased. The room (#9) on the third floor was wonderful, with the balcony providing a terrific view of Grand Case Bay and Anguilla. The room was immaculately clean, the bed comfortable and the bathroom stylish and well-appointed, save one morning when water pressure ran low. It's an easy walk up the beach to the center of Grand Case. Alternatively, the walk up the road is a bit scary because there is no sidewalk - only a narrow path - but we got more adept at it as the week wore on.

The continental breakfasts were very good. The staff was excellent and helpful, arranging a rental car and our return to the airport.

The only drawback for sun bunnies is that the beach side of the hotel faces the bay to the north, so the sun comes from over the buildings and so the relatively-narrow beach near the hotel is often mostly shade. One has to pick the right times and/or move frequently to stay in the sun. Even Paradise has its occasional drawback. We'd stay there again in a heartbeat.

We were three couples staying for a few nights en route from New York to St. Barth and this was a sweet and lovely respite from the tumult of Grand Case, situated on a quiet beach (we were often the only ones on the chaises, which are free), so it was relaxing and served our needs.

All of us were wowed by the linens, the soft duvet, enjoyed the size of the rooms, the view of the water, the ease and sweetness of the place. The woman at the desk (daytime only) was accommodating and lovely, made calls for us, wanted to be helpful.

There is a wonderful Continental breakfast which you get yourself and then take on a tray to your porch. It's directly on the road and has a small parking lot in front but you don't hear traffic noise in your room as no room faces the road.

Prices - and this is high season - were a fare $360-$410 range, and the hotel is easy, a very short drive into Grand Case, not far from Marigot, which is where we'd go for meals. They also invited us for free drinks at their sister hotel on the beach.

We reserved room #1 right on the beach and felt like we had our own incredible French-Moroccan home. The room was lovely, the amenities flawless, and the food and location perfect.

Things we loved.
- The beach. It's right there outside the back door. Water as warm as bathwater - we swam hours each day. Whoever said that there's only a small space to swim in is wrong; there's endless space to swim in. Water is crystal clear. Do watch out for sea urchins, though.

- The breakfast. The baked goods are obviously hand-made and crafted to perfection to French patisserie standards. The juice is squeezed by hand (juice press) also - I saw the staff making it. It shows in the taste: divine. You can saunter over to the breakfast buffet any time you like, which I prefer over having to sit in some public dining room.

- The accommodations. Room #1 is fantastic. Right on the beach; exceptionally well appointed. Everything first rate and gorgeous. It's a large room, spacious kitchen, large bedroom, large bathroom, total privacy, and just a few steps right out your back door to the beach. Feels like a private home. The view is INCREDIBLE.

- The location. Walking a few block to "restaurant row" (and oh, what a delightful culinary find that is!) was so much fun. Feels much more European. Go to St. Martin to experience something different than the U.S. Walk 3 blocks, enjoy the stroll, drink in your surroundings. By beach or by sidewalk, it's all very pleasant!


- The service. Stephanie at the front desk was wonderful. So nice, and will arrange anything for you if you ask. In fact, everyone was professional, warm, and knowledgeable.

- The food in town. Oh, what a treat. We are "foodies" and this was an important aspect for us. We were not disappointed.
Do eat at La Marine for lunch or dinner; they have excellent meals (the best we had on the trip) and a great bar also. The Pink Martini is a must for cocktails late at night (great meeting place for the locals; great local color). L'Escapade was excellent also. There is no need to leave Grand Case in order to find inventive, high-quality food (or savory casual food, if that's your preference).

There was much more to see - butterfly farm, Dutch side of the island, other beaches, and more restaurants to try - but our five days flew by and we ran out of time. No worries; we'll be back.

Things to watch out for.
- Slight language barrier. We went in the off-season (October) and had perfect weather but found ourselves a bit at a disadvantage when it came to ordering food around town. However, logical gesturing or high-school French will get you by.

