Discover l’art de vivre at St Martin’s La Samanna, A Belmond Hotel

Story and photography courtesy of Belmond

With sweeping panoramic sea views, the restaurant has long been where retro beach glamour meets the French art de vivre. Set on the secluded island paradise of Saint Martin, La Samanna, A Belmond Hotel is surrounded by fifty-five acres of tropical gardens. This jewel of the French West Indies unveiled eight reimagined Private Pool Villas by renowned design studio Rottet Studio and immersive meet-and-greet moments with pioneers in space, meditation, and art. This season also saw the return of Michelin-star chef Marcel Ravin, culinary director at L’Oursin. The exciting programming for the 2024 season, stretching across extraordinary culinary experiences, imaginative creative retreats, and restorative well-being sessions, pays homage to the spirit of La Samanna’s storied past and launches the icon into its next era.

A Tropical Paradise: Dreamy Reimagined Pool Villas

This winter, Rottet Studio unveiled a top-to-bottom interior restyle of La Samanna’s beloved three- and four-bedroom villas. Inspired by the island’s swaying palms and ocean breeze, the Private Pool Villas feature new original artwork by one of Saint Martin’s most celebrated painters, Sir Roland Richardson, plus tropical-chic fixtures and elegantly nuanced fabrics. These secluded sanctuaries include wraparound terraces, fully renovated kitchens, alfresco dining spaces within lush private gardens, and infinity pools with sweeping views of the Baie Longue beach.

Guests of these cliffside villas can sprawl out with over 4,600 square feet of space, perfect for intimate gatherings on the expansive private yard or starry nights on the rooftop deck. Additional amenities include roundtrip airport transfers, a round-the-clock Villa Host service, and chauffeured transportation around the resort via a private golf cart. The Private Pool Villas are an ideal hideaway for families and small groups looking to escape to the French Caribbean.

Journeys of Discovery with Transformative Experts

La Samanna has hosted a series of exclusive meet-and-greets with pioneers in space, meditation, contemporary art, and more. Throughout the month-long exhibitions, one-on-one well-being sessions, and stargazing dining experiences, each expert shares personal experiences and illustrious career achievements while exploring the complexities of how humans relate to the world.

Recent programs included Florence Poirier, a groundbreaking multimedia artist specializing in linocutting. Poirier held a month-long artist-in-residency with a featured exhibition at the property’s Rendezvous Pavilion, tucked privately in the hotel’s gardens. NASA astronaut Nicole Stott shared her experiences of outer space and diving as she promoted her latest book, Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet—and Our Mission to Protect It. The conversations were animated through the lens of art, specifically an outer space watercolor experience for all ages and a celestial dining experience at LaPlaj paired with Stott’s insights on the night sky and how the moon interacts with the tides. World-renowned spiritual advisor Cindi Tryon was also in residence from December 12–14 for a three-day Enlightening Moments workshop. Guests enjoyed one-on-one sessions with Tryon in the cliffside Villas as she shared advice on how to clear mental blocks and negative energy.

A Sip of French Culture

Spirit lovers can embark on all-new experiences in the property’s historic La Cave Wine Cellar. Built in 1972 and located two stories below sea level, La Cave Wine Cellar is one of the largest private cellars in the Caribbean, stocked with 12,000 bottles of wine and Champagne, including 150 labels of Bordeaux. There, guests can enjoy tastings or even private candlelit dinners. Travelers can also sample from more than 200 carefully curated regional rums as part of the new La Cave 200 rum-tasting experience. Enhance the experience with a cigar-rolling workshop led by a local merchant who grows Caribbean tobacco leaves.

Golden Joie de Vivre: Fifty Glamourous Years

A night to remember, December 9 celebrated fifty years of La Samanna. Guests enjoyed a vibrant music, light, and dance show with the best French Caribbean cuisine. This exciting event marked the first opus of “Marcel & Ses Amis,” La Samanna’s exciting new program comprising special culinary events led by Chef Marcel Ravin in collaboration with noteworthy chefs from around the world. First up was two-Michelin-star Chef Bruno Verjus, owner of Paris restaurant Table and the highest new entry to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list at number 10. Verjus kicked off the anniversary celebrations with a weekend of culinary programming.

Belmond also commissioned a special publication written by Chris Wallace—former US editor of Mr Porter and former executive editor of Interview magazine—diving into the hotel’s colorful history, stretching back to the 1970s when it opened as a family home. Since then, La Samanna has been a magnet for Hollywood stars, heads of state, and the international jet set, from Cindy Crawford (who learned to water ski at the resort) to Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro (who finished the shooting draft of Raging Bull on-site), Richard Nixon, and Andy Warhol. In his zine, Wallace speaks with loyal guests who’ve been visiting the hotel for decades (sometimes for weeks at a time) and for whom the property is deeply woven into the fabrics of their lives.

“Fifty years of history and hospitality is a special milestone, worthy of celebration, and La Samanna is good at celebrating,” writes Wallace, “but so too is it committed to the fifty years to come: to accommodating the generations of families, muses, moguls, adventurers, artists, and travelers who continue to be drawn to this pristine slice of Caribbean paradise.”

— V —

Room rates start at $1,300 per night, and the Private Pool Villas start at $5,200 per night, based on double occupancy. For more information or to book, visit Belmond.com/north-america/caribbean.