We had never stayed here. I had my reservations staying in such a busy part of the island because all our previous stays in St Maarten were in less developed areas. But, I will say that the resort area was super quiet and cozy.
We stayed in a 2 bedroom unit on the beach, so I cannot personally speak to the part of the resort that is up higher, but I will say that we spoke to many people there in timeshare units on the beach and up higher, and everyone was super friendly. People seemed to know each other like it was a happy community. We did not meet anyone that had been coming to La Vista for less than 14 years-most were in the 20s! There was an impressive feeling of continual love for the place.
The grounds were lush, well kept, and had a small-scale feel. The room was absolutely spotless. No one is harder to please than me in this respect. We had one small issue arise spontaneously in our room and when we brought it to the attention of the front desk it was attended to immediately.
The beach is rocky at the water's edge which made the waves crashing on it a constant part of the soundtrack to our stay. It was lovely.
There are a few restaurants and a market to walk to. The people at La Vista and the other resorts near by walk to these places, so there is a nice local atmosphere and it felt super safe.
We stayed with an 8 year-old boy. He is exceptionally well behaved, but in any case everyone was lovely to him. He begs me to tell you he loved the pool and 3 cats!