- Sundays, nothing is open. Thank goodness the owner (Max) at La Marine saved us from starving. But every other restaurant is closed - so if you'll be in Grand Case on a Sunday, plan ahead!


Overall, Le Petit Hotel gave us exactly what we wanted: a pampered, upscale, absolutely perfect experience.The unique fusion of French, Morocccan, and Caribbean cultures mixed with a beach-chic casual elegance was an added treat. There's nothing like this place anywhere, and we will return - and we'll stay at Le Petit.

I need to be careful when writing this review as the Le Petit was a very nice clean hotel but having travelled extensively throughout the Caribbean this was a atrange one to give rave reviews on. The room at the top was ideal for sitting watching the world go by, albiet a tad small. the views of the beach, sea and the surrounding town was fantastic The hotel itself was strange as there was no reception area to speak of just a small room with a nice French lady working a 9 hour day. It was open from 9-5 which we found hard to get used to as in most hotels or room only places there was a reception area with someone on duty till late in the evening. It says bed and breakfast but once again it was strange having to walk down three flights of stairs to collect the continental breakfast for two and then back up again as there is no dining room or lift. By the time you get back to your room you needed a rest before eating. The breakfast was a good continental with great fresh orage juice so top marks. The room was a good size with a nice big bed, but once again hard as rocks. We spoke to the manager of the sister hotel, 'The Esplanade', and she said, no offence to our American cousins, that the reason for the hard beds is because the large American guests would break the beds in a short time and it would cost them a fortune to keep replacing the mattresses, sorry guys. The kitchen was very small and basic not like the Ku we stayed at in Anguilla. We did not look at any other rooms so they might have larger kitchens. The downside to this place was the position. It was right on a busy road, and I mean busy as was the whole island. To get to the restaurants up in Grand Case was a nightmare if you walked. There is a small narrow sidewalk to walk about a mile before you hit the restaurants and believe me it was downright dangerous. There were cars parked on the pavement which you had to walk aroung taking your life in your hands as you did so. There were a lot of restaurants within a small area but most of them, at least while we were there, were empty and we thought it was to do with the prices as they were expensive. We do recommend a place called LoLo's, I think that is how you spell it, which does great barbicue meats and fish of all kinds and you can walk away with a bill of no more than 20 dollars, great value.Walking along the beach to Grand Case is another option but the sand is very soft and hard work to walk on plus we noticed quite a lot of glass in the sand as you got nearer to LoLo's so not really recommended as an option. The other small point was the beach out the front was quite narrow and the sun would go about 3.30 pm so it meant dragging the heavy sun bed about 50 yards along the beach to keep getting in the rays then drag it back again when it is time to go back to your room. We paid £598 for 4 nights, which was a expensive for what you get but still worth a four star,according to my girlfriend, as it was in very good condition. If the dollar was not in our favour then it would definitely not have been worth the money. To us hiring a car was not an option as the roads were very busy with some pretty crazy drivers. And when you went into Marigo the traffic was unbelievable, just like being on the M25. The same goes for Phillipsberg, which was basically a town set up to accomadate the cruise liners. Great for shopping but nothing else. So we did not do our usual and visit the whole island as it would have taken weeks to get through the traffic. The island as whole, at least the bits we saw was wierd to say the least. It was not a Caribbean island as we all know them to be. More like a bustling city stop with French cars an a French way of life. None of those lovel Rasters and local Caribbean people you meet on other islands. We have decided it was the worst island we have visited so far and would never go back there again. A last note beware of the taxi prices. We had a 6 am taxi to the airport and he charged us 45 dollars for a trip worth no more than 25 dollars. A final note, we did vist the sister hotel 'The Esplanade' and found it much better value than the 'Le Petite'. We had a free cocktail and spoke to the manageress and some guests. The guests all said it was a lovely place to stay, even though it was not near the beach, having said that the beach was not too far away.I have given the 'Le Petite' a four star but I think it would be nearer three star than four except my girlfriend told me not to.