La Samanna, a Honeymooner's Paradise
St. Martin Resort Offers Newlyweds Luxury, Service, and Privacy
Jan 28, 2009
When choosing a honeymoon destination in the Caribbean, couples should take a close look at La Samanna, a secluded, residential, full-service resort overlooking 55 acres of sandy white beach.
Rooms
The resort boasts 83 luxurious beachfront rooms and suites as well as newly constructed 4600-square-foot villas. These villas are situated on a cliff overlooking the remainder of the resort and also feature private plunge pools.
The rooms themselves offer comfortable furniture, flat-screen televisions with DVD players, spacious rooms, and air conditioning. They are floored with tile or marble. Some villas offer a private sun deck with lounge chairs and sofas.
When honeymooners arrive in their room, they can expect a display of fresh flowers, a selection of fresh fruits, and a fantastic bottle of Champagne.
Pools
La Samanna has two pools for its guests. The first, located near the main hotel building, is the larger of the two. This pool’s service is unparalleled: in the morning, attendants bring you complimentary coolers of bottled water, followed by chilled washcloths and cups of fresh fruit. In the afternoon, the attendants offer sun worshippers ice cream cones, which they hand dip for each guest.
The second pool is located near the Beach Bar. This infinity pool has an expansive view of the cliffs overlooking the resort and the Caribbean Sea. In the afternoons, guests can sit in the pool, sip cocktails, and watch the cruise ships pull into Philipsburg, on the Dutch side of the island.
Dining
La Samanna caters both to the sophisticated gastronomist and to the casual poolside diner. The hotel’s main restaurant overlooks the cliffside and beach. At breakfast, it features a wonderful smorgasbord of traditional offerings accompanied by delicious French pastries. With provisions flown in daily from France, its dinners are more expensive and formal and require reservations. However, the seaside view, tasty cuisine flavored with Asian, French, and Creole influences, and the extensive wine cellar offering a selection of more than 450 wines are well worth the expense.
The Terrace Grill, which overlooks the restaurant’s main pool, offers a more casual lunchtime setting with delicious gazpacho, salads, sandwiches, and pizza. The restaurant is also open three times a week for dinner.
The Beach Bar is open until 4:00 p.m. daily and, like the Terrace Grill, offers a lower key menu and delicious frozen fruity concoctions. Once a week, the Beach Bar offers a lobster dinner and a welcome reception for guests.
Other Amenities
The resort offers many other amenities, including tennis courts and a large fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment. The resort’s award-winning, full-service Elysses Spa provides nine rooms for spa treatment. Four of these rooms are indoor/outdoor, allowing guests to further appreciate the resort’s ambience. Services include Swedish and deep-tissues massage, body treatments, reflexology, body scrubs, facials, manicures, pedicures, waxing, and hair styling. The spa also focuses on guests’ overall health, and accordingly, it offers guests special spa menus and private fitness instruction in Pilates.
The resort also has its own waterfront sports concierge, with rentals available beachside. In addition to banana boats and jet skis, the rentals include cabanas with flat-panel televisions. When guests rent the cabanas, they also obtain the services of a private concierge who will attend to their every need throughout the day.
Awards
The resort has won numerous awards, including Travel + Leisure magazine’s World’s Best Awards every year since 2000, and was named to Conde Nast Traveler’s “Gold List” in 2002, 2007, and 2008. In 2006, the resort received the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award.
Whether you go for the privacy and relaxation or the pampering, La Samanna offers everything a newlywed seeking a low-key, relaxed vacation could wish for in a honeymoon destination.
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