Editor’s note: This post is from January 2018 and a lot has changed at the Westin Dawn Beach Property. For more current information you click on this link to see our latest post from January 2020.
There have been plenty of pictures of the damages caused by Hurricane Irma, perhaps too many, but there have been a noticeable few of the larger resorts. You know, the ones that offer the biggest amount of rooms that, until repaired and reopened, will continue to keep overnight tourists away.
My family and I have spent some time at Westin Dawn Beach, so naturally I was curious to find out what things looked like there while on my latest trip to Saint Martin. Most of the larger hotels on the island — Westin, Riu Palace and Sonesta being the largest — received significant damage and most won’t reopen until either late 2018 or, more likely, 2019. Of course, that depends on who you ask.
As you can see in the photos below, the Westin Dawn Beach resort incurred quite a bit of damage, as you’d expect. Noticeable in the photos are tire tracks in the dirt, but no tractors or large equipment were anywhere in the area. It’s uncertain whether there’s a delay or what the reason is for repairs not being made expediently. Or at least appearing as though they aren’t being made.
For now, this is all the information we have. But we will let you know as, and if, we receive official word from any of the larger hotels on the island. In the end, the complete recovery of the tourism industry in Saint Martin relies heavily on these big resorts. Things won’t be able to get completely back on track until they all reopen.
Please help support and rebuild SXM today. Click here to visit the SXM Strong donate page.
Damages to the sidewalk approaching the pool area
Structural damage to several floors
Views across Dawn Beach are still as beautiful as ever
Still lots of Iguanas roaming around
