One Love
A low-key Statia stay within walking distance of Lower Town's dive shops and Oranje Bay
Why Go
Sint Eustatius is the Caribbean at its most unhurried — no cruise crowds, no resort strips, just a sleepy volcanic rock where dive boats outnumber taxis. One Love, tucked onto Big Stone Road in Oranjestad, is exactly the kind of small, independently run place that fits the island's mood: simple, personal, and close enough to the historic fort and dive centers that you can leave the rental car parked most days.
The Experience
Statia isn't a place you come to lounge by an infinity pool — and One Love doesn't pretend otherwise. It's a modest guesthouse-style property in the compact capital, where mornings begin with roosters and the ring of goat bells drifting up from the pastures below Fort Oranje. Rooms lean practical over polished; expect the essentials (bed, AC, quiet), plus the kind of easy access to town that lets you walk to the bakery, the grocery, and the harbor path down to Lower Town. Because the island only gets a trickle of visitors — mostly divers, hikers, and history buffs — you'll find yourself on a first-name basis with half of Oranjestad by day two. That's the trade: no resort polish, but a genuine sense of stepping into local life on one of the Dutch Caribbean's most overlooked islands.
What to Try
Use One Love as a base for the two things Statia actually does better than anywhere else in the region: diving the pristine reefs and wrecks in the marine park (Aquarium and Charles Brown are the classics — book with STENAPA-affiliated shops in Lower Town), and hiking the Quill, the extinct volcano whose crater rainforest hides giant kapok trees and hermit crabs the size of your fist. In town, wander the ruins of Fort Oranje at golden hour, then grab a snapper roti or a Carib beer at one of the handful of local spots along Wilhelminaweg.
Insider Tip
Statia has almost no ATMs and cards are hit-or-miss outside the bigger operators — pull cash (USD is standard here) before you fly in from St. Maarten, and stock up on any snacks or wine at Duggins or Windward Islands supermarkets your first afternoon, because Sunday closures are strict and the nearest 'anything you forgot' is a 20-minute Winair flight away.
The Practical Stuff
Address: Big Stone Road 17, Oranjestad, Sint Eustatius (Caribbean Netherlands). Getting here: fly Winair from Sint Maarten (SXM) into Statia's F.D. Roosevelt Airport (EUX), then a 5-minute taxi to Oranjestad. A rental car or scooter is useful for reaching the Quill trailhead and Zeelandia Beach, but the property itself is walkable to town, dive shops, and the Lower Town waterfront. Cash (USD) preferred for small purchases; confirm booking, rate, and payment method directly with the host, as inventory on this island turns over quickly and online listings can lag.
Pair It With
- Scubaqua Dive Center Guide — Statia's marine park is the whole reason many travelers come — pair a stay at One Love with a two-tank morning dive on the Charles Brown wreck or the Aquarium reef, both a short boat ride from Lower Town.
- The Quill National Park — The dormant volcano rising behind Oranjestad is a 2–3 hour round-trip hike into a crater rainforest — an easy half-day out from the guesthouse with a STENAPA nature tag.
- Fort Oranje Guide — A 10-minute walk from Big Stone Road, this 17th-century Dutch fort overlooks Oranje Bay and is the best sunset spot in town — free to wander and layered with the island's trading-post history.
- Old Gin House restaurant — Statia's most reliable sit-down dinner, in a restored 18th-century cotton gin down in Lower Town — a natural pairing when you want one polished evening without leaving walking distance.
