Villa Oceane – Luxury Villa in Terres Basses, Sint Maarten

Villa Oceane sits a short walk from Plum Bay, one of the quietest stretches of sand in Terres Basses. It's a four-bedroom house built for groups who want space without living on top of each other: three bedrooms open off the main living area, and a fourth has its own private entrance — the room everyone quietly hopes to get.

The living space runs high and open, with ceilings that give the house room to breathe and sliding doors that pull the trade winds straight through. Each bedroom has its own bathroom, so mornings don't turn into a queue.

Most of the day happens outside. The pool sits in a lush, flowering tropical garden, loungers set along the deck that wraps around it; the shaded corner handles long lunches, and by evening the outdoor table is where dinner ends up. The terrace looks out over the sunset above Baie Longue — the west-coast light Terres Basses is known for.

Plum Bay is about a 5-minute walk down the road, and the last stretch is unpaved. Princess Juliana Airport is a 15-minute drive, and the restaurants of Grand Case are about 27 minutes north. For a first night when nobody feels like cooking, we send guests to Mario's Bistro — the best food on the lagoon.

Villa Oceane rents as a two-, three-, or four-bedroom villa, starting at $6,000 a week in low season — which makes it one of the more flexible houses in Terres Basses. It suits two families traveling together, or six to eight friends who want to be near the beach but value privacy over nightlife. Our concierge can stock the kitchen before you land and book a private chef for the nights you'd rather stay in.

Plum Bay rarely has more than a handful of people on it. That's the whole point of this side of the island.