by With its perfect views, it’s easy to see why the Jade Mountain resort in St Lucia has just been named one of the best hotels in the world time and time again – most recently getting a nod for the Best Award in the World of Travel and Leisure 2024. It will also feature on the BBC’s Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby as an architectural masterpiece.
Built in 2006, Jade Mountain is perfectly situated next to its little sister, Anse Chastanet, and has stunning panoramic views of the Pitons, the twin peaks that became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004.
The hotel was designed and built by the renowned architect Nick Troubetzkoy, whose presence is evident in every aspect. It was named after its collection of exquisitely carved jade statues – the largest in the world. Outside is a stunning artwork by local artist Sakey, who runs art classes at the resort.
Set within 600 lush acres of Caribbean Forest, the hotel blends seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. The exquisite beauty and sounds of nature permeate every corner of the design, making it difficult to distinguish where one ends and the other begins.
Where?
Proudly flexing its architectural muscles, Jade Mountain sits high on a hillside on the south side of St Lucia and on the south west coast of the Caribbean Sea, facing the Pitons. The position means he wouldn’t look out of place in a James Bond lair.
When you arrive your eyes are greeted by the resort and the tall palm trees that seem to almost touch the sky from the other side of the bay.
Sharing a 600-acre beachfront with its sister hotel and nestled among lush tropical vegetation, you are transported right into the cacophony of a 24-hour jungle chorus. Troubetzkoy once said, “It was my ambition from the beginning to create an environment to fully capture the beauty of the island”.
Style
Features such as interconnected infinity pools over six floors, connected by a series of pipes and troughs cleverly hidden within the hill, all with their own unique design, mean that the modern architecture is truly a site to behold. .
The hotel has a total of 79 rooms, 29 of which are connected by a bridge leading to your ‘sanctuary’. As Peter, our unofficial tour guide – and resident butler hotel manager for sister hotel Anse Chastanet – tells us, “The moment you cross the bridge, you go into your room.” Who would have thought that you would have your own room. a private bridge while staying in a mountainside hotel?
Each room is designed closely with open showers, baths and even the toilets with little or no privacy, so make sure you are happy that your partner or roommate is a witness of every action before booking. It’s a unique feature of Jade Mountain’s store, and rightfully so.
Each sanctuary is a place of tranquility, where elegance meets comfort. Each one is carefully designed, from the 10,000 infinity pool tiles hand-picked by Karoline Troubetzkoy. The local community is at the heart of this resort.
Which room?
With 24 open-air infinity pool rooms and five sky Jacuzzi rooms (called the aforementioned sanctuaries), you’re spoiled for choice with an unrivaled view of the Pitons and the Caribbean Sea – but it’s for a small price. With no fourth wall in your room, you are completely open to the elements, whether in bed, in the shower or otherwise engaged. It also means that guests have a unique opportunity to be in sync with the St Lucian skyline.
All of the infinity pool sanctuaries have been created to reflect the accommodation’s square footage: each has 15-foot ceilings and averages 200 square feet each – and is called Star, Moon, Sun or Galaxy.
Each retreat comes with a four-poster bed as well as mosquito netting, bug sprays and coils, and yoga mats for those yogis ready to practice on their beautifully named Celestial Terrace as the sun rises over the Island.
Each sanctuary has its own attentive private butler, or Big Domo, which means the principle of the house in Latin, which will attend to your needs, 24 hours a day. It is possible to contact a mobile phone (given to you when you enter) or the iPad in your room, they will help you with in-house food service, a Pina Colada, if you want, or even a water pistol to get rid of the . pesky birds that try to steal your room condiments.
If you want to live like a rock star for a few days, push the boat out (you might need to book a year in advance) then ask for JC1. The jaw-dropping Galaxy sanctuary and the highest category of room at Jade Mountain have the best panoramic views in the hotel that stretch across the Caribbean Sea. The floor space is about 2,000 square feet and an infinity pool of 900 square feet.
Food & Drink
You have the choice of where to eat across Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanat resort. The 600-acre property includes the old colonial Anse Mamin plantation that was used for sugar cane back in the 18th Century, although today it is a coconut plantation and a great organic resource for the many restaurants that guests have access to. It is used to grow everything from turmeric to cashews, tamarind, mango and avocado to breadfruit, yams, and sweet potatoes, with all the ingredients ending up on plates.
From a six-course meal in your sanctuary to private dining at their Romantic Heavenly Terrace, you can enjoy the best dining St Lucia has to offer under the Milky Way (on a clear night).
Sister resort Anse Chastenet has an unforgettable choice of Lion Fish shore dinner, with each course paired with a bottle of wine selected by the sommelier, which you can enjoy while watching the sun set on the beach that cannot be access only by boat. it makes for an unforgettable evening.
Jade Mountain head chef Elijah appears most nights and greets his diners like old friends. The desserts were real as well as the hotel has its own chocolate factory on site.
The Troubetzkoys have also set up their own organic farm on the Island’s Emerald Estate – which produces 40% of the food served at the resort. Based in the hills of Soufriere just 30 minutes from the resort, it plays another big role in their farm to table approach.
In addition to the farm, the resort is now bottling its own locally sourced drinking water from a recently discovered well on site in recycled bottles. Currently available only in your accommodation, Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain plan to be 100% self-sustainable with their bottled water in the not too distant future. Both resorts introduced Travel With IMPACT, where guests can calculate and offset their time stays instantly through verified carbon offset projects.
The resort has an almost obsessive interest in sustainability.
extra curricular
After navigating the lively streets of Soufriere, one long road leads to Paradise, or, if your pockets are deep, you could splash out on a short helicopter ride that drops right on top of a helipad inside the resort (previously used by Prince this). Harry).
There is plenty to do on this small island. Diamond Botanical Gardens, Waterfall and Mineral Baths are a must. Located within the historic Soufriere Estate, the six-acre site was gifted to three brothers by King Louis XIV of France in 1713, which now offers a “peaceful natural getaway from the outside world”. Botanic guide Alex, who is a real character, claims to have climbed both Pitons in one day (there’s no reason not to believe him) and boasts that National Geographic named him Alexander the Great for his athletic prowess.
Nearby is another must-see while on the tourist trail. The Sulfur Springs (also known as a collapsed crater) is a geothermal field billed as the world’s only drive-in volcano in the southwest area of Soufriere.
There is no need to panic as the last recorded volcanic eruption in the area was in 1776, but it is still the most active geothermal spot in the area. The smell that invades your nose, often associated with rotten eggs, may be a turn-off for some, but you’re only there for an hour or so.
Whether you fancy diving or not, the award-winning reefs are just 10 yards offshore at Anse Chastanet. The reef is home to over 150 different species of fish and makes for great day or night diving (yes, you can dive under the stars). Divers travel from all over the US to bring their masks and snorkels here.
The dive school staff also offer a “turtle lesson” that helps you identify all the local species in the nearby waters. If you’re lucky you might see a turtle hatch and walk to the water’s edge to start its new adventure. The resort also offers divers the opportunity to participate in coral planting at their two new coral nurseries.
Nightly rates at Jade Mountain start at £865 in Sky Sanctuary based on double occupancy. jademountain.com
