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Tuesday, January 14, 2020

La Samanna / A Slice of Heaven




Hello, dear friends.  Did you have a good week?  Not to brag or anything, but mine was a slice of heaven.  

Allow me to backtrack. 
The Mister and I have lived through six very long New England winters.  It is always the first week in January that we realize that we have forgotten to plan an escape from the gawdawful arctic chill ahead.  

Not this year, thanks to the Mister.  He came home one night from work on a warm August evening with a mysterious smile on his face.  He told me that he had big news.

Did you meet Oprah?
Did you book me a facelift? 
Or a few thousand dollars worth of liposuction?

No to all of the above.  
And then when he saw my disappointment, he proclaimed... 
I booked a week at LA SAMANNA in January!!  

As much as I was fantasizing about meeting Oprah with my thirty-year-old new face and killer bod, I jumped for joy. 




The time finally arrived.  We flew to Philly and then went on to Saint Martin.
When was the last time you flew with an empty seat next to you, let alone an empty plane?

The flight to Saint Martin, however, was packed to the doors. 



The Mister and I have been to St. Martin several times.  
As a matter of fact, we spent our honeymoon there.



We had been to La Samanna a couple of times for lunch, but we never stayed there.




When we arrived, we were greeted by some warm welcomes from the staff members.



As we entered the lovely open-air lobby, we spotted it.
The Money Shot!




We enjoyed our complimentary rum punches.



We also noshed on some yummy apps.




I can get used to this!



I got this pic off the website because my photos came out too dark.  We had a beautiful waterfront suite with two terraces - one off of the living area and also one on the rooftop.



First stop... the beach.
I couldn't help wondering if Captain Lee was at the helm of that yacht out there.
A girl can dream...




Who needs to dream?
Here comes my Adonis right now.





Every evening, we stopped into the cozy bar for a glass of vino.



 We dined at the waterfront restaurant at the hotel a few times.
The food and waitstaff were incomparable.





The next day we had a great breakfast.
We needed the nourishment because we were on pool duty.






The resort has two pools.  
There were very few guests sitting at them.




Most of them were enjoying the beach.



This was our home away from home for the week.



One day, we ventured into Phillipsburg and had lunch at Holland House on the boardwalk.

We had been there before, and we lost our taste for it this time.
The staff was apathetic, and the food was subpar.
And I'm being kind.



But as always, I see the brighter side of life provided I have a full glass in my hand! 




Instead of buying me my customary piece of jewelry, the Mister decided to buy me the entire store.

I guess he shouldn't have had that second drink.




Back to pool duty.
It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it!



Every evening around 5ish, our fabulous waitress, Alexandra, would come over and talk us into having a cocktail.  She was an awful influence on us!

After a lot of arm twisting, we would agree and tell Alexandra to bring us the drink of her choice. She had so much fun coming up with a new drink of the day.  And we had fun enjoying the fruits of her labor. 







One evening, we had a fabulous dinner at Bistro Caraibes in Grand Case.  

Grand Case is a small town on the French side, which is known for its wonderful restaurants.  

As I mentioned in my last post, the Mister is learning French during his daily commute.

He did his best to impress the waitstaff with his new skill.  
The waiters smiled politely.
They earned every cent of their tip.




We also spent an afternoon in Marigot, the French Side.  Our driver, Lucien, recommended this restaurant, Be Kool. In our continuous effort to up our coolness quotient, we had high hopes for this restaurant.

We were not disappointed.  I had the best Dover Sole I ever had in my whole life.  The Sea Bass that the Mister ordered was a big hit as well.  Be Kool is a family-run restaurant with Mom and Pop waiting tables, and their two sons were covering the kitchen.  When the Mister told Pop that how much we enjoyed our lunch, the Pop brought the Mister back to the kitchen to introduce him to his sons.



The Pop was sweet enough to end our meal with a shot.  



A good sign!
If he downs that shot, I will have a very successful shopping trip ahead of me.



