A Honeymoon in Paradise
This couple kicked off their marriage in style with a luxurious seven-night stay at Secrets St. Martin Resort & Spa.
When she looks back on her honeymoon, one of the first things Karoline Patterson remembers is the sea turtles. During their week at Secrets St. Martin Resort & Spa, Karoline and her husband, Patrick Leonard, booked a six-hour boat tour of the Dutch side of St. Martin island. They traveled along the beautiful Caribbean coast, taking in the sights and stopping to snorkel along the way.
“At our last stop, Pat spotted the sea turtles,” Patterson says. “Everyone got in the water. I’ve seen sea turtles in aquariums but to actually see them in the wild, feeding on the bottom of the ocean, was a very cool surprise. It was really special.”
That was one of many moments the couple, who live in Illinois, remember from their all-expenses-paid trip, which they won in Milwaukee Magazine and Funjet Vacations’ 2021 honeymoon contest. The couple were married in June of 2021 but didn’t take the big trip until July of 2022 – and neither had been to a resort since childhood.
Secrets St. Martin sits in a secluded cove in Anse Marcel Bay, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea. It’s the only all-inclusive resort on the French side of the island.
“At St. Martin, you almost feel like you’re in Europe,” Leonard says. “I’ve been to cruise stops at other Caribbean
islands, but this has a totally different feel to it. It was really beautiful, and the resort was amazing.”
The couple spent many of their days enjoying the many amenities the resort has to offer, including 24-hour room service in their luxury suite with a private balcony. Their stay, like all at Secrets St. Martin, included unlimited dining and drinks, and they spent many afternoons lounging in the pool, enjoying cocktails from the swim-up bar.
“The whole place is so walkable,” Patterson says. “The beach was a two-minute walk from our room.”
“In a matter of 10 minutes, you could go from the pool to the beach to your room to the bar,” Leonard adds. “It was all right there.”
When it came to food, they were both surprised by the variety. The resort has three a la carte restaurants serving Italian, Mediterranean
at Secrets St.
and Pan-Asian cuisine, along with a grill, cafe and buffet. Patterson was partial to the sushi.
“The fresh seafood was awesome,” Leonard says. “And they had fantastic drinks at all the bars: daquiris, piña coladas, any rum-based drink you could think of.”
They ventured off the resort for a dinner on the French side of the island, where they were the only couple speaking English in the room. And they found a beautiful, secluded
hiking trail near the resort with great views of the water.
While the honeymoon was full of gorgeous oceanfront vistas, luxurious days on the beach and delicious food, one of the couple’s favorite memories is something unexpected – impromptu karaoke sessions. In one of the banquet halls, the bar staff set up late-night karaoke, and it became something of a nightly tradition among the resort’s honeymooners. Patterson and Leonard made friends with other couples, who
went full rock star at the karaoke machine. “After a day of drinking in the pool, we’d just belt out Sublime songs and country, and it was so much fun,” Leonard says.
They’d both love to book another trip to Secrets St. Martin with Funjet in the future (especially during a Midwest winter), and if they do return, they’d change one thing – they would rent a car, so they could explore more of the beautiful coves, trails, restaurants and views that the island has to offer.