Villa Dulce – Luxury Villa in Beacon Hill, Sint Maarten

Villa Dulce sits high on Hope Hill above Orient Bay, a calm four-bedroom house where the sea is the view from almost every room. It suits a family or a group of friends who want the quiet of the heights with the island's liveliest beach five minutes down the hill.

The house is arranged around that view. An open kitchen runs into a bright living room, and a wide covered terrace and outdoor dining area carry the day outside, with several seating spots so you can chase the shade or the sun as the hours move. All four bedrooms are reached from inside the house, each with a king bed, an en-suite bath, individual air conditioning, a ceiling fan, a smart TV, and a safe, and each looks out to the ocean.

The heated infinity pool is the center of it, its edge blending into the sea beyond, ringed by sun beds. It is heated from mid-October through mid-April at no charge, and warmed on request the rest of the year for a small weekly fee, so the swim is right whenever you come. The barbecue handles the nights the group cooks its own catch.

Orient Bay is five minutes away, the busiest beach on the island, with water sports, beach clubs, and restaurants on the sand, and Grand Case and its kitchens are a short drive north. In between you have the hill to yourself.

For a night on the beach, L'Atelier at Orient Bay does easy seaside dining a few minutes down, and our concierge can book the table and sort the car.

Low-season weeks start at $6,090 for the four bedrooms. The day ends the way it began, up on the terrace: the infinity pool melting into the sea, the shade shifting across the loungers, and Orient Bay waiting at the bottom of the hill.