The Ultimate Family Escape: A Villa Stay at Belmond La Samanna in St. Martin

Growing up, my family never did beach vacations. We were always chasing Segway tours and museum exhibits, convinced that idle time on a lounger was wasted time. But as we’ve gotten older—and more tired—the idea of actually relaxing on vacation started to sound pretty good. So this past April, we packed up and headed to La Samanna, a Belmond hotel in St. Martin, to surprise my dad for his 60th birthday. We booked one of the property’s four-bedroom villas overlooking Baie Longue, a stretch of sand widely considered one of the Caribbean’s finest. When my parents and brother left Ontario, there was snow on the ground. They arrived to 80-degree heat and a UV index that left their Canadian skin thoroughly shocked. The villa itself was essentially a two-story mansion. It came with a full staff, a kitchen stocked with wine and top-tier appliances, soaking tubs, a laundry room, two offices, and a backyard pool bigger than my Manhattan apartment. When we walked through the front door and saw the pool through arched windows and a marble spiral staircase, I let out a quiet exclamation that I can’t repeat here. The interiors struck a perfect balance between high design and cozy comfort, with Caribbean art on the walls and outdoor lounges at every turn. The villas sit on a private cul-de-sac about a three-minute walk from the hotel lobby, giving them a sense of seclusion while still offering full access to the resort’s amenities. We spent our days bouncing between three restaurants, borrowing gear from the water sports center, and playing tennis on the grass courts. Then we’d head back to the villa for sunset swims, air-conditioned breaks, and late-night board games with a fridge full of rosé. If you don’t feel like leaving, the staff can set up in-villa experiences—we did a steel pan drum class, but yoga, wine tastings, and meditation are also on offer. Room service arrives with remarkable speed, and the team sets the table indoors or out, then clears everything the moment you call. The service was impeccable. One evening, the host at L’Oursin spotted a tiny stain on my brother’s linen shirt and dabbed it with club soda before we left. Another time, I came in from the pool to find the cleaning staff had lined up our shoes at the front door with surgical precision. Staff came and went all day—restocking the fridge, tidying up, leaving slippers and water by the bed at turndown—but never felt intrusive. It was like having invisible house managers, the kind I’d hire if I ever hit the lottery. My family isn’t used to being pampered, but this trip reset something in all of us. We savored every shared meal, moved from ocean to pool and back again, and watched the sunsets while laughing about old times. To have everyone together under one roof, feeling like kids again, was something special. I’m already worried about how future birthday celebrations will ever measure up.