Ready to cruise!

Months ago, Garry and I decided to kick off our Caribbean cruise in style. We cashed in a few Amex Reward points we’ve been accumulating for years and booked ourselves into La Samanna on the island of Sint Maarten. The hotel is part of the Belmond group, an exclusive chain of upmarket boutique hotels. Its cheapest rooms are typically more than $4,500 a night.

We booked a “budget price” Deluxe Ocean View Room, which still cost us a decadent $570 after using our Amex points. However, our ground-floor room included breakfast, a USD100 food and beverage credit, free wifi, a room upgrade and a guaranteed late check-out. The hotel certainly came through. We were upgraded to a room located on the roof of a villa building overlooking the Caribbean. It included a two-tier rooftop balcony with shaded deck chairs on one level and an umbrella-shaded table, sun loungers and a cushioned bench on the second, higher level.

The hotel also threw in a bottle of champagne, fresh bar snacks and chocolates, which we happily consumed from the comfort of our balcony as the sun went down. Earlier in the day, we’d enjoyed several hours lounging on the hotel’s private white sand beach. The hotel beach bar offered “push button” service, which we used to great effect to secure a couple of cold beers.

The beach itself was a little rocky in places. However, the stunning, aquamarine water was warm. I can now officially say I’ve swum in the Caribbean Sea. Garry spent another hour or so on the sand while I returned to the airport to experience Maho Beach. You can read more about this adventure here.

Dinner that night was at La Spiaggia, the hotel’s casual dining trattoria-style Italian restaurant overlooking the sea. Breakfast the following morning was held in an open-air café that sits on a clifftop, overlooking the beach. As you can see above, the view was simply divine.

We’ve now boarded our boat in Philipsburg. Six ships were in port today. Fortunately, three, including our ship, were smaller vessels, so the port wasn’t too chaotic. However, the shore team took pity on us and arranged a private transfer to the gangway. In the images above, our boat is hidden behind the dark-hulled vessel in the foreground. Our two large neighbours departed early, giving us an uninterrupted view of the Caribbean at sunset. Our spa treatments are also booked.

We’re ready to cruise.