Cheval Blanc St-Barth

"The only Palace hotel in the Caribbean, offering white-sand beaches and world-class service with nature-inspired interiors." - Mary Winston Nicklin

"An ultra-luxury resort located on Plage des Flamands, known for its seclusion, high-end amenities, and discreet service. It is part of the Cheval Blanc group owned by LVMH and is the only 'Palace' designated hotel in the Caribbean." - Hannah Walhout Hannah Walhout Hannah Walhout is a senior editor at Travel + Leisure, where she edits the Discoveries section of the print magazine and develops longer stories focusing on food, wine, and spirits. She h

"In a hidden corner of St Barts, down a steep and winding mountainous road, you come to a Gauguin-like canopy of lush green vegetation, beyond which the half-moon sandy perfection of Flamands beach reveals itself and the Cheval Blanc Isle de France reigns supreme. Low-built and quietly sprawling, the property was elegantly renovated following Hurricane Irma by Parisian design supremo Jacques Grange, whose interiors speak to a chic European aesthetic of quiet indulgences: linens and ikat prints; palettes of pale greens, blues, and pinks; and raffia, bamboo, and stone accents. The atmosphere is almost Parisian (Bulgari hosts a fashion show here, and there’s a Guerlain spa on the premises) but with a devil-may-care attitude. Young French culinary star Jean Imbert’s Creole-inspired menu at La Case (and laid-back beach restaurant La Cabane) is light but gastronomic, and the cocktails are sublime. I spend my lunches with feet in the sand at La Cabane, watching a parade of Birkin bag–carrying Upper East Side ladies power-walking along the beach, moguls on their phones doing business, and boho French girls running into the waves in tiny Eres bikinis. It reminds me of Saint Tropez’s Plage Pampelonne, but a lot less frenetic, and with an ambience that’s both relaxed and indulgent. My assigned butler WhatsApps me when my room is done or a spa appointment is due. But it’s my private yoga sessions in the garden’s pagoda with the late Alber Elbaz’s personal instructor, Nicolas Legrez, that I won’t forget in a hurry. —Vassi Chamberlain"

"Over the past two years, the Caribbean island of St. Barts has bounced back from Hurricane Irma, but the recovery required much more than a coat of fresh white paint on the verandas. Take the former Isle de France, now Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France, part of LVMH’s Cheval Blanc stable and always the essence of St. Barts, for example. Part of its post-Irma upgrade was the acquisition of the hotel next door, Hotel Taïwana, so the property now sprawls along Flamands Beach with oceanfront and garden rooms as well as penthouse-style suites, all fashioned by the careful hands of French designer Jacques Grange in linen and teak, blush-pink and ikat. This re-imagination is a masterpiece in scene setting that you won’t find anywhere else beyond the beaches of the French Riviera." - CNT Editors

"Besides its picture-perfect beachfront setting enhanced by sophisticated decorations, the legendary St. Barts resort offers plenty of seasonal upgrades. Between Dec. 24 and Jan. 6, White Bar hosts live jazz music and pours creative cocktails. There are gourmet Christmas Eve and New Year’s dinners prepared by chef Jean Imbert. The latter culminates with a fireworks show at midnight. The following day, chef Antony Clemot cooks up a celebratory lunch (of course, the booze and bubbly flow). If you’d rather skip the Jan. 1 revelry, the spa awaits for a more serene start to the year." - Lindsay Cohn Lindsay Cohn Lindsay Cohn is a writer, editor, and avid traveler who has visited 45 countries across six continents — and counting. She contributes to Travel + Leisure, Hotels Above Par, InsideHook, Well+Good, T