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Elite, trendy (and, yes, very, very pricey) St. Barts is a small slice of the French Riviera that’s been picked up and molded into the perfect Caribbean island. With its clean streets, zero crime, low-rise aesthetic, upscale boutiques, French cuisine and storied hotels, what doesn’t it have?
Not many luxury beachfront villas, for one thing, which on the tiny 9.7-square-mile island are like les dents de poule.
Gyp Sea Hotel, a brand on the island since 2016, has just stepped up to fill this elusive gap.
Formerly named the Villa Marie, this boutique hillside hotel in the Colombier district, overlooking the Bay of Flamands, is owned by French company Maisons et Hôtels Sibuet, and commands fabulous views across the island.
Its 22 bungalow rooms (from €550/$800 per night) accessed from a steep drive are cozy and colorful, with terraces to take in the hillside views out to sea.
There’s a small spa and cozy restaurant onsite, while daytime dining centers around a small, lush pool, and the tropical grounds are policed by free range tortoises.
For beach revelry, guests at the hotel can access the Gyp Sea beach club at the curved, sandy bay of St. Jean, 10 minutes away. This buzzy locale has shops, dining and art galleries, and the club itself offers the perfect beach retreat. The restaurant and bar comes fitted in shabby chic rattan and wood, and serves up a mean signature Gypsea Queen cocktail in a retro tiki jug (rum, ginger, falernum, vanilla and bitters) as well as offering meat-eater delight barbeques. Cushy loungers and cabanas along the seafront beg for a day of doing nothing except summoning the waiter.
It’s right here that you’ll find the four new Gyp Sea villas, accessed along a rustic wooden path just a few sandy steps from the beach. Sprung up from former parking space, it’s a canny new use of much desired beachfront property.
You’ll walk into a dreamy retreat. The aspect is of palms and bamboo with the glittering sea behind. Design schemes that pull from opposite ends of the color wheel make it pop, with a tastefully bohemian air of tropical tranquility.
The villas are fitted with whimsical furnishings and art pieces curated by the owners, Jocelyne and Jean-Louis Sibuet, collected on their extensive travels. Thus, each of the villas is unique, giving the spaces the feeling of a much-loved vacation home. Pulling inspiration from the hosts’ roots in Megève, St. Tropez, and Provence, you’ll find artworks from French contemporary artist Pierre Malbec as well as soft furnishings from Pierre Frey and Elitis.
There’s a full kitchen complete with high end appliances, handy for in-room dining — have one of the beach club’s superb French chefs create a private extravaganza. We watched as Chef Alexandre Bennetot whipped up cod fritters in spicy mayonnaise as an amuse bouche for us, followed by delicious ceviche and grilled lobster.
After dinner, perhaps a dip in the private plunge pool, or take a stroll along the starlit emptied beach — festivities from the area beach clubs finish in the early evening, so you’ll have the place to yourself.
The beachfront villas consist of a two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit and a super romantic one bedroom which screams honeymoon — the huge pink bed looks out towards the pool and sea beyond. Behind, there are two three-bedroom villas for larger groups, with upper level balconies to take in the vista. Weekly rates start at €10,300/$10,887.
The Gyp Sea staff are on hand for your needs, with full butler service, and petit dejeuner is included too – pastries, of course, but also scrambled eggs with black truffle and parmesan cheese, all brought to you poolside.
You have access to the hotel facilities and, naturally, the beach club next door, but if you ever get tired of relaxing – and you won’t – saunter over to H20, the water adventure company at the beach club. Sure you can zoom around on the scuba jets or pop up sailboards, but why not take the Zodiac boat across to their brand new, million dollar Italian yacht?
See Saba in the distance (aka King Kong’s Skull Island), the clutch of megayachts in the bays, or snorkel with turtles – but make sure to sail past the last resting place of singing legend Johnny Hallyday. We may scratch our heads, but many of his compatriots make a pilgrimage to St Barts just to honor the “French Elvis Presley” who died in 2017 after selling more than 110 million records.
At the very least, it’s worth making a toast with chilled French champagne as you motor by.
