VISITOR STORY - Uncommon Envy: Statia’s Old Gin House Has Me Smittened

Love at first sight can be a dangerous thing. There’s just nothing sensible about it, which often means harsh consequences come about because of it.

I know all this, of course… Experienced those harsh consequences a time or two as well.

Still, when it comes to The Old Gin House in St. Eustatius, I just don’t care. I’ve been smitten with the place ever since I first glimpsed her website a couple years ago. I haven’t visited yet, but it’s right near the top of my ever-expanding Caribbean travel wish list. If you’ve ever looked into taking a trip to Statia, then I’m sure you feel the same way too, and not just because there are so few other choices.

The Old Gin House oozes with history and charm, two key elements I love in a hotel. True to its name, and perhaps a bit misleading to the tipplers among us, the property is a faithful reconstruction of an 18th-century building that actually housed a cotton gin. Those bricks you see on its walls, they were once used as ballast by ships calling on the island.

The historic aspects of the hotel are complemented nicely by its location along Oranje Bay, just steps from the ruins of the ancient stone warehouses stemming from the island’s heyday as The Golden Rock. Just up the hill, guests can explore Fort Oranje, the 17th-century citadel from whence the first official salute to what was then a brand new country called the United States of America was made on November 16, 1776.

The history alone is enough to make me want to check-in here, but as you might imagine, there’s a lot more to this special place. Take the rooms, for instance…

http://www.uncommoncaribbean.com/2012/05/17/uncommon-envy-statias-old-gin-house-has-me-smittened/