La Samanna, A Belmond Hotel, St Martin — Hotel in Saint Martin (France)

A Cherished Return to La Samanna: An Unforgettable 25th Anniversary Returning to La Samanna after our honeymoon there 25 years ago was just as magical as we remembered. The moment you step onto the property, you're enveloped by an undeniable sense of beauty, charm, and elegance, emanating not only from the stunning architecture but also from the genuinely welcoming staff. The breathtaking views of the turquoise ocean, the pristine beach, dramatic cliffs, and lush natural foliage are simply mesmerizing. It's clear why this property is a jewel in the Belmond group, renowned for its exceptional hospitality and iconic experiences like the Orient Express. Exceptional Service at Every Turn While the setting is undeniably spectacular, it was truly the staff who made our experience so extraordinary. From the moment we arrived, Shanira at the front desk greeted us with such warmth, and we were immediately offered a refreshing "Samanna Kiss" welcome drink as we completed our check-in. Each day at the beach and pool, Coco and Axel were there with radiant smiles, anticipating our every need. They were always ready with fresh towels, ice-cold water, and delightful conversation. When we asked Axel for a dinner recommendation, he didn't hesitate; he promptly called the owner of La Cigale, secured us a reservation, and even arranged our transportation. Hugo, who oversees the main restaurant, was consistently pleasant and lively, always engaging us in conversation and ensuring our dinner plans were perfect. Our first night, we dined at his restaurant, and it was undoubtedly the best meal of our trip – an exquisite taste of authentic French cuisine. And at the lobby bar, Anthony was fantastic and fun, crafting the best mojitos we've ever tasted. Even when we encountered a minor hiccup with our airport transfer, Shirlon from the concierge team was on point, efficiently resolving everything. An Unforgettable Culinary Journey: The Rum Sommelier Experience Our last night at La Samanna was truly one of the most memorable and special evenings. We had mentioned to Hugo the day before that we had reservations at his restaurant for our final dinner. His response, "Well, I have a special rum tasting arranged for you," After our delicious meal, Hugo and Herbert escorted us down a flight of stairs into Le Cave, the oldest part of the hotel. This cavernous labyrinth of ancient brick corridors and rooms felt like stepping back in time. We settled at a rustic bar-top table in a cozy room, surrounded by old wooden drawers. At the far end, an illuminated wall showcased over a hundred bottles of rum, a truly impressive sight. We were then greeted by Randy, the rum sommelier, who began to educate us on the different types and origins of rum. With each fascinating story and historical anecdote about a bottle, we enjoyed a perfectly paired sip. Soon, a plate laden with an assortment of dark and milk chocolates appeared, and with each subsequent rum, a specific chocolate was expertly matched, enhancing the flavors beautifully. A Blast from the Past Near the end of the rum tasting, we had the pleasure of being introduced to Sylvester, the hotel's longest-serving staff member and also the wine sommelier. Sylvester then led us deeper into the brick corridors to a larger room, revealing another impressive wine cellar housing hundreds of bottles. It was there that the evening truly became extraordinary. We began sharing stories from our first visit to La Samanna 25 years earlier, and Sylvester and my wife started reminiscing about a special French barista from back then who used to make fresh fruit cocktails each day. It was a wonderful moment of shared history and connection. What an incredible evening and an absolutely unforgettable stay at La Samanna. We simply cannot wait for our next visit back to this truly special place. Thank you to all the incredible staff who made our 25th anniversary celebration so...

I think what happened here is that I've been told about this place for so long and how luxurious and amazing it is, that my expectations were probably set a little too high. The place is a lot smaller than I imagined and security is super tight. We had some phone issues, so drove there to make an appointment. It took a while for them to let us through, but eventually went through. For the first 20 minutes I didn't even see a single employee smiling. Must have been early morning work stress. I saw 2 small botiques that were nicely laid out. One was designer and the other a compilation of designers. The staff inside were lovely. The spa is really beautiful. They have a misting system with some kind of refreshing scent in the water which adds a very elevated feel to the whole experience. They give you tea, fruits, water, cool face towels and the rooms have their own little private garden off of them. It is expensive, but all the little attention to details is where value comes in. The massage therapists are great, they ask questions and adjust themselves as necessary eg. pressure and comfort. The sound of soo many birds playing in their lush and tropical garden sets the scene for tranquility. The restaurant setting is ok, I wouldn't say high luxury, it is located up along the beach side so the views are beautiful. There is a pool off of the restaurant, which I find a little strange, especially as non-guests can eat there but cannot swim there, so guests need to walk through the restaurant to swim... at least, I don't think I saw direct access outside the restaurant. The wait staff are friendly.. some genuine and some trying lol, but I'd rather a fake happy, than miserable, so no complaints there. The kitchen got our food wrong. They also brought us the drinks that the table next to us ordered... happens. The beach has a rental place for probably snorkel gear but I wasn't focused on that. Each staircase from the beach up to the resort has a shower! There are large sized cabanas and chairs and umbrellas for rent. This beach seems to be on the quiet side in general. Be careful of swimming to close to the cliff rocks, even close to shore, there is a major rip and it's challenging for even strong swimmers. I didn't see the rooms, but all in all it was a...

Just returned from a week at the one of the villas. The villa was beautiful. While the resort is very pretty, we experienced many problems with service. Villa staff were incapable of coordinating any activity off of the property. Our scuba trip was a nightmare as was our water skiing trip. The time I spent prior to arrival coordinating with the villa hosts was a waste as nothing had been done in advance. I ended up wasting a day on the beach “redoing” all of our plans with a very annoyed Mark who is the water sports coordinator. After speaking with Elearnore about our frustrations, Mark solutionwas to ignore us the rest of our trip and remove umbrellas from our reserved cabana at the beach.

Prior to arrival, I had reserved a beach cabana for the entire week, as I have skin cancer and need to stay in the shade. The resort took in upon themselves to decide which days we “required” the cabana and randomly cancelled it one day. When paying over $3k per night, in shoulder season, this is frustrating to say the least. The fire alarm went off in our villa one morning at 4:00 am. We evacuated and called the front desk. It took over 10 minutes for the security guard to WALK to our villa. It was as if he was on a morning stroll as an alarm is blaring in our villa. He then informed us that sometimes the WiFi fails and the alarm “activates”. Upon check out we found a various errors in our bill, including a gift which was sent to us, was charged to us. (Essentially La Samanna was being paid twice for the champagne and strawberries). The car to pick us up never arrived. When we asked our villa host he told us it was 3-4 minutes away. After 15 minutes, my husband told him to find a car to take us to the airport. He showed up with the tiniest car to take four people plus luggage. Our luggage would not even fit in the trunk. Another, taxi appeared who was supposed to take someone else and she rushed us to the airport. (Thank goodness for Josie) We were so late American did not want to accept our checked luggage. They only accepted it when my husband arrived as he is an concierge key member.

Perhaps, La Samanna is lovely for a “hotel stay”. Our bar and restaurant service was great. As a luxury resort they...