HOTEL MANAPANY IS THE FIRST ECO LUXURY RESORT TO OPEN IN ST. BARTS
Now, St.Barts is celebrating the first eco-resort to open on the its glamorous shores with the debut of the completely refreshed Hotel Manapany.
Though much of the Caribbean has gotten back on its feet after last fall’s hurricanes, the ultra-luxe enclave of St. Barts has been slower to recover—with beloved hotels like Eden Roc and Cheval Blanc St-Barth having taken some of the biggest beatings in the region. But that said, shimmerings of the new St. Barts are beginning to materialize, starting with last month’s re-opening of the vibrant Villa Marie Saint-Barth. And now, the island is celebrating the first eco-resort to open on the its glamorous shores with the debut of the completely refreshed Hotel Manapany.
Located in Anse des Cayes, the property closed its doors long before the hurricanes struck—it actually paused after being acquired by French hospitality group B Signature in 2016. The brand—known for its intimate, stylish hotels in Pairs—tapped lauded interior designer François Champsaur to re-imagine the resort, giving him full-license to strip the existing structures back to their bare bones. The result? A toes-in-the-sand 43-room retreat that exudes the casual-but-refined kind of luxury that has long made the island a jet-set favorite.
Scattered across the Cayes’ white-sand beach and gently rolling dunes, Champsaur has brought each of the guest cottages to life with a breezy palette of light tropical woods, white-washed walls, and energetic pops of royal blues, terracottas, and sunny yellows. Much of the easy furniture was custom designed by Champsaur, and pieces like the rattan-accented sofas and straw lamps (powered, of course, by solar energy) were hand-sourced by his team from around the world—giving each room a unique, vacation-home feel. Outside, narrow pathways wind down towards the beach, where guests lounge by the ocean, take a dip in the infinity pool, or make their way to the airy spa.
Besides the carefully-landscaped beachy scrub and the requisite lush palms, the property is also dotted with verdant citrus, banana, avocado, and mango trees that, along with a dedicated vegetable garden, provide produce for Manapany’s restaurant and bar. There, guests can let evenings slip away while sipping on well-aged dark rums and dining on fresh fish caught offshore before being seasoned with local spices. And if they do want to head out to see and be seen at one of the island’s other famed restaurants (the always-buzzy Shellona is up and running), guests can take one of the property’s fleet of electric cars out for a spin.
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