Inside the Caribbean’s Only ‘Palace’ Hotel

As I rounded a rocky promontory, a picture-perfect cove appeared, complete with golden beach and a lone white sailboat bobbing in the distance. But my eye was drawn to the angular structure on the hillside above the water, the only small interruption to an otherwise pristine Caribbean tableau.

In the 1950s, David Rockefeller decided to build a vacation home on a little island between St. Martin and St. Kitts. A lot has changed since the completion of this modernist villa above the secluded Anse de Colombier, one of the first tourism-related developments on St. Barts: The island of about 11,000 residents now sees almost 20 times that in visitors annually, with dozens of resorts over just eight square miles of land area. But the estate around the Rockefeller villa, protected (at least for now) from development, remains nearly untouched, save for a stone staircase leading down to the golden beach. Colombier is reachable only by foot or by water, providing a small slice of a quieter time — before beach clubs, before megayachts, and before tourists like me.

Some memory of that quieter time was also discernible at my hotel, an approximately 30-minute walk away. Most of the top resorts on St. Barts are located on or near Baie de St. Jean, one of the island’s social hubs, or Grand Cul-de-Sac on its eastern end — but Cheval Blanc St-Barth is set on Plage des Flamands, on the island’s northwestern tip. First opened in 2014, Cheval Blanc eventually purchased and absorbed a neighboring resort called Taïwana as part of a 2019 renovation, meaning it’s now the sole hotel on this particular beach, surrounded only by scattered homes, forested hills, and water.

Cheval Blanc is an ultra-luxury resort, to be clear: The Cheval Blanc group, which has five other locations across France, the Seychelles, and the Maldives, is owned by the luxury conglomerate LVMH. Its property on St. Barts is the Caribbean’s only “Palace,” a designation created by the French government to honor the country’s most exquisite, exclusive places to stay. The property, which has hosted the likes of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, has an ultra-wealthy clientele who appreciates its location and discreetness.

But there’s something quite simple about the place, in a highly intentional kind of way. Private-feeling whitewashed buildings are connected by wooden boardwalks winding through dense tropical gardens. Interiors by French designer Jacques Grange are relaxed and refreshing, the cream-and-beige palette accented by printed pillows and rattan. I did most of my washing up under the palms in my breezy outdoor shower, where at night I was serenaded (and once or twice, joined)  by the small “whistling” tree frogs found in many parts of the Caribbean.

Being so close to the island flora and fauna that I could touch it if I wanted — being in a place where it seemed, at least, that a part of the island had been left to speak for itself — felt like a luxury. It’s a travel cliché at this point, but it’s true. And judging by Cheval Blanc’s consistently high occupancy, many agree it’s worth paying for.

Here’s what else you need to know about Cheval Blanc St-Barth.

The Rooms

I stayed in a Beach Suite, the most popular category at this 61-key hotel for reasons that become obvious once you throw open the sliding doors to your private terrace overlooking the beach. That terrace also has an infinity plunge pool, where I spent every evening watching the sun setting over the rocky hills. Inside, there’s an airy living room, a small dining area, a bedroom with a king bed, and a generous closet and bathroom (with a bathtub and both indoor and outdoor showers). Two-bedroom Beach Suites are also available.

All of the 14 room categories, half of which are suites, include some form of private balcony or outdoor area, and some come with 24-hour butler service. The most basic are the Tropical Rooms; there are also one- and two-bedroom Tropical Suites; one- and two-bedroom Garden Suites, all with private pools; and Garden Bungalows that can be connected to accommodate up to six. While only the Beach Suites (and a few special villas) are located directly on Plage des Flamands, ocean views can also be found in the Ocean category, with single rooms and one- to two-bedroom suites located a bit uphill from the beach and accessed by stairs. The property also has various stand-alone accommodations, the largest of which is the Villa de France, with five bedrooms across two floors.

