Caribbean In person: St Barths Caribbean delights in Eden
A short hop from Antigua, St Barths offers a little slice of France among the Caribbean islands, with Eden Rock offering the chance to holiday like a star
author: April Hutchinson T
he little Tradewind Aviation aircraft honed in on the tiny runway between two peaks as we made our descent into
St Barths from the short hop over from Antigua. The leather seats of the private plane and VIP service provided by Tradewind – met from the British Airways flight in Antigua and whisked to a lounge to take care of yawnsome formalities – were a fitting start for a visit to this island. At just eight square miles in size but home to 14 gorgeous beaches, St Barths is one of the most feted holiday spots in the world, a little slice of France lapped by the Caribbean sea. Even the sleek, modern airport is akin to something you would expect to find on the Cote d’Azur – and it’s just a 10-minute drive to Eden Rock, set atop a rocky promontory. Eden Rockwas built by Remy de Haenen in
1945 and attracted a global elite in search of privacy and possibly the odd party, with Rockefeller, Garbot and Cousteau among them. The hotel came into its second wind under the
ownership of a British family, the Matthews, who bought it in 1995, since when they have tweaked, refurbed and expanded the hotel to 34 rooms. It is now managed by Oetker Collection, but maintains the feel of a family hotel, with pictures of them – including son Spencer, now a star of Made in Chelsea– adorning the walls of the bar. But prick the celebrity bubble and underneath,
St Barths is a beautiful island with incredible service and cuisine, and Eden Rock personifies all three. If you want to live the Kardashian lifestyle, you can on this island, but equally if you just want to crawl under a rock and hide away, then Eden Rock is a nice one under which to try.
Sand and deliver The collection of beach guestrooms are sprinkled in cottage-style buildings among gardens and never far from the beach or the
How to book it ITC Luxury Travel offers seven nights from £2,429pp including breakfast, economy flights from Heathrow with Air France and private transfers. Tel: 01244 355527,
itcluxurytravel.co.uk
Tough though it is to leave this luxury enclave,
wooden decking of The Sand Bar, rendering shoes an unnecessary hindrance. There are also Rock Classics, located on the rock with ocean-views and quirky layouts. But for those who want to up their game, there is a range of suite and villa options, including Villa Rockstar, which has its own recording studio. New for this season is the Christopher
Columbus Suite, created out of some dead space atop the promontory and now providing the most awesome views from its cliff-edge position. It’s named for the Caribbean’s most famed discoverer, who in turn once used the inspiration of his brother Bartholomew to name this island. And if that wasn’t enough, Eden Rock Villa Rental also offers a choice of 80 options around the island. But as well as its enviable beach location and
smart rooms, dining is what shines here, under the creative vision of Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Dinner down at Sand Bar – literally with toes scrunching in the sand – was brilliant enough, but dinner up at On-The-Rocks high above the coral reef, was sublime. Things are taken care of by executive chef Eric Desbordes – Michelin-starred from sister Oetker hotel Le Bristol – and turning around to look through the glass into the kitchen and seeing chefs in full regalia preparing each dish, it could almost have been Paris.
you have to visit the main town of Gustavia, which has hints of its 18th century Swedish history (it’s named after King Gustav III) and is peppered with cute coffee shops, hip boutiques, cocktail bars, local restaurants – and Louis Vuitton, among many other stores by luxury super-brands. It was from here we boarded a catamaran for
a sunset cruise and as we sailed around the coast, hair tangled from a brief dip and wrapped in towels, the skipper slowed down and we looked over for the reason – an entire hill populated by villas and houses owned by Roman Abramovich; St Barths is that kind of place. But everyone’s kind of equal in the dark –
or at least that’s the impression at Le Ti, a decadent St Tropez-type affair. The set-up is dinner-and-cabaret – we arrived as the cabaret was wrapping up and diners were being invited to dress-up from a range of costumes and jump on stage. We refrained from dressing up; but some of us may well have danced on a table, for a little bit, but what happens in St Barths…
Tel: 00 590 590 297 999,
edenrockhotel.com,
oetkercollection.com
Pictured 1. Spa treatment on the beach 2. The new Christopher Columbus suite 3. Famous red roofs of Eden Rock
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TTGLUXURY.COM SPRING 2016 DESTINATIONS
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