The Old Gin House
Sleep inside 260 years of Statia history, steps from the Caribbean Sea
Why Go
Before it was Statia's best-known boutique hotel, this cobblestone landmark on Orange Bay was a 1760s guesthouse and later a working cotton gin — and its 18th-century ballast-brick walls still frame every sunset dinner on the waterfront deck.
The Experience
The Old Gin House sits in Oranjestad's Lower Town on Orange Bay, a restored colonial building where a lively sea-facing deck, small garden pool, and ocean-view rooms and suites blend heritage with barefoot Caribbean ease. Days here revolve around the water — the dive boats leave from practically next door — and evenings around the Ocean Lounge, where the surf breaks a few meters from your table. It's less a resort than a living piece of the island's golden-age trading history, and the atmosphere draws divers, history buffs, and just about everyone on the island for dinner.
What to Try
Book a table at the waterfront restaurant — widely rated the best on the island — and order the Caribbean-style lobster, the house specialty, or fresh-caught seafood and prime steaks off the dinner menu. Breakfast on the ocean terrace is the classic way to start a Statia morning.
Insider Tip
The restaurant closes for dinner on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so plan your splurge meal around those days — and ask for a garden room if you're a light sleeper, or an ocean-view suite if you want the waves as your alarm clock. Divers: the Scubaqua dive center is right next door, making this the most convenient base on the island for a dive trip.
The Practical Stuff
Located on the bayfront in Lower Town, Oranjestad, St. Eustatius, about a 5-minute drive from F.D. Roosevelt Airport. On-site restaurant serves breakfast and dinner (no dinner Tue–Wed); pool, bar, and ocean lounge on the property. Car rentals (Antillean Horde and others) are available nearby, though the town itself is walkable. Mid-range boutique pricing; reserve well ahead in high season as rooms on this small island are limited.
Pair It With
- Aquarium - Dive Site Guide — One of Statia's signature dive sites — easy to arrange through the dive center right next to the hotel for a morning underwater before lunch on the deck.
- Alvin V Courtar Park Guide — A short stroll for a relaxed break between the beachfront and Upper Town's historic streets.
- Ariel's Art Guide — Pick up locally made art as a souvenir after browsing Oranjestad — a fitting complement to a stay in the island's most historic hotel.
