Villa Les Lataniers: A Colonial-Chic Hideaway Above St Barth's Wildest Coast
Six themed suites, a lava-stone pool, and a wood-fired pizza oven perched where Anse des Cayes meets Anse des Lézards.
Why Go
Picture a colonial-style estate scattered across bungalows and covered terraces, each opening onto the same jaw-dropping panorama of green hills tumbling into a turquoise Caribbean. Villa Les Lataniers isn't a hotel and doesn't try to be one — it's the private villa you rent when you want St Barth to feel like a friend's very well-traveled home rather than a lobby with a concierge desk.
The Experience
The villa unfolds as a series of connected pavilions rather than a single building, so mornings tend to start on the covered passageway between the main room and a dining pavilion that opens on two sides to let the trade winds through. Each of the six bedrooms (plus a seventh for staff or kids) has its own theme — the Architect's room with its outdoor tub next to the pool cabana, Hemingway's, Tiffani's, Safari, Voyager's, and a Primary suite with its own stone plunge pool on a private terrace. Days circle around the lava-stone pool and sunbeds, punctuated by trips down to the spa and massage room, the ocean-view fitness room, or the kitchen, where a wood-fired pizza oven and a dedicated raw-fish station point clearly at how meals are meant to happen here. It's eclectic-luxury: Milano parquet and marble under antique furnishings and fine art, screened windows throughout, and continental breakfast quietly appearing while you're still deciding whether today is a beach day or a boat day.
What to Try
Book the in-villa chef for a wood-fired pizza night and follow it with a raw-fish spread the next evening — the two purpose-built stations in the kitchen practically insist on it. Claim the Architect's room at least once for the outdoor bathtub, spend a slow afternoon in the spa/massage room instead of hunting down a treatment in town, and take sunset drinks at the pool cabana when the light turns the hills gold. If your group runs bigger than seven bedrooms, ask about combining with neighboring Villa Lo Scoglio for a ten-bedroom compound.
Insider Tip
The location is a double-edged gift: you're perched above one of St Barth's most dramatic coastlines, minutes from the airport for easy arrivals, but the roads down to Anse des Cayes are steep and narrow. Rent a small 4x4 rather than anything sporty and low-slung, and time supermarket runs and Gustavia dinners to avoid the 5–7pm return traffic after day-trippers leave the beaches.
The Practical Stuff
Villa rental only — 6 bedrooms configurable up to 7, sleeps roughly 12–14. Address: Villa Lataniers, 97133 Saint-Barthélemy, at the end of Anse des Cayes toward Anse des Lézards. Rates start around $25,500/week in summer season and $41,500/week in high season, typically booked Saturday-to-Saturday through Sibarth, WIMCO, Le Collectionist, Marriott Homes & Villas, or SBP. Continental breakfast and daily housekeeping included (housekeeping pauses Sundays and holidays); chef, spa treatments, and provisioning arranged on request. Nearest airport (SBH) is about 5 minutes by car; a rental vehicle is essentially mandatory.
Pair It With
- 6e SENS Massage Wellness Beauty Saint Barth Guide — When you've exhausted the in-villa spa room, this nearby wellness studio is the natural next step for facials and more specialized treatments.
- Absolute Hot Yoga (Gustavia) — An easy morning drive into town for a class before breakfast pastries and a wander through the harbor shops.
- Abyss Restaurant Guide — A local dinner option within striking distance of the villa for the night you'd rather not cook, even with that pizza oven calling.
- 4 Sea Zone St Barth Guide — On-island transport and boat charters for a day exploring Colombier, Île Fourchue, or lunch by tender at a beach club.
- À fleur de peau (Saint-Jean) — A quick retail stop in nearby Saint-Jean for resort-ready pieces before your first sunset dinner.
