La Samanna, A Belmond Hotel, St Martin

The hotel property is excellent. The Beaches were beautiful. The staff was very friendly. This issues we had is the hotel is run cheaply and the staff, especially at the concierge, was not trained and made the experience difficult. The room had a pool that kept losing water and on the last night we lost power to half the room and lost AC for the duration in the bedroom.
One example of the lack of training was I wanted to go to town to pick up some items due to the fact the hotel does not have a store to buy even tooth paste. They asked when we wanted to go, and I said I could go now it was 9 am. They said fine and got me a driver and left only to find out the stores don’t open until 10 am. So we sat in the parking lot for 45 minutes. Don’t you think they should know that as the Concierge? Just saying.

The sliding door to our room also had no handle coming from the outside so we had to struggle to open it.

Also, upon being shown to our room, we were shown the plunge pool on the roof deck. We had asked a question about it and no one ever got back to us on it. No one clearly was checking the pool daily because we had to call to let them know that the filter was sucking air because the pool was either leaking or the water had evaporated two days in a row.

The connected us to WhatsApp and said if you need anything just text us. So we left for dinner at 4 for a 6 pm reservation thinking we would have plenty of time for a drink and sunset. Wrong again the traffic was horrible then we got stranded with a flat in their VIP car with bald tires. Pulled into the. Restaurant at 6. 2 hours to drive 7 miles. I text the WhatsApp connection o the concier and the never responded back to me.

Again the staff was very nice and the beach and water was excellent as well as the breakfast. In my opinion is not managed and run well.

I’ve never experienced such a positive experience from staff as I did here, after 5 million airline miles and corresponding hotel stays.

My husband and I stayed at La Samanna for my birthday for 3 nights. From the moment we arrived to the hotel, we were treated like VIPs! This was our first Belmond stay and the entire trip we kept telling each other that we only want to stay at Belmonds moving forward. The property is beautiful and well maintained but what really made our stay special were the people. From the team that welcomes you on arrival to the beach attendants to the the restaurant servers, everyone is genuinely doing everything to make your stay special. The price point was beyond our normal budget but I will say that it was 100% worth every penny. They have more than enough beach loungers for everyone in the hotel. You are never fighting for pool/beach chairs or reservations at restaurants. We cannot wait to be back for another stay.. Thank you to everyone at La Samanna for the incredible hospitality. Special shout out to the beach team- Nicolo, Hugo, and Francesco; Eduardo, Simon, Rafaela for the incredible welcome on arrival; our server at La Spaggia on Sunday night. A wonderful woman server who brought us some snacks as we popped open our champagne at the infinity pool on Monday night. Every detail and small gestures went such a long way. THANK YOU AGAIN! We are forever Belmond people now. :)

La Samanna is an elegant Caribbean hotel with the flair of the Rivera. The scenic setting on a bluff above the sea, service and dining each satisfied to the highest standard. Whether it was the dining staff, Allen, our assigned concierge or Ronan, the trainer at the gym, the staff saw to our every need with a relaxed warmth that made us feel like we had been frequent visitors for the last decade when this was our first visit back in about 20 years. We are already booking our return.

The hotel offers almost any and all amenities one can think of but perhaps what it should be known for is having the friendliest helpful staff ever! Think it and it appears! Whether sitting beachside in a cozy beach chair scanning a QR code for an endless menu of goodies to a warming reception and excellent communication one can’t go wrong with spending a vacation here.

Great location, beautiful beach, outstanding service. Thanks to Charles our butler, Michele at La Spiaggia, Veronica and Pietro at Breakfast, Niccolo’ on the beach to everyone for always going above and beyond to make us feel at home and valued as guests.

Recently stayed at La Samanna to celebrate our 50th Anniversary.
Wonderful location, facility, staff (especially the senior personnel who
have been on the property for years and are highly respected), and
food/drink. Treated to a private rum tasting in La Cave..excellent
experience. Very much enjoyed our time on St. Martin. Toured the
island with Benny...highly recommended. Spent a great day sailing
on the wonderful catamaran Freedom with an outstanding captain
& crew...also highly recommended. Had excellent weather. Relaxed
on the beach where staff frequently came by to take food & drink requests
which was greatly appreciated. Rented a car which wasn't used very
often and, for us, a mistake. Private touring and the occasional taxi was
less expensive and more productive. Try to visit the port area on days
when the cruise ships aren't in port. A wonderful visit.

I recently had the most unbelievable experience while on vacation. I am a someone who avidly exercises and always looks to have a trainer with me and I had the great fortune of having Ronan who is the hotels onsite personal trainer. Ronan was a remarkable part of the trip. I want to stress that I have a trainer at home and working out with a trainer is not out of the ordinary but his experience and knowledge was unmatched. He blew me away. Each day we worked out was like a brand new experience. His intensity and charm was the perfect combination. He understands the body and the person he is training for the ultimate motivation. It was the best work out I ever had. Highly recommend Ronan.

