I Honeymooned at This Resort in Saint Martin and It Still Feels Like a Secret

I remember my first days at Karibuni Boutique Hotel because they were the start of everything. I honeymooned here, in a hillside room looking out over Cul de Sac Bay, the sea always in view. It wasn’t about size or grandeur — it was about intimacy, privacy, and the feeling that the world had narrowed to just us and the island.

It was about a wooden bird that, when you lifted it above the wall of your patio, your fresh-baked breakfast arrived right after. 

The rooms are airy and simple, with private terraces that open to the water and a sense of seclusion that feels rare in the Caribbean. 

Mornings brought croissants and coffee on the balcony, the scent of flowers rising from the hillside. Afternoons unfolded by the pool, a serene perch where the view stretched across the bay to the outline of Pinel Island. It felt like being inside a secret, one shared only with a handful of guests.

And then there is the detail that makes Karibuni Lodge unforgettable. When you’re ready, they don’t just point you toward Pinel — they take you there. The hotel has its own boat, waiting at the edge of the bay. In minutes you’re across the turquoise shallows, stepping onto Pinel’s sand at the Karibuni Beach Club. 

You never have to wait for a chair. 

That first afternoon was grilled lobster and ti’ punch, my feet buried in the sand, the sound of water lapping just a few steps away. It was the easiest crossing, yet it felt like arriving somewhere entirely new.

What Makes Karibuni Lodge Special

Karibuni Lodge feels personal. It isn’t a resort with hundreds of rooms. It’s a handful of places to stay, each one with its own terrace, its own quiet, its own view. The day naturally splits between the hillside lodge and the beach club across the water, connected by that little boat that makes the journey feel like part of the adventure. And at night, you come back to the hillside, to the pool, to the silence, and to the sense that Saint Martin has given you something private and rare.

How to Get to Karibuni Lodge

Karibuni Lodge sits above the Cul de Sac area on the French side of Saint Martin, about 25 minutes from Grand Case and 30 minutes from Marigot. The boat to Pinel Island leaves from the bay just below the property, carrying guests directly to the Karibuni Beach Club.

Here to Stay

For me, Karibuni Lodge was the beginning of a life — a honeymoon room above the sea, mornings on the balcony, afternoons on Pinel Island, and nights by the pool. For others, it will be the same: a hotel that feels personal, that connects hillside quiet to beachside ease, that gives Saint Martin a kind of intimacy few places can match. Karibuni Lodge is here to stay, and once you’ve been, it stays with you.

Note: the hotel opens for the season in mid-October.