The island of St. Barths was the celebrity hangout of the 1990s. It’s where Cindy Crawford, young Leo DiCaprio, Claudia Schiffer and Jon Bon Jovi used to hang out (among many others). 25 years later, it’s about to come back into vogue. Enter Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth.
Back to the Future in St Barths
Take a glance at St Barths and it’s easy to see why A-list celebrities were enchanted. Tropical Caribbean vibes. Superb beaches. Very little urban development. An inaccessibility that created exclusivity. There’s never been budget tourism here, not then and not now.
Back then, life on this French art deco territory revolved around the island’s first luxury resort, Hotel Guanahani. You know the famous photo of Cindy Crawford not wearing a t-shirt – that’s at Hotel Guanahani.
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Disaster struck in September 2017. Hurricane Irma decimated both the island and Hotel Guanahani. By then, the A-listers had already gone elsewhere. Nowhe island’s most exclusive resort is about to bring them back.
Introducing the new Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth
Rosewood took over Hotel Guanahani and after a huge reconstruction project they’ve brought its old charm back to life. It’s now a wellness retreat, with an emphasis on spa treatment, fusion cuisine and the tranquil vibe – a different vogue to the 1990s and parties with P Diddy and Usher.
Recognisable details from the old Guanahani remain though, like the pastel-coloured cottages, white-washed wooden ceilings and palm-tree covered gardens. This property has a real sense of place – it’s the Caribbean, then and now.
This is a Rosewood property. And it’s 2022. It’s not the nineties. So the minibar is designed to look like a vintage steamer trunk. The Sense Spa is superb. Everyone working at the resort radiates tomorrow’s beauty. It’s stylish yet also subtle, knowing rather than showing off.
Your Next Beachfront Retreat
The entire property is located within a nature reserve, opening onto two different beaches, one of them a famous place to see sea turtles. From door to door, the travel time to St Barths from Prague is only a tiny bit longer than to resorts in Maldives and Seychelles.
Rosewood’s elegant design doesn’t immediately suggest family friendly, but Le Guanahani does dance the line between welcoming families and being a discreet escape for couples seeking privacy. And while the A-listers haven’t yet reconnected with St. Barths, it’s surely not long before they do.