My wife and I had an incredible experience from the second we entered to the second we left we were created by the most friendly staff and helpful we had welcome drinks by the bar from Romel (he was awesome and so friendly). We were looked after by Casandra she was the diamond of our stay really she looked after us so well, obviously her colleagues Simon and Veronica again so friendly and helpful and catered to our every needs.

I also had a separate workout with Ronan a private gym instructor from the hotel he was insane he knowledge and expertise in health and exercise was perfect really great motivation and vibe. Would highly recommend a session with him.

Also our dining experience was also perfect we had Italian in the restaurant and Brian one of the waiters was also so helpful and friendly plus all the colleagues were super friendly.

I’m so upset we only spent a few nights but our holidays have to continue to St Bart’s which is not that upsetting ☺️ but we will definitely will be back soon and I can’t thank everyone there enough for making our days there so special.

Lots of Love from the James & Ksenia Saba ❤️

lack of staff knowledge and initiative to help with cars/taxis..whats included or not with rates.overpriced for what is delivered

we LOVE La Samanna. Eleonore and her team always make us feel like we are coming to our second home when we are arrive and during our stay. The understated elegance, service and food are what make La Samanna a FIVE STAR resort.

Really lovely stay highlighted by gorgeous beach and extremely helpful and kind staff. The restaurants are terrific, the cocktails even better. The beach is well maintained and such a joy to swim in. The only things I would note are the rooms are in a need of a major refresh for a 5 star resort, but they are clean, comfortable and spacious. With a gorgeous beach, little time needed in the room. The water at times can be very steep to enter with large rocks at the waters edge (very sandy beach though), so I would note that if you are traveling with kids or older parents who may have a hard time entering the ocean.

I’ve stayed in a dozen Caribbean resorts and this one would be top 3, even with the outdated rooms and smaller pools

A real luxury resort. Beautifully maintained property, great service, pleasant staff, good food, great spa.

WONDERFUL. Came here for my 30th birthday and it did not disappoint. Perfect for a special occasion or any occasion honestly if you want a wonderful trip. Our room was right on the beach. The attention to detail-10/10. The views are breathtaking. The beach on the hotel is fabulous you almost never need to leave. A little rocky when you first step up in but still beautiful and long. The two restaurants on property some of the best we had on island. The bed-very comfortable. The products they offer (the sunscreen) I need more of. The breakfast-one word-STELLAR. The black car service to and from whenever you need to go and right on time. Ronan in the gym is the personal trainer-attentive and there to help with whatever you need-full workout or just workout tips-he was there. There’s yoga, Pilates, tennis lessons, boating, water sports etc. All amazing. The beverages everywhere are delicious and everything fresh. The hotel staff in general just very kind and attentive. Luca, you were great and gave us lots of good laughs. There’s nothing bad to say or not to love. We will be returning or trying their sister hotel in Anguilla for the future.

Without a doubt this is the best resort on St Martin. Located on the best beach, this resort has a sense of tranquility with French charm. What makes La Samanna extra special is the friendly exceptional service. We would highly recommend La Samanna for your next trip to St Martin.

I expected a lot for the rates we were paying. The food and beverage were AMAZING. The beds are beyond comfortable. Our bathroom water pipes were very loud when the hot water turned on. The staff just seemed to be a mix of great and mediocre. The service was very inconsistent. We saw other people get very well taken care of.

The resort is magnificent and beautiful. The people speak English with a bit of Italian or French flair to it, which is amazing. You feel like you’re in the French Riviera. It is a luxury extremely upscale, beautiful beautiful place. The butlers are extremely attentive. Max and Simon are off the charts amazing

This resort is located in a beautiful secluded area and offers privacy. However, the service is awful as it’s clearly understaffed. Room cleaning and restocking required numerous calls to guest services. Waiting time at some restaurants were ridiculously long.

Great beach and nice service

My wife and I were here for a Wed-Sun trip. The pictures don't do it justice, it was beautiful and some of the friendliest staff we have ever met.
THE GOOD:
- Amazing food for any meal and all restaurants on site
- Sweet, polite, accommodating staff throughout
- based on the time of year, not too crowded at all
- breathtaking views while ok the beach or enjoying a meal (see photos)
- spacious rooms and suites (we could walk right out on the beach)
- 10 minute drive from the airport so you don't waste your day traveling

THE CONS:
- you're in a natural habitat, if you don't like animals, you wont do well here (doves and lizards all around, even on the beach - see photos)
- the beach is rocky, if you struggle with balance, this may be a challenge
- the beach staff.....eh, not that attentive, even for towels, had to walk to LA Plaj to get them ourselves a couple of times
- the biggest thing...ANTS. we had ants all over our bathroom, and when me mentioned it to the staff, the reaction led me to believe they knew about it but they couldn't do anything about it. Given the cleanliness ratings on here and frankly the price, I expected better.

Overall, it was a good trip. We would still come back here so the cons don't persuade us away from it.