Grand Case Beach Club Review: 7 Reasons You’ll Love This Hotel!
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Tucked away in a peaceful oceanfront cove on the Caribbean island of St. Martin/St. Maarten, the Grand Case Beach Club is a haven of laid-back comfort.
One of the island’s best hotels, it’s located close to the culinary village of Grand Case – a real plus, which we get into below.
We recently spent five nights at this beachfront property.
And it’s a pleasure to write this Grand Case Beach Club review!
🏨 Planning a stay at Grand Case Beach Club?
Compare rates on:
- Expedia – Where the hotel scores an “Exceptional” 9.4 out of 10 rating
- Booking.com – Rated an “Excellent” 8.9 out of 10 by guests
Also read our in-depth guide on the chicest places to stay in French St. Martin!
Grand Case Beach Club review
If you’re planning to visit St. Martin and St. Maarten, here are seven reasons you’ll love staying at the Grand Case Beach Club, St. Martin.
1) It’s right on a beautiful beach
Actually, the Grand Case Beach Club (GCBC for short) straddles two virtually private beaches – Grand Case Beach and Petite Plage.
Both beaches are sheltered and calm for swimming.
The Grand Case Beach area is a narrow strip of sand at the east end of Grand Case. (This is the same beach which extends in front of the Grand Case village.)
The shallow waters in front of the resort here are smooth as glass, so it’s an ideal spot for young children to splash about in.
Petite Plage on the other side of the hotel is the more popular beach, with a broad expanse of golden sand and lots of beach chairs.
It’s serviced by a beach club. Chilling at this beach club was actually one of our favorite things to do in St. Martin!
2) The hotel rooms are suites with kitchens
Who doesn’t love having a kitchen in their hotel room?
Nothing beats the pleasure of having morning coffee on your balcony in your PJs, as you watch the sun rise and puffy clouds dance around it.
GCBC accommodations are in a handful of two- and three-story red-roofed buildings strung along the beach.
They’re all apartment-style suites with full kitchens, flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi. Most have ocean views.
And the welcome bottle of Chardonnay and fresh flowers is a nice touch.
You can choose from studios to studios with a loft on an upper floor, one-bedroom suites, one-bedroom suites with an additional loft, and two-bedroom suites.
Our one-bedroom suite was a spacious 600 sq. ft. in size, all on one level.
It featured a king size bed, which could be curtained off from the living/dining room, a bathroom with a rain shower with pebble floor, a large balcony with cushioned loungers and a fully-equipped kitchen with white cupboards.
The kitchen had a full-size fridge, coffee maker and everything we needed to make meals. Not that we cooked in all the time! We were on vacation, after all.
The only thing lacking was a dishwasher, but it wasn’t something we missed.
The best rooms?
Many hotel guests especially like the convenience of the ground-floor rooms on the Grand Case Beach side, because you can walk directly out from your terrace to a grassy area with beach chairs overlooking the beach.
Your beach chair could be literally feet away from your room.
As we’re light sleepers, we’d probably pick a top floor room next time though.
We had a second-story suite in a three-story building, and we’d wake up to the sound of little feet pattering around in the room above us.
The bodies that went with those little feet woke up early each day!
3) It’s within easy walking distance of Grand Case’s restaurants
Location. Location. Location.
If you love great food, the resort boasts the perfect location – one that will tease your tastebuds. All Grand Case Beach Club reviews point this out.
Of course, you can eat at the resort’s on-site restaurant, Sunset Café. And it’s a great option for all-American breakfasts, lunches and sunset cocktails with a beautiful view right over the water.
But for dinner, you’re just a short walk away from a wide variety of restaurants serving up some of the yummiest French cuisine this side of the Atlantic.
That’s right. The Grand Case restaurants will blow you away with their food.
Hit L’Auberge Gourmand for frog’s legs, escargot and big bowls of French Onion soup. Spiga satisfies with home-made pasta creations. Drool over French Caribbean fusion food at Le Pressoir.
There’s a reason Grand Case is known as the culinary capital of the Caribbean. And its restaurants are a big reason Grand Case is one of the best areas to stay on St. Martin’s French side.
4) The beach club offers plenty of water sports
SUP boards? Kayaks? Snorkeling gear? Floating mats?
You get complimentary use of all this gear. Simply sign them out from the resort’s beach club at Petite Plage.
Unfortunately, it was too breezy for us to go paddleboarding during our stay. But the toys are there for when conditions are favorable!
You can also book an array of activities like 2-hour snorkeling trips to Creole Rock, the passenger ferry to St. Barts, all-day sailing trips with Scoobidoo (loads of fun!) and more.
As well, other recreation amenities like tennis courts and a fitness center are available onsite
5) There’s a rooftop pool
You’d think that with two beaches at your fingertips, you wouldn’t need a pool.
But there is one. Quite a stunning outdoor pool, in fact – on top of the promontory that separates the two beaches.
The views are superb from here.
It’s also not very busy.
Maybe that’s because there’s little shade. One tree provides shade for about four beach chairs, but other chairs get the sun (there were no umbrellas).
But if you feel like going for a swim there, you’ll likely have the pool all to yourself. And there’s no harm to a little Vitamin D, is there?
