By Alexander Britell
It’s shaping up to be a rather exciting season in St Barth, as the island braces for a wave of major hotel reopenings — and returning travelers.
The first fall relaunch is coming late next month, when St Barth’s Le Barthelemy Hotel and Spa, which has been closed since Hurricane Irma last year, reopens Oct. 28.
One of the new oceanfront villas at Le Barthelemy.
The luxury boutique hotel’s planned reopening coincides with the two-year anniversary of its original debut on the island in 2016.
The 44-room-and-suite property will return with two new oceanfront villas, along with its full-service spa by skincare brand Le Mer.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome guests back to Le Barthélemy and to work with our travel advisor partners in sharing details of the work we’ve done to not only resurrect but even improve this very special property,” said Le Barthelemy General Manager Marc Dobbels.
The hotel will return with an eye to “replicate the understated yet supremely luxurious aesthetic” of the pre-Irma property, according to Dobbels.
The perfect pool day at Le Barthelemy.
He said the relaunched hotel would ‘incorporate peaceful design throughout the guest experience, putting an emphasis on wellness and well-being, the essential luxury.”
There will be some new additions, however, including a new rooftop bar called WTF Rooftop Bar (it stands for Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, the hotel says), along with the Aux Amis Plage beachfront grill.
Le Barthemely will join several top properties that have already relaunched on the island, including the beachfront Les Ilets de la Plage in St Jean; the classic Le Village and the reimagined Manapany Hotel, with the latter already the hottest new place to stay on the island in some times. (Also back in action is Pearl Beach, formerly known as Tom Beach).
The winter season will see a broad wave of reopenings, from the Cheval Blanc St Barth Isle de France to the legendary Eden Rock.
Of course, St Barth has already made an impressive comeback (one that began shortly after the storms), and its villa portfolio is better than ever, led by market leader WIMCO.