Palm Spring Inn — Deluxe Apartment
A home-away-from-home base for exploring Statia, minutes from the airport and Oranjestad.
Why Go
On an island where most visitors are divers, volcano hikers, or history nerds — and where hotels can be counted on one hand — the Palm Spring Inn quietly does the un-flashy thing well: a full-kitchen apartment, a private balcony on some units, and a five-minute hop to the runway. It's the kind of place that treats you less like a room number and more like the neighbor who just moved in for the week.
The Experience
Palm Spring Inn is a low-slung, two-story building in the Cherry Tree neighborhood, made up of just 11 apartments — small enough that the staff learn your name by day two. The Deluxe Apartment leans a step up from the standard units: full-size bed, flat-screen HDTV, an open-plan living-and-dining space, and (in some) a private balcony where the evening trade winds do most of the air-conditioning work for free. Every unit comes with a fully functional kitchen, private bathroom, cable TV, wireless internet, and AC — the practical bones you actually need on a sleepy Dutch Caribbean island where restaurants keep short hours and grocery runs are part of the rhythm. It's a 5-minute drive to F.D. Roosevelt Airport and about 7 minutes into central Oranjestad, close enough that you can pop back mid-day to rinse off salt or nap between dives. Pets are welcome, laundry can be arranged, and the front desk will sort a car hire or an airport pickup without fuss.
What to Try
Book a Deluxe unit specifically for the private balcony — worth the small bump for morning coffee with the Quill volcano looming in the background. Take advantage of the full kitchen: hit the small supermarkets in Oranjestad on arrival day, stock up on Dutch cheese, local fish, and Presidente beers, and cook in on evenings when the town's few restaurants are closed. Ask the front desk to line up an airport transfer and a rental car in advance — walk-up availability on Statia is genuinely thin. If you're diving, use the in-unit fridge for surface-interval snacks and the balcony rail as a very serviceable wetsuit-drying station.
Insider Tip
Statia effectively closes on Sundays — most restaurants and shops shut. Time your grocery run for Saturday morning, and treat Sunday as a cook-in-and-read day on the balcony. Also: the 'deluxe' distinction here is real but subtle — when booking, specifically request a deluxe unit with the private balcony rather than assuming it comes standard.
The Practical Stuff
Located on Erick R. Gibbs Road 2 in Cherry Tree, roughly 5 minutes by car from F.D. Roosevelt Airport (EUX) and 7 minutes from central Oranjestad. Eleven apartments total; one- and two-bedroom layouts available. Every unit has AC, wireless internet, cable TV, private bathroom, and a fully equipped kitchen. Pet-friendly. Services on request include airport transfer, car hire, laundry, and grocery delivery. Non-smoking rooms only. A rental car is strongly recommended — the island has no meaningful public transport and taxis are limited.
Pair It With
- The Aquarium Dive Site — One of Statia's signature dives — a shallow reef teeming with life, easily reachable through any of the island's dive operators and a short drive from the inn.
- The Quill National Park — The dormant volcano crater hike is Statia's marquee land activity; the inn's kitchen is perfect for packing a trail lunch and its AC is a welcome recovery zone afterwards.
- Historic Oranjestad & Fort Oranje — Seven minutes away — the 17th-century fort, cobbled Upper Town, and blue-bead history make an easy half-day walk when you're not underwater.
- Antillean Horde Car Rental Guide — You'll want wheels on Statia, and having a rental sorted through a nearby operator makes airport-to-inn-to-dive-shop logistics painless.