6) It’s family friendly
Unlike some other hotels on the island which cater to adults – like L’Esplanade and Le Petit Hotel – the Grand Case Beach Hotel welcomes families.
The two-bedroom units (1,200 sq. ft.) are the perfect place for families to bunk down.
They’re configured on two levels, with the full kitchen, living area (with a full-size convertible sofa) and half-bathroom on the main ground level. The terrace opens directly onto the lawn in front and the beach.
On the second floor, you have two ensuite bedrooms – one is the master bedroom and the other has two double beds.
So if you’re visiting St. Martin with kids, GCBC is a top choice!
7) There are lots of cool places to lounge
You know that early morning dash you have to endure at many other beachfront resorts to “reserve” beach or pool chairs by dumping your towels and gear on them?
Well, there’s no scrambling for chairs at GCBC.
Sleep in, eat a leisurely breckie and amble down to the beach on your own time, as there are plenty of lounge chairs for everyone!
A popular area for those who love peace and quiet is the strip of grass fronting Grand Case Beach and the guest rooms overlooking it.
Thatched palapas, cabanas and seagrape trees provide shade for cushioned beach chairs. Stone steps lead down from the raised grass terrace to the beach and turquoise sea.
Back in 2017, Hurricane Irma devastated the island of Saint Martin and did a number on GCBC.
During the resort’s reconstruction, a spiffy new wooden boardwalk with rope handrails was built all around the edge of the rocky promontory (where the pool is located up top).
Apart from offering some great Insta-shot spots, the boardwalk is also punctuated with several inset “hidden” decks, furnished with just a few deck chairs and a palapa each, for close-up ocean views and lounging.
Our favorite place to lie out was the inset deck at the rounded tip of the promontory, which had a thatched roof over four deck chairs.
With water on three sides around us and waves swirling around the rocks below, it almost felt like we were lounging on the deck of an overwater bure.
We’d watch yachties dive off from sailboats anchored offshore and guests float on the water on blue foam mats – and thank the travel gods we could bliss out here on a sunny winter escape.
That’s it for our review of Grand Case Beach Club!
So there you have it – our thoughts on this St. Martin beachfront resort.
Have you stayed here? Do you have anything to add? Let us know; we love hearing from readers. (You can share your thoughts in the Comments below.)
How to book
➡️ See the hotel’s website.
➡️ Also compare rates on Expedia and on Booking.com – you may find a better rate than booking directly through the hotel.
More St. Martin/St. Maarten travel guides
- Hotel L’Esplanade: A Perfect Boutique Hotel in Grand Case
- The 17 Best Resorts in St. Martin and St. Maarten
- How to Plan a Fabulous Trip to St. Martin/St. Maarten
- 10 Top Restaurants in Grand Case for Food Lovers
- Best Areas and Hotels in French St. Martin
- St. Maarten Cruise Port Guide
- 25 Unbeatable Things to Do on St. Martin/St. Maarten
- 7 Super Fun Boat Tours From Dutch St. Maarten
- Which is Better: St. Martin or St. Martin?
- 10 Rooms, Endless Charm: Meet Le Petit Hotel
- 7 Reasons to Love Esmeralda Resort in Orient Bay
💡Our top travel tips and resources
→ General trip planning: TripAdvisor is a helpful starting point, with loads of user reviews on hotels, restaurants and things to do.
→ Hotels: Booking.com is our go-to for scoring a “wow” hotel – or at least a decent one – often at lower rates than the hotel’s own website. (We especially like Booking.com’s flexible cancellation policy!) You can also find excellent discounted rates on Expedia, especially for hotels in the U.S. and Mexico.
→ Vacation homes, condos and rentals: We prefer and use Vrbo (Vacation Rentals by Owner).
→ Flights: For the best flights, we search on Google Flights first. Expedia and Kayak are then perfect for snagging the cheapest tickets. (They’re often non-refundable, though, so for more flexibility, we book directly with the airline, even if it costs more.)
→ Airport lounge access: We love (and have) Priority Pass for comfy lounge seats, free snacks and drinks, complimentary WiFi and sometimes even showers and spa services!
→ Tours: For the best local food, walking and other guided tours, plus skip-the-line tickets to attractions, check out Viator (a TripAdvisor company) and GetYourGuide.
→ Car rental: Renting a car can be a great way to explore off the beaten path. Discover Cars searches car rental companies for the lowest rates.
→ Travel insurance: SafetyWing is designed for frequent travelers, long-term adventurers and digital nomads. It covers medical expenses, lost checked luggage, trip interruption and more. We also have and recommend Medjet for global air medical transportation.
→ Travel gear: See our travel shop to find the best luggage, accessories and other travel gear. (We suggest these comfy travel sandals for city walking, the beach and kicking about.)
→ Need more help planning your trip? Check out our travel tips and resources guide for airline booking tips, ways to save money, how to find cool hotels and other useful trip planning info.
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Photo credits: 2 to 7, 14, 15, 17 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase | 11, 12 Le Pressoir | 1, 8, 13, 16 Grand Case Beach Club, Saint Martin
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