She鈥檇 travelled to a paradise island for a few months to do some soul searching, and Niki Benjamin, from the U.S., found her life moving in a completely new direction when her dog ran up to a stranger.
It all began in late 2014, when Benjamin, a former music executive, took an extended trip to the Caribbean destination of St. Martin (Sint Maarten in Dutch,) one of her favourite places, 鈥渢o figure things out.鈥
鈥淚鈥檝e often found refuge and solace and made some pretty big life decisions just on vacation [there,]鈥 she tells CNN Travel. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 like my safe place.鈥
Beach encounter
Benjamin had been walking along the beach with her beloved pooch Dylan in tow when a man in a nearby restaurant caught his attention.
鈥淚 saw him [Dylan] licking some shoes,鈥 Benjamin tells CNN Travel. 鈥淎nd then I looked up, and I locked eyes with this man who became my husband.鈥
Benjamin says she instantly 鈥渇elt very comfortable鈥 around Sandro Scarafile, a French chef who had been living in the Caribbean for two decades.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know it, [but] I ate his food before I actually met him,鈥 she adds, before recalling how they 鈥渨ere together always鈥 after that chance meeting.
She and Scarafile spent around four months in St. Martin together before Benjamin decided to head to Houston, Texas to care for her aging mother in August 2015.
鈥淗e was like, 鈥業鈥檓 coming,鈥欌 Benjamin recalls. 鈥淎nd I was like, 鈥極K.鈥欌
A short while after they arrived in Houston, Scarafile pulled Benjamin鈥檚 mother aside and told her that he hoped to marry her daughter.
The couple were married in 2015 and lived in Houston together for around eight years.
However, as time went on, and Scarafile鈥檚 parents, who are based in Nice, got older, he felt the urge to be closer to them.
Benjamin and Scarafile, who say that 鈥淗ouston was never the end game,鈥 began seriously considering relocating to France.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been a person that鈥檚 kind of wanting to move, explore and feel different places,鈥 says Benjamin, who was born and raised in New York.
Thankfully, Benjamin鈥檚 brother volunteered to move to Houston to help with their mother, giving her the freedom to make the move if they chose to.
Call to nature
During a visit to the south of France to visit Scarafile鈥檚 parents in the spring of 2022, he was offered a position at a restaurant in St. Maxime, which is located on the French Riviera between St. Tropez and Cannes.
鈥淗e just really felt like, 鈥楾his is my time, I need to be here,鈥 and I agreed with him,鈥 she says.
When Benjamin drove down to visit the town, she was immediately struck by its beauty and stillness.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know much about St. Maxime,鈥 she admits. 鈥淎nd we turned and drove over the bridge and the water was sparkling, the flowers were just so abundant. And I felt relaxed and calm.鈥
Benjamin was charmed by the town鈥檚 relaxed atmosphere and realized that it was exactly what she needed.
鈥淚 felt the call to nature,鈥 she says. 鈥淭he call to be closer to the sea. It was just a lifestyle I was really into having.
鈥淪o it wasn鈥檛 a hard sell for me. I was like, 鈥楢lright, let鈥檚 go.鈥 So it was kind of love at first sight.鈥
Shortly after that visit, Benjamin left Scarafile behind in France in order to return to the U.S. to begin making arrangements for their big move.
鈥淗e took the job, got acclimated, got an apartment,鈥 she says. 鈥淎nd I went back, packed up our stuff and moved back here a month later.鈥
The couple have been living happily in St. Maxime together, along with Dylan, ever since.
According to Benjamin, word spread quickly that an American was living in the town as 鈥渢here鈥檚 not a big expat community,鈥 and locals were fascinated that someone from the U.S. had chosen to relocate there.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e like, 鈥榃hy would you ever move from New York or L.A. or Texas, to come here?鈥欌 she says. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 like, 鈥榃hy wouldn鈥檛 I?鈥欌
Benjamin has taken to life in St. Maxime immensely, stressing that being able to slow down has done wonders for her well-being.
鈥淭here鈥檚 just a different pace and way of life here that really speaks to me,鈥 she explains.
Slower pace
鈥淭here鈥檚 a big focus on nature. It鈥檚 celebrated. And I like that I feel very much more grounded here because of it.鈥
One of the other things she enjoys most about living in the quaint town, aside from the close-knit community, is how much time everyone spends outdoors.
鈥淭he people here are very active up until into their 80s,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 have neighbours who are hauling six-packs of water and their own groceries from the store and a little wheelie cart in great health. Then they鈥檒l jump on their bike and go for a swim in the sea.
鈥淚 feel like it鈥檚 just a great quality of life and it doesn鈥檛 matter what age you are.鈥
Benjamin and Scarafile have moved to a larger property since first relocating to St. Maxime, and she says that it costs about a third of what she had been paying while in the U.S.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so much more affordable,鈥 she adds. 鈥淚 live probably 500 meters from the sea, with views of the river, and it鈥檚 just a fraction of the cost for my rent, just living in cities, with no sea in sight.
