Growing up, my family never went on beach vacations. The world is big and there’s a lot to see, so our trips always revolved around Segway tours and museum visits rather than piña coladas and chaise lounges. But as we’ve all grown older—and subsequently, more exhausted—the concept of actually relaxing while using our PTO has become increasingly appealing. Which is how we found ourselves at La Samanna, A Belmond Hotel, in St. Martin this past April, sunburnt and waterlogged in one of the property’s wow-worthy villas overlooking Baie Longue, known for being one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean.
We surprised my dad with the trip for his 60th birthday, and considering there was snow on the ground in Ontario, where my brother and parents live, when they boarded their flight in Toronto, I don’t think we could have picked a better destination. The temperature was in the 80s the entire time we were on the island (a UV index of 11 was, in fact, a shock to Canadian skin), and our accommodations were certainly up to snuff for such a special celebration.
We stayed in one of La Samanna’s four-bedroom villas (there are also a couple of three-bedroom villas, and 76 other rooms and suites spread out along the property), which was pretty much one giant two-story mansion with everything a group could need to vacation in style. I’m talking a full staff, soaking tubs in the en suite bathrooms, a stocked kitchen (and fridge) with top-of-the-line appliances and fixtures, a backyard pool with a higher square footage than my Manhattan apartment, a laundry room, and two offices. When we first stepped through the front door and into the gloriously airy foyer, the pool peeking through the arched windows and the marble spiral staircase to our right, I felt a simple “holy [redacted]” slip through my lips. It was all uphill from there as we explored further, the interiors a perfect blend of high design and cozy cool, with Caribbean artwork decorating the walls and more outdoor lounge spaces than we knew what to do with.