The Old Gin House — King Room with Ocean View
Sleep inside 18th-century Statia history, wake to the Caribbean at your feet
Why Go
Housed in a lovingly restored cotton gin factory on Oranjestad's Lower Town waterfront, this King Room trades hotel gloss for weathered stone, dark wood shutters and the sound of surf just beyond the sea wall — the closest you'll get to sleeping on the beach without actually being on it.
The Experience
The Old Gin House is one of Statia's most storied addresses, built from the coral-stone bones of the island's colonial-era cotton ginning works and reborn as an intimate 20-key boutique inn. The King Room with Ocean View sits on the sea-facing side of the property, so you get shuttered windows framing the Caribbean, tile floors that stay cool against bare feet, a proper king bed dressed in crisp white linens, and a small writing desk that begs to be used for postcards no one writes anymore. Days here follow the island's slow rhythm: coffee on the terrace watching dive boats push off for the marine park, a swim straight off the pebble beach across the lane, an afternoon reading in the shade of the courtyard's tamarind tree, and dinner at the hotel's own restaurant as pelicans dive-bomb the shallows. There is no elevator, no TV drama, and mercifully spotty cell signal — which is exactly the point on an island where the biggest crowd you'll encounter is a pod of visiting scientists from STENAPA.
What to Try
Book the ocean-view king rather than a courtyard room even if it's a touch more — the sunset light through those west-facing shutters is the whole reason to stay here. Order the catch-of-the-day at the on-site restaurant (usually wahoo or mahi landed that morning at Gallows Bay), pair it with a Statia Brew, and ask the bar for a Guavaberry rum nightcap. In the morning, walk five minutes up the ruined Bay Path steps into Upper Town before the sun gets serious.
Insider Tip
Ask reception which room number faces most directly west — a couple of the ocean-view kings catch the sunset dead-on through the shutters, and staff will quietly reassign you at check-in if it's available. Also: the hotel is a two-minute stroll from Golden Rock Dive & Nature Center, so if you're diving, skip the taxi and just walk your gear over.
The Practical Stuff
Location: Lower Town, Oranjestad, on the Bay Road waterfront, about a 10-minute drive from F.D. Roosevelt Airport (FRA). Check-in from 3pm, check-out by 11am. Cash (USD) and major cards accepted; tipping is appreciated but not automatic. AC and Wi-Fi in-room, but expect Caribbean-pace bandwidth. No pool — the sea is the pool. Bring reef-safe sunscreen; it's required across Statia's marine park.
Pair It With
- Aquarium Dive Site — One of Statia's signature shallow dives, a short boat ride from the hotel's doorstep — perfect for a morning before lunch on the terrace.
- Alvin V. Courtar Park — A quiet green space in Upper Town for a shaded afternoon walk after breakfast, five minutes up the Bay Path from the hotel.
- Antillean Horde Car Rental Guide — Grab a small 4x4 for a day to tackle the Quill volcano trailhead — the Old Gin House is a fine base but the island's best hiking is inland.
