December 15, 2008

CARIBBEAN | ST. BARTS

Eden Rock & Roll

By Kate Goodin

Fancy a recording studio by the beach? Look no further than the hottest new villa on St. Barts.

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Paul McCartney. Beyoncé. P. Diddy. Every winter, a phalanx of A-listers comes to play on St. Barts. But this season the Caribbean hotspot welcomes a rock star you can actually stay at. Following the opening of its ultra-luxe Villa Nina, and a $25 million overhaul (introducing five new beachfront villas), Eden Rock unveils Villa Rockstar this January.

Billed as a “$100 million yacht on land,” the new digs at the legendary hotel (which once hosted Greta Garbo and Howard Hughes) form a four-bedroom oceanside compound with two pools, a dancefloor, a perfectly circular white-gold tiled bathroom, a personal gym and putting green, plus a private entrance to St. Jean beach. And if you notice the two staff cabins on site, that’s because the 16,000-square-foot villa is serviced by both a personal butler and chef. But the piece de rock-and-roll resistance is Rockstar’s state-of-the-art cinema and recording studio.

Not to be outdone, another St. Barts grand dame, Hotel Carl Gustaf, has reinvented itself for the yacht set. Reopening this week after a multi-million dollar refurb, the 14-room retreat has been poshed up by yacht designer Franck Reynaud and includes a new four-bedroom “royal penthouse” with its own infinity pool and sweeping views of Gustavia Harbor and Shell Beach. Another new addition is a duplex-designed Carita spa — the first Caribbean outpost of the classic Parisian salon that counts Catherine Deneuve and Paloma Picasso among its former clientele.