To celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary and my 65th birthday, my husband and I decided to take a vacation I have dreamt of for more years than I can count. After looking at over 50 villas in the Caribbean, we decided to go over budget and selected ... Read moreLa Provencale. As we were going with 3 other couples I stressed over making the decision for everyone, but I DEFINITELY made the right choice! The pictures didn't do the property justice. It was so beautiful and relaxing a couple of us never wanted to leave to explore St. Maarten. The staff at Carimo, from the moment we made the selection to the dreaded moment of leaving the gated property, was far above any staff I have encountered and as an event planner I have very high standards. While the property only had a distant view of the ocean, not one of us was disappointed by it. You could see the beautiful blue waters and ships in the distance. We watched the planes fly into the island. The kitchen was well stocked, although the wine opener was ineffective, which was minor and we left a good one behind for the next guest. Each bedroom was more spacious than the photos showed. The grounds were impeccable and charming with flowering trees and shrubs. The few flaws we found were simply signs of use and certainly nothing at all to complain about, or worthy of noting. The villa is NOT a "Glamour Shot" all photos are current and don't even come close to showing how spacious the property truly is. We were close to the grocery store, which we visited several times during our week long stay. We found nearly everything we needed at Grande Marche, which is located in a charming little center which hosts a great restaurant overlooking the bay, Mario. We enjoyed a day trip to Marigot and took a sunset cruise out of Phillispburg. While I didn't want to leave the villa, I'm so glad I did. We all thoroughly enjoyed our stay at La Provencale and hope to be back with the same group to celebrate another round of special occasions! Thank you Carl for suggesting the villa, Donna and the rest of the concierge staff for treating us like rockstars and Rosamund for taking such beautiful care of the villa. Each of us have commented that we have never had such a grand vacation and we have been all over the Caribbean, Europe and the states! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! Read less