Cheval Blanc St-Barth Hotel Review: Inside the Caribbean's Only 'Palace' Hotel
"Set on Plage des Flamands on St. Barts’ northwestern tip, the property opened in 2014 and, after absorbing a neighboring resort in a 2019 renovation, is now the sole hotel on this large, quiet beach; it is owned by LVMH and holds the French government's 'Palace' designation, making it the Caribbean's only 'Palace'. Private-feeling whitewashed buildings connected by wooden boardwalks wind through dense tropical gardens, with interiors by Jacques Grange in a cream-and-beige palette; the reviewer washed up in a breezy outdoor shower and was serenaded by small "whistling" tree frogs. The 61-key property offers 14 room categories (half suites) ranging from Tropical Rooms to two-bedroom Beach Suites with private terraces and infinity plunge pools, some accommodations offering 24-hour butler service, and a largest standalone Villa de France with five bedrooms. Culinary offerings are led by French chef Jean Imbert: the beachier La Cabane serves local fish, fish fritters and a ceviche of wahoo, while La Case presents more elaborate plates — the reviewer had the oeuf-surprise — "a lobster-stuffed avocado covered with a trompe l’oeil black-sesame-vegetable-ash "skin" — and chicken cooked inside a crust of cocoa-nib-flecked brioche" — and there is an on-site boulangerie/patisserie called Le Kiosque producing baguettes, croissants and other breads and pastries daily. The recently renovated spa (reopened late October 2024, interiors by Isabelle Stanislas) features Guerlain treatments including the "Sweetness of the Antilles," during which the reviewer had hands and feet treated with a vanilla-scented scrub before a relaxing massage with heated shells in place of hot stones; there are also medi‑spa offerings (the reviewer did a micro peel and cryo facial that left their face sculpted and glowing all day), and the spa beds were described as "without exaggeration, the most comfortable I’ve experienced." The property offers two pools, a small gym and a pavilion for yoga/Pilates and outdoor treatments, boutiques with local jewelry, guided hikes (including to Colombier), the Le Grand Bleu full-day boat experience with snorkeling and a Champagne picnic, family activities and concierge-arranged private dining and excursions. Practical and sustainability notes: shops and restaurants in Gustavia are about a 10-minute drive (the airport at St. Jean roughly half that), common air routes connect via St. Martin (SXM) or San Juan (SJU), the resort has 80 solar panels powering thermodynamic water heaters that supply about half of hot-water needs, a solar-powered desalination unit is under development to meet daily water demand, and single-use plastics have been eliminated from guest rooms and restaurants." - 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 has previously worked at Food & Wine and in the writing program at NYU Abu Dhabi. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
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