The last evening, we had dinner at a restaurant on the beach called La Cigale.




The food and service were spectacular.
The Mister is watching the gent fileting his wife's fish.
He is so darn protective of me.






Amuse-bouche!




One of our fabulous apps.



Before we knew it, we were enjoying our last breakfast in Paradise.




This is our driver for the week, Lucien.  He is such a wonderful guy and so professional.  I highly recommend him to anyone who may be planning a trip to St. Martin. This is his Facebook page.




On the flight, I watched this darling movie that I downloaded on Amazon.  Here is the trailer.



Amazon

I read three books while I was away.  I absolutely adored this one. I have a book post coming up soon where I will write the review.

That's it for now.
As the Mister would say over and over again
Au revoir!

Until next time...





Photo by Andrew Pons 

Linking up with:
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Wonderful Wednesday
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39 comments:

  1. Looks like a fabulous getaway - we are heading to the Caribbean in 18 days (not counting) so this post got me excited!! What was the cocktail with basil and lime? That got my mouth watering! I look forward to reading a few books that have been on my shelf since last summer and look forward to your review on Dear Edward

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  2. What a wonderful getaway Katie. I enjoyed your photos. I have a friend that has a time share on the Dutch side right next to the airport runway. It is a penthouse and quite luxurious. I have been down two different times and thoroughly loved the island. They were there when the horrible hurricane hit and were stranded for a week before they were able to get back to the states. It is definitely a bit of paradise. A January vacay to a warm and sunny island is always a good idea!

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  3. Your sweetie has the best presents/surprises! Oh wow, this getaway looks fabulous. The beach views are awesome and I love you didn't have to fight the crows. Great dinners and yummy drinks. A week on a beach and three good books, yep, paradise! Welcome home..........

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  4. OMG - what a wonderful getaway! Your photos are stunning and after taking care of a sick kid with the flu last week, I could use a nice vacation! We've been to St. Martin a couple times and actually stayed at La Samanna before we had kids. It looks even more wonderful now! It also looks like St. Martin is in great shape again. I wondered how it would recover after those awful hurricanes a few years ago. So nice to see the sunshine! Thanks for letting us live vicariously through you!
    Cheers!
    Shelley

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  5. Oh so nice, no wonder he couldn't stop smiling back in September! I've been to Dominican, Jamaica (twice), and Mexico, going back to Mexico for a week in March. It's just amazing to escape the snow and cold. I'm going with two of my daughters, my son, and my son-in-law. My husband is working so much lately, he can't commit to go...ah well. It looks like you two had fun, so nice!
    Della

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  6. Isn't it wonderful to be able to get away like that? It looks like you had a most wonderful get-away and not a raised voice between you, I bet?! lol Have a great week sliding back into the reality of January Winter. xo Diana
    ps. Headed to FL for the month of February -condo on the beach--sadly, no wait staff comes with it. lol

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  7. Sounds as wonderful as you! The hubs is a keeper❗️

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  8. I’m just glad you’re finally home!! The trip looked amazing. Welcome back to the cold, the wind and the grey ;)

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  9. Thank you for letting us vacation vicariously through you. I really enjoyed your post.

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  10. How glorious...heaven looks good on you both. So glad you got the sweet time together and escaped the cold. And complementary rum punch is always a bonus!

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  11. I am ready to pack my bags and head to La Samanna! What a guy that Mister is!

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  12. Totally looks to die for, Katie. Oh, and boy -- right now, there's nothing that looks more inviting than all that blue water (and yummy food!) Such fun!

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  13. Your husband is a keeper for sure Katie. So glad you got to get some sunshine and warm temps to help you through the rest of the winter.

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  14. Wow! What an amazing vacation! I may just have to check out St. Maarten next trip! WOWSA

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  15. Wow, your mister is a keeper. Such a lovely surprise and everything looks so fabulous. Great cocktails, beautiful views and I am sure delicious food. A getaway in paradise for sure. So glad you are sharing with us. A perfect time to escape the cold. I am commenting on my iPad.

