Caribbean Dreams
Posted by Tamara on January 13th, 2009
Just before Christmas, James and I set sail on a hotel-hunting trip to the Caribbean, where we were completely bowled over by one hotel in particular – a honeymoon-perfect mountainside hideaway on St Lucia with just 29 rooms, which we’ll be adding to the Smith collection post-haste.
Jade Mountain is an architect’s dream – quite literally. The owner (an architect) built Jade with none of the constraints that architects are usually given by clients – in this case, he was the client, and therefore able to build the hotel limited only by his imagination. The result is an angular, industrial style that makes you feel like you’ve woken up in the island lair of some desperately chic Bond villain.
Each room is reached via a concrete walkway, and the entire structure, layered like a cake, is held together with steel, stone-clad girders, which end in colourful feature pieces shaped from the protruding metal prongs. ‘A very cool car park’ was Mr Smith’s initial verdict, but the escalating wow factor rapidly stunned us both into admiring silence.
As well as its own private Jacuzzi and infinity pool – each room also boasts an unadulterated view of the bay and the greenery-blanketed Piton mountains. The fact that the bedrooms are only walled on three sides means that the soul-stirring ocean view is inescapable – it’s impossible not to find it inspiring.
We’d been invited here for dinner and because our hotel was an hour’s drive away, we decided to take a water taxi. This was a thrilling 30-minute dash around the coast illuminated only by moonlight. Our taxi driver had forgotten his lights (not sure he ever had any in the first place) so we felt like smugglers in the night – or perhaps MI5 agents going into a covert op. When we got to the cove, we were greeted by two major domos – (staff explained later that, as opposed to a butler, a major domo is not supposed to simply cater for your every need but to anticipate it). We were driven up the hill to Jade Mountain, where I swapped my flip-flops for heels (which are definitely not made for nautical excursions).
The walkways that take us to the top layers are lit with fairy lights that imbue the whole structure with an ethereal beauty. The restaurant is just below the roof terrace and – like pretty much every other room in the place – has its own infinity pool and amazing views out to the mountains. As you’d imagine, we ate in style, sampling some expertly prepared ceviche and perfectly seared local fish among the delicious seasonal dishes.
I wish we could have walked down a private walkway to our own suite over sea, but instead it was a quick drive back down the hill, on to our boat and out into the darkness whence we came but a few hours before – which left me wondering whether or not the whole Jade Mountain experience was really a Bond-inspired dream. The combination of excellent wine and all that fresh sea air had us sleeping like babies – until our woke us up at 4am the next morning…
My parents are next door at Anse Chastenet, by the same owners as we speak - I’m so jealous. They love it so much they go back year after year.
I wrote about some of the fab artworks you can find in the resort
http://www.heatheronhertravels.com/category/world/st-lucia-world/
By heatheronhertravels
On January 16th, 2009
[...] building next door to Anse Chastenet check out the review of the sister hotel Jade Mountain over at Mr & Mrs Smith blog. When my parents first saw the hotel being built, they thought it looked like a huge ship about to [...]
By More wood carvings at Anse Chastenet in St Lucia : Heather on her travels
On March 1st, 2009