How to Make Your Next Vacation Feel More Luxurious (Without Spending Much More)

When people think about making a vacation feel more luxurious, they usually assume it means spending a lot more money.

But after our trip to Sint Maarten, I don't think that's necessarily true.

Looking back, some of our favorite parts of the trip weren't the most expensive. We just chose to spend our money differently.

Instead of trying to fit in another excursion or another restaurant reservation, we focused on making the experiences we were already planning even better.

These are five things I'd definitely do again.

1. Choose a Place You'll Actually Want to Spend Time In

I think this was the biggest thing that changed our trip.

When people visit Sint Maarten, many choose to stay at one of the popular resorts. We decided to do something a little different and book a villa instead.

And it was one of the nicest places I've stayed in.

We had our own pool overlooking the ocean, you could hear the waves in the distance, and it felt like we had our own little corner of the island.

The funny thing is, I feel like we all do this. We spend weeks researching the perfect Airbnb or hotel...and then we leave first thing in the morning and don't come back until it's time to shower and go to bed.

This time, we actually enjoyed where we were staying.

We had slow mornings by the pool. We stayed in one entire day. We weren't always surrounded by crowds or rushing to the next thing.

The villa became one of my favorite parts of the trip.

2. Plan a Day to Do Nothing

This might sound a little backwards, but one thing we did purposely on this trip was plan an entire day where we had nothing to do.

No excursions. No restaurant reservations.

I feel like every time I go on vacation, I want to do everything. I want to try every restaurant, go to every beach, book every excursion...and before I know it, the trip is over.

This time, we did the opposite.

We stayed at the villa almost the entire day.

We had brunch, got massages, laid by the pool, listened to the waves, talked, ate some more, and just...chilled.

And that's one of the days I remember the most.

I think we spend so much time finding the perfect Airbnb or hotel that we forget to actually enjoy it.

Now whenever I'm planning a trip, I'm always asking myself, "Did I leave enough time to just be there?"

3. Bring the Spa to You

Out of everything we did, this might've been my favorite.

Instead of going to a spa, we booked a mobile massage company that came right to our villa.

Best. Decision. Ever.

There was no getting dressed, no driving anywhere, and no checking the time because we had an appointment across the island.

We stayed exactly where we were.

After brunch, we changed into our robes, and had our massages overlooking the ocean.

When I tell you this was probably the best massage I've ever had on a trip...

I even fell asleep. And if you know me, you know I don't nap. Not even in kindergarten.

The best part is it wasn't even too expensive. It ended up costing around what we would've expected to pay at a spa on the island and actually less than massages I've had back home.

If you're already planning on treating yourself to a massage while you're on vacation, this is 100% the way I'd do it.

4. Book a Private Chef

This was another one of those moments where we realized luxury doesn't always have to mean spending more.

We booked a chef to come to the villa for brunch and dinner.

Brunch was waffles, fried chicken, eggs, French pastries, potatoes, fresh fruit, and the floating breakfast that so many of you asked me about on Instagram and TikTok.

Then later that night, he came back for dinner with steak, shrimp, sides, and crème brûlée for dessert.

After doing the math, we realized it would've cost us about the same as eating at a nice restaurant.

Except instead of getting dressed, driving somewhere, and waiting for a table...

Dinner came to us.

There's just something about eating a home-cooked meal with the ocean in the background, nowhere you need to be, and no plans for the rest of the day.

Brunch ended up being everyone's favorite meal.

5. Make Your Rental Car Part of the Experience

If you're already renting a car, why not make it fun?

Instead of getting the most basic rental, we rented a bright pink Jeep.

And I loved it.

Every time we walked out of the villa, it made us excited to get in and drive somewhere.

We could stop whenever we wanted, pull over for views, check out a stop that wasn't even on our itinerary, and explore the island without having to think about finding a taxi or paying for another ride.

My Biggest Takeaway

Before this trip, I probably would've said making a vacation feel more luxurious meant spending more money.

Now? I think it's more about spending where it matters most.

For me, it looked like booking a villa we'd actually enjoy instead of somewhere we'd only sleep.

It looked like bringing the spa to us instead of rushing to an appointment.

It looked like having dinner cooked in our own kitchen instead of waiting for a table.

It looked like renting the fun car instead of the practical one.

None of those things necessarily changed our budget. But they definitely changed the entire vibe of the trip.

And honestly, those are the things we still talk about when we think back on Sint Maarten.

Planning Your Own Sint Maarten Trip?