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  16. What a fantastic anniversary trip - cheers to you both! We've been to St Martin once with a sister-in-law and her husband who have a timeshare closer to Phillipsburg. We did not venture to the French side but something tells me I'd like that side much, much more. Your trip looks fabulous and so do the both of you. That's a great remedy for winter clime.

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  17. A tropical escape sounds good to me! The Mister has the inside track on fab hotels. Recently someone else recommended Dear Edward to me.

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  18. Hello. Me again testing out your comments on mobile. All is working. Love your tropical getaway.😀

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  19. What an incredible getaway from the gray days of January! I'm tucking this away for future bucket list reference. I hope your re-entry into reality is smooth!

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  20. What an amazing trip, you both look so relaxed and warm. Such a gorgeous venue. I am very jealous of the beach, the pool and the cocktails. I am adding this to the list.

    Annie G

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  21. Wow, I an seriously green with envy. Looks like you both had a wonderful time. xo Laura

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  22. Oh, my, what a fabulous time away! Great pics and you look mar-va-lous my dear! Welcome back!

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  23. Love the pool duty pictures! What a wonderful trip, and long overdue after having spent 6 winters in New England.

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  24. Snow, ice, and freezing rain is in the forecast for this weekend. This looks like Heaven!!! Your hubby is a keeper! :)

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  25. What a fun trip! Glad you had such an amazing time. It looks like somewhere I would want to visit too, especially when it's so cold and rainy where I am. :)

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  26. What a wonderful break from the cold winter.. we're heading to Fla. for the same thing (just less beachy and more Disney on the go!). My husband and I spent some time on St. Martin for our honeymoon too and have always talked about going back (either there or the Virgin Islands).

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  27. LOVE your photos Katie! You've inspired me to call up my travel agent right now! :) Thanks for the vicarious mini-vacay! 💗

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  28. Your stay in St. Martin was awesome! Your post had me laughing big time.

    Wish I were there now. We took a cruise and stopped there and only had time to do a fairly fast tour of the area. You had it right staying there and really getting to know it (again.)

    Glad your handsome mister is studying his French - will come in handy.

    Je parle Francaise, en peu.

    I saw that movie a while ago, it was good.

    I am in mid-Ohio and we haven't really had a winter here yet - a little bit of snow a month ago and a light dusting - usually we are inundated with freezing snowy weather. Kinda hope we do - kills the insects and germs when one gets a good deep freeze.

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  29. Spectacular views and the food looks so delicious. Looks very blissfully relaxing. :)

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  30. Beautiful pictures Katie. We flew into St. Martin last Jan. and took the ferry to Anguilla, just across the way. Those beaches in that part of the Caribbean are heavenly! Also looked at number 1’s beach wedding. Just wow! Yes I’ll bet it is a bit warmer down here.....Janey

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  31. How wonderful! Glad you were able to do this! It looks lovely!
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

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  32. Looks amazing. I really need an holiday! Thanks for sharing your post at Welcome To The Weekend Blog Hop.

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  33. What a wonderful surprise! Thank you for sharing at Party In Your PJ's!

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  34. What a lovely holiday, thanks for sharing the fun with us. Great pics. Our Julie has chosen this post to be featured in our next Blogger's Pit Stop.
    Kathleen

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  35. What a lovely place and vacation. I'm a tad bit jealous but so glad you got to go. Thanks for sharing with us at #HomeMattersParty

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  36. What an amazing winter getaway! You look so joyful and relaxed. And warm! I am so tired of the arctic tundra where I live. I am getting away in a few weeks and heading south to North Carolina. At least it is a bit warmer there than northern New York this time of year. Thanks for sharing and linking up!

    Shelbee
    www.shelbeeontheedge.com

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  37. Late in seeing this one, but pea green with envy!! What a wonderful anniversary gift from your Mister! Loved all the pictures and your comments always make me laugh!

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