A hotel can be built to put a fine view on display, but Jade Mountain in St. Lucia has opted for something more radical: it has done away with nearly anything that could stand between a guest and one.
High up on the southwestern coast of St. Lucia is one of the most well-known resorts in the Caribbean. Its architect and proprietor, Nick Troubetzkoy, has made of it a series of stone and concrete forms, elevated walkways and sweeping lines that make their way up the hillside over Anse Chastanet. All of it is oriented in one direction, toward the Pitons as they put on a dramatic show in the Caribbean. One might think such a vista would overpower the building, but here that is the intention.
No Fourth Wall at This St. Lucia Hotel
The 29 open-air sanctuaries are what define a stay at Jade Mountain. To refer to them as rooms is not quite right. In some cases there are only three walls, in others two, leaving the living area exposed to the tropical air and what lies beyond. There is no conventional window to put distance between you and the sea or sky, nor a television vying for attention. The Pitons are simply part of the room.
An infinity pool is the centrepiece of most of these spaces. From the water’s edge the pool seems to run into the Caribbean, with Gros and Petit Piton rising in the background. It has a theatrical quality to it, yet never feels forced. That is because Troubetzkoy knows when to step back and let the architecture do its job.
A Radical Approach
You wouldn’t call Jade Mountain new, but its sensibility is contemporary enough to feel singular. Where many luxury resorts have fallen into a pattern of neutral palettes and an excess of glass, this place stands apart.
There is no attempt to bring St. Lucia into the room; the resort just opens itself to it. Bridges link the individual sanctuaries while the stone and concrete give the structure a sculptural heft without making it seem alien to the hillside. Then there is the matter of the wall that isn’t there. It is a straightforward notion, but it alters the whole experience. Morning light comes in uninvited, the sounds of the landscape are heard inside and the line between in and out blurs.
Anse Chastanet and Beyond
One does eventually have cause to leave the sanctuary. Down from Jade Mountain is Anse Chastanet, a crescent of dark sand and clear water. The grounds go on through thick vegetation to Anse Mamin, a beach with a quieter disposition.
If you are so inclined, the day can be active. Snorkel or dive for a different side of St. Lucia, or take a sail to get another angle on the volcanic peaks. But then again, you don’t have to do much of anything. With the view and your private pool waiting back in your sanctuary, forgoing an itinerary is hardly a waste of a vacation. Some might say it is the point.
Diners at the Club
That same open-air ethos is found at the Jade Mountain Club. Breakfast is had with the mountains in full view and dinner is concluded with their silhouettes against the evening sky. A cocktail in the late afternoon tends to become the only plan of note.
It is a testament to the resort’s skill that the building is seldom the object of your gaze. St. Lucia is.
A St. Lucia Essential
In the end, Jade Mountain is proof of how long an original concept can hold its ground. The luxury hotel has evolved since this one opened; the technology is better, the design more polished and the wellness offerings more involved. But the basic proposition is as compelling as ever.
Offer privacy and space, an infinity pool and then take away the wall to the landscape. What you have is unlike any other place.
There are plenty of more traditional luxury resorts in St. Lucia with their four good walls and televisions. You will find little reason to want them at Jade Mountain.