Belmond La Samanna

My wife and I celebrated our 20th anniversary this past week at La Samanna and it exceeded our expectations in every way. The place is stunningly beautiful including the rooms, the beach, and the hotel itself. We first stayed at a beach front suite on the first floor steps away from the beach. It was a great room. Then we came back and stayed on the Cliffside overlooking the ocean with the plunge pool deck. Even better! The service is what sets La Samanna apart from other 5 star hotels we have been at. The concierge gave us great recommendations on restaurants all week long. The check-in staff could not have been better, and the overall housekeeping was first class. Finally, we planned on staying there for two nights and then going to a sister resort in Anguilla for 5 nights. Well after two nights in Anguilla we had to get back to La Samanna. It was so much better. And we owe a big thank you to the Anguilla resort but mostly to La Samanna for allowing this to happen. Not only did they take us back, they did so without raising our nightly rate we had for the first two nights of our trip and also upgraded our room to boot. I cannot say enough great things about the resort. That being said, nobody is perfect so I would have two recommendations to make this resort even better and both are very minor. I would have more staff helping out on the beach so guests are not walking around aimlessly trying to find towels for the beach chairs. I think the beach service could be a bit better. And again, very minor, but I would also have more plug ins in the rooms. There were only two places to plug in your phone and it was in the bathroom and the kitchen. Easy fix. We did check out a couple of the other hotels on the island and also drove around the island quite a bit. I can honestly tell you that this is the best resort to be at. I would highly recommend!

La Samanna is a little piece of heaven. The staff are all amazing and helpful. Our room was beyond our expectations..lovely Virtuoso benefits...champagne, fruit & cookies to name a few. The beach is so amazing and the sunsets are magical. At times we felt like we had our own private beach. No need to go anywhere for water activities since they have everything onsite. Excellent food and wine options at all of the restaurants. Can't wait to return.

Our room was very nice but small as expected. But what unexpected was the private gigantic terrace with 2 levels, ocean views, lounge chairs, dining table and comfy chairs. Thus, room size not an issue! Expensive but easily addressed as the room had a refrigerator. We chilled champagne every day, purchased locally, and the hotel was more than willing to provide us with ice for chilling and glasses . Never once were we made to feel bad about bringing wine on to the premises. Wonderful solicitous staff. Not 5-star in the US sense but a wonderful visit.

We stayed there in March for 3 nights. Had access to one of the villas and a suite. it was high-end luxury, If you are prepared to spend the dough, this is great. The view was to kill for. One of the best for an island. We did jet skiing and other water sports. Everything was well managed. We even rented a car for the day. The car rental agency is at the hotel and it was a good experience all around. We peaked into the standalone rooms and noticed they were very small compared to some of the resorts here in the US. Food was good., We were vegetarians and had enough options. Breakfast was the highlight. Overall good stay.

We were informed that hotel had been renovated maybe some rooms have but ours not. Initially we had booked two superior rooms but they were very small and virtually no storage place for clothing, especially as this was our last stop on 3 week trip. However after much negotiation we got a 2 bedroom suite for an extra 125 dollars per night which is ok but considering the hotel is very low occupancy it would have been nice just to be given rooms with extra storage at no extra charge. Consider this in standard rooms there is very little place to put clothes. The suite we were given was nice even though old , it had a small kitchen good sized living room 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and a dining area and lounge area . We had direct access to the beach but going back to the room there was only a large shell with some water to take off sand, totally inadequate. Room had a total lack of plugs you had to use a plug used for a lamp to charge a phone for example. Outside the room there was no outdoor lighting so you couldn't sit outside for a drink.the beach whilst nice had a steep entrance to the water (which was crystal clear) so anyone with mobility issues would really struggle, they had put out ropes out to help people get to the sun beds from the water. The beach on the first day was dirty ? It had rubbish and old cigarettes butts everywhere luckily my wife complained and thereafter Irvin who was great made sure beach was clean. Sun beds are those horrifying plastic bed with a mattress, at this price unacceptable. Food at beach bar good but and in particular Romel and Jocelyn stood out, Romel was extremely professional and amiable . However in evening there is a choice of a sophisticated restaurant or the worst bar menu I have ever seen. So either go out or be prepared for pseudo Michelin star cooking. Lastly in our room we had cobwebs so clearly housekeeping needs improving dramatically and they don't change sheets every day in fact only every three days unless you put a card on your bed and then they forget , totally unacceptable ! The conclusion is that it is too inconsistent and certainly not a five star resort, another hotel trading on history and reputation, we wouldn't return, having previously stayed at cap juluca we would give them a second chance, here not even though they some have some great staff but the issues make it difficult to believe it would improve, especially considering Saint Martin is not what it used to be