鈥淎nd then also, groceries, everything is just a little bit more affordable here.鈥
Benjamin has also found the food in the region to be fresher, adding that area has a number of farm-to table-restaurants.
鈥淚 noticed when I got here, I just automatically dropped a lot of excess weight, probably from being outside a lot, and just the quality of the food,鈥 she adds.
During her time in St. Maxime, Benjamin has rediscovered her love of tennis, a hobby she enjoyed during her younger years, and is now a member of a local tennis club.
She loves the fact that there doesn鈥檛 seem to be such a huge focus on work, and people are more interested in hearing about someone鈥檚 personal interests.
鈥淚 would say that鈥檚 very, nobody asked like, 鈥榃hat do you do for a living?鈥欌 she says.
鈥淵ou could talk to somebody for a long time and not have any idea what they do.鈥
Of course, relocating to a new country undoubtedly comes with challenges, and Benjamin, who spoke little French before moving to St. Maxime, admits that learning a new language 鈥渇rom scratch鈥 hasn鈥檛 been easy.
鈥淚 just took for granted that I could communicate so freely because I speak the language where I鈥檓 from,鈥 she says, adding that she didn鈥檛 have much time to begin learning French beforehand because they moved so quickly.
鈥淏ut being in a new country, and just even being able to communicate a thought really, really quickly, is sometimes challenging.
鈥淏ecause you have to think, 鈥楬ow would I say this? And what鈥檚 the right tense to say this?鈥
鈥淎nd by the time you鈥檙e thinking all of those things, the person is already gone or your mind gets stuck.鈥
Benjamin currently has a permanent resident card, which she renews each year, and plans to apply for French citizenship in the future.
However, she concedes that she鈥檚 had to adapt to French bureaucracy and 鈥渓earn the art of patience when dealing with paperwork, and the process.鈥
In 2023, Benjamin, who previously ran a Pilates studio in Houston, launched a wellness retreat company, Wellness Retreats, which offers residential stays.
鈥淚t has been really fun,鈥 she says, explaining that her clients are mainly women from the U.S. who are keen to get a glimpse into the local lifestyle.
鈥淏ecause I get to show people that want to come visit here the lay of the land through the eyes of an expat.鈥
Leap of faith
After around two years in the south of France, the couple are very settled and able to visit Scarafile鈥檚 parents in Nice, which is just over an hour鈥檚 drive away, every two weeks or so.
Benjamin is particularly fond of the region鈥檚 rich art scene, and enjoys visiting attractions like Musée Picasso in nearby Antibes as well as some of the spots frequented by American-born French entertainer Josephine Baker, who once lived on the Côte d鈥橝zur.
鈥淚 just love being transported into an actual place where somebody else was standing,鈥 she explains.
鈥淎nd seeing what I see now versus what they saw back then, and what the differences are.鈥
When questioned by others who are thinking of relocating to a new destination, Benjamin says she advises them not to 鈥渙verthink it too much.鈥
鈥淚f it feels like it鈥檚 something that鈥檚 calling you, just take the leap of faith and go for it,鈥 she says.
鈥淎nd realize that there鈥檚 gonna be ups and downs. Just because you move someplace else doesn鈥檛 mean that it鈥檚 going to be this perfect Instagram lifestyle.鈥
She goes on to stress that 鈥渘othing has to be 100% permanent,鈥 and you have the option to 鈥渃hange your mind鈥 if 鈥渋t just doesn鈥檛 feel right.鈥
Benjamin is a firm believer in trusting your instincts, pointing out that following her gut has served her very well so far.
鈥淲hen necessary, and when aware, I do really think things through,鈥 she adds. 鈥淏ut I do believe that when the stars are aligned and if it feels right, I [should] do it.
鈥淚f it ends up not being the right thing, then I just kind of recalibrate and redirect my path.鈥
Although Benjamin loves St. Maxime, she still misses aspects of her life in the U.S., particularly her family and friends, as well as certain 鈥渉ome comforts.鈥
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing like 30-year relationships where you鈥檝e been through everything together, and you don鈥檛 even have to speak鈥 That kind of understanding,鈥 she says.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 been here [France] long enough to have those types of relationships as of yet. It鈥檚 definitely possible, but it鈥檚 just not the reality of now.鈥
Benjamin returns to the U.S. to visit her brother 鈥 her mother had since passed away 鈥 as well as extended family and friends, at least twice a year and hasn鈥檛 ruled out moving back one day.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a million reasons that could call me back to the U.S., I just don鈥檛 know what they would be, or what they are,鈥 she says. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 open to anything.
鈥淚鈥檓 open to continuing to just kind of follow my gut and go where I go. But I鈥檓 really happy here for right now.鈥
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