Villa Be Happy

Villa Be Happy is a three-bedroom retreat on the hillside between Friar's Bay and Happy Bay, sharing the same rare position: two of Saint Martin's prettiest beaches within a short walk, and the sea and Anguilla filling the view. It is built for six, a good fit for a family or two couples.

The layout runs across two levels. Upstairs, large glass doors open the bright living space onto a terrace that catches the sea breeze, with one suite kept close to the shared rooms for the guest who likes to be near the action. Downstairs sit two more suites, each with an en-suite bath and its own door onto the pool terrace, a more private arrangement for the ones who want to slip out for an early swim.

The pool is ringed by greenery with space to lounge and dine, and the modern, uncluttered finish lets the view do the work. The setting is calm and green, the kind of place where the days lose their edges.

Happy Bay, the wild and secluded beach, is a short walk down through the trees, good for swimming and snorkeling with almost no one around, while Friar's Bay around the point brings the beach chairs and the crowd when you want them.

For lunch or dinner on the sand, Friar's Bay Beach Cafe pairs French bistro cooking with Caribbean plates and a straight view across the bay to Anguilla, and our concierge can hold the table and sort a car.

Low-season weeks start at $4,200 for the three bedrooms. The house earns its name in the small things: the glass-walled living room over the sea, the two pool-side suites below, and the path to Happy Bay through the trees.