La Samanna, was built on Long Bay on the French side of Saint-Martin between 1971 and 1973. This beautiful resort fulfilled the wishes of two men: James Frankel, the previous owner of the property who wished to entertain visitors as he would guests in his home, and Happy Ward, the architect and designer of the property. Frankel gave the resort the name La Samanna, taking the first syllable of each of his three children’s names: Samantha, Anouk, and Nathalie, to which he added the French article “la”. The hotel has been the most luxurious hotel on Saint-Martin for the past 38 years. Located just fifteen minutes from Marigot, the capital of French Saint-Martin, and only ten minutes from the Princess Juliana International Airport, La Samanna provides both privacy and convenience for its guests. The property consists of 55 acres of tropical foliage and landscaped gardens with a crescent-shaped beach rated as one of the best in the Caribbean. The main hotel stands atop a cliff overlooking the beachfront accommodations, designed in a Mediterranean villa-style with white stucco walls and terracotta rooftops. La Samanna is consistently ranked as one of the top ten hotel retreats in the Caribbean. The hotel’s restaurants, La Réservé and The Grill, overlooking the beach from the cliffside, as well as the Beach Bar nestled beachside amongst the villas serve a variety of French and Caribbean cuisine. A  complimentary sumptuous buffet breakfast is offered each morning on the terrace at Le Réservé. La Cave, the restaurant in the wine cellar of the hotel, is a venue that offers private dining surrounding by 12,000 bottles of La Samanna’s special wine. This dining room is also available for a special dinner featuring special vintage wines, plus wine tasting, rum tasting, a private cocktail party. Henry and I had a marvelous nine nights at La Samanna, flying back to Boston deeply rested, relaxed, and on a healthy routine.

PHOTOS: Left Column: 1. The Beach Bar at beach level offering lunch from noon until 4 PM. 2. Chaises longues lined up on the teak deck of the Beach Bar. 3. The shaded living room area beneath an awning at the Beach Bar. Center, Top:  View from Room 104 overlooking the crescent-shaped beach. Double arches supported by a column. Elegant curvilinear shell-patterned wrought-iron grillwork add contrast to the view. Center, Middle: View of La Samanna’s main building and pool. Center, Bottom: The pool adjoining the Beach Bar deck overlooking the beach.  Right Column: 1. View of La Samanna’s main building as viewed from the Beach Bar. 2. A pair of chaises longues  poolside. 3. The beach and the sea at Long Bay Beach and La Samanna.

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                        BACK TO MAP  PAGE