Marco has just brought the morning croissants and the espresso has heated up and the streets of Gustavia are still silent on a Sunday.
It might even be the hour of the decollage, occasion for the French West Indies’ centuries-old rhum blanc, sugar and lime ritual, before watching the first flight make its way over the harbor back to San Juan.
But here in the early hours of a St Barth morning, it’s the view that intoxicates.
Because the greatest villas should always start with the view.
Here at Villa ANG in the hills above Gustavia, you’re treated to what is one of the truly iconic panoramas, a window into a rarefied corner of the world.
And like the the most legendary vistas, it’s one you can simply watch.
By day, you get the romantic hum of the planes making their way in and out of Remy de Haenen Airport; the charming bustle of this wonderful old town.
By night, it’s the dotted lights of the nearby hills and straight across from St Maarten, like fireflies in the heat of a French Caribbean evening.
And while the energy is palpable, you’re also wonderfully removed; up here, it’s serene, it’s quiet and Gustavia is a painting on an unseen wall.
It’s almost as if you’re floating.
But when you turn around to gaze at Villa Angelina, you begin to appreciate the rest of the story.
The four-bedroom property is at once a classic French West Indies villa and a sleek, contemporary estate, with an impressive indoor-outdoor layout that means you’re always looking at the view, always in nature, always reminded of the breezy, lush, carefree aesthetic that defines this island. (The airy, indoor outdoor layout is something that’s even more appealing amid the current realities of travel).
Climb up to the hillside master suite, an architectural gem in its own right, and the view is enhanced; new corners of the capital emerge.
Every inch of this property has been carefully conceived; from an indoor-outdoor entertainment room abutting the pool to spectacular art and photography all across the walls.
And yet, all of the rooms come back to this view, to this marvelous, massive infinity pool, the latter the anchor to the home.
Because there’s something special about this view in Gustavia.
This is an island with no shortage of magnificent views, whether you’re look at the little islands in Anse des Cayes or the shimmering turquoise of Cul de Sac.
But to be here, above one of the most exclusive, beautiful harbors in the world, to float above it, is something different entirely.
And then there’s the aforementioned Marco, our WIMCO Villas private concierge, who attends to every need of the week, whether it’s getting breakfast delivered, finding a table at Tamarin or even procuring the rum for an early ti’ punch.
That’s the essence of the WIMCO difference, the detail-focused attention that turns a vacation villa into your own private home in St Barth.
Of course, there are St Barth villas and there are St Barth villas.
This is, decidedly, the latter.
For more, visit WIMCO Villa ANG.
See more in the latest CJ Video below:
— CJ