Oyster Pond & Dawn Beach, St. Maarten

Oyster Pond is a sheltered lagoon on the island's east coast, ringed by green hills, with the Dutch–French border running through the water. On the Dutch side, Dawn Beach is 1.4 kilometres of white sand with a coral reef just offshore, backed by the JW Marriott resort, the Oyster Bay Beach Resort and low-density residences of villas, condos and townhouses on the hillsides. Philipsburg is about ten minutes west and Orient Bay ten minutes north.

For sale with Andreu Realty on 7 October 2026: a renovated one-bedroom condo at Princess Heights, above Dawn Beach, at $299,000, with a monthly fee of $645; and Le Diamant Blanc, a renovated apartment building of 11 furnished units, at $3,800,000. One Dawn Beach property is shown as sold on our site.

Oyster Pond is split by the border. On the Dutch side, a civil-law notary handles the sale and buyer closing costs come to about 5.5% of the price, including the 4% transfer tax. On the French side of the pond, a French notaire handles it in euros, and the Collectivité de Saint-Martin's tax office lists an 8% registration duty, with the notaire's fees on top. Check which side a property is on before you compare prices.

Oyster Pond suits buyers who want a quieter coast that faces the sunrise, a reef-protected beach and a marina, with Philipsburg and Orient Bay each about ten minutes away.

Buying in Oyster Pond and Dawn Beach: what to check. First, check which side of the border the property is on, because the notary, the currency of the deed and the closing costs all change. At Princess Heights, the one-bedroom at $299,000 works out at about $399 a square foot (750 sq ft, one bedroom, two bathrooms), with a monthly fee of $645, a gym, a communal pool and a gated entrance (10 October 2026): the fee is high for the size, so ask exactly what it covers and for the association's budget and reserve fund. Le Diamant Blanc, built in 2022, is a building of 11 furnished units with 16 bedrooms in all, a communal pool, a rooftop terrace, a 24-hour guard and hurricane shutters, listed at $3,800,000, or about $345,500 per unit: ask for the rent roll, occupancy by month, the operating costs, the meters per unit and the permits. On the east coast the trade winds are steady and salt air is hard on metal: look at railings, air-conditioning units and window frames. And get an insurance quote, including windstorm cover, before you sign.