Food and Drink

Cheval Blanc’s two restaurants are headed up by French chef Jean Imbert, whose Jean Imbert au Plaza Athénée in Paris currently has a Michelin star. The beachier of the two is La Cabane, where you can have lunch on a wooden terrace or directly on the sand; the menu includes plenty of local fish, including some Caribbean preparations like fish fritters and a ceviche of wahoo, plus interesting salads, pastas, and meat and seafood from the grill. Imbert’s cheffier tendencies are given more room at La Case, where, for dinner, I had the oeuf-surprise — a lobster-stuffed avocado covered with a trompe l’oeil black-sesame-vegetable-ash “skin” — and chicken cooked inside a crust of cocoa-nib-flecked brioche.

Room service is also available, and you can arrange private dining experiences like custom picnics or a barbecue on the beach. This being a French hotel brand on a French island, there’s also a knockout boulangerie/patisserie in the form of Le Kiosque, which makes baguettes, croissants, and many more breads and pastries on site daily. There’s no physical location, but you can order online whenever the craving strikes.

Activities and Amenities

In addition to the beach setup — which includes a beach chair available all day for every guest — Cheval Blanc St-Barth has two pools, one located near each restaurant. There’s a small gym and a pavilion for yoga, Pilates, and outdoor spa treatments. Two boutiques stock apparel, swimwear, and accessories, including some from local jewelry makers. And the newest space at Cheval Blanc is the just-renovated spa — more on that below.

Excursions on offer include guided hikes (like the one I took to Colombier) and Le Grand Bleu experience, an all-day boat trip with snorkeling, beach time, and a Champagne picnic on board. But the concierges can arrange nearly anything, whether on property or off. This could include a personal training session on the beach, for example, or something further afield, like a boat outing to nearby St. Martin. Those traveling with kids will find plenty of family-oriented options, like art or surfing classes, and the team can also book a babysitter as needed.

The Spa

When Cheval Blanc reopened for the season in late October 2024, it also debuted its newly renovated Cheval Blanc Spa, with fresh interiors by French architect Isabelle Stanislas. The Guerlain treatments include new offerings like the “Sweetness of the Antilles,” during which my hands and feet were treated with a vanilla-scented scrub before a relaxing massage with heated shells in place of hot stones. There are also more medi-spa-type treatments — I did a micro peel and cryo facial that left my face sculpted and glowing all day — and the spa beds were, without exaggeration, the most comfortable I’ve experienced.

The spa has four single treatment rooms and one for couples. The waiting area also doubles as a Guerlain showroom and boutique, with a wall of fragrances that an attendant will help you blend based on your preferences. There’s even a dedicated Guerlain fragrance for the property, as with all Cheval Blanc locations.

Accessibility and Sustainability

Cheval Blanc St-Barth is able to accommodate guests with disabilities, who can get in touch with the team directly to discuss their particular needs and identify which room categories and experiences are the best fit.

There are 80 solar panels on property, which power thermodynamic water heaters to provide about half of its hot water. A solar-powered desalination unit, currently under development, would (when completed) meet the property’s daily water needs. The resort has also eliminated single-use plastics from the guest rooms and restaurants.

Location

The shops and restaurants of the small capital, Gustavia, are just a 10-minute drive from Cheval Blanc, and you can get to the airport in St. Jean in roughly half that. But the whole island is only around eight square miles, meaning nothing will take more than about 25 minutes to reach.

Getting to St. Barts is a bit of a production, as there are no direct flights from the U.S. and, because the airport’s runway is famously short, only very small planes can land there. On a previous trip, I’d transited through St. Martin (SXM); flights from SXM are frequent and take about 10 minutes. But I much preferred the route I took this time around, flying via San Juan (SJU) and transferring to a scheduled Tradewind Aviation flight for the hourlong connection to St. Barts. U.S. travelers will find more nonstops to SJU available from more cities, and though Tradewind can be more expensive than the other small airlines in the region, with that comes a little more comfort, like a dedicated passenger lounge at SJU.