Hotel Le Toiny Rating: 4.5 Pearls

St. Barts

View from the Hotel

Tucked high into 28 acres of verdant sloping hillside, lush tropical vegetation, and a rugged beach, Hotel Le Toiny is one of St. Barts’ most well-known spots. Those looking for pampering flock to this resort's 15 ocean-view villas, which have hosted the likes of Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jackie Kennedy Onassis.

En route to Le Toiny, your chauffer will drive you up and down steep rolling hills, winding toward the easternmost point of the island before turning onto a somewhat hidden drive. Check-in in the lobby is a casual yet personal affair, with refreshments served. After, you'll get a private tour of the hotel via golf cart. The main elements of the hotel are all located within a central locale: the main pool and deck, the French restaurant (among the island’s best cuisine), the fitness center (small but adequate), and the secluded spa cottage.

Since each of the 15 villas has its own infinity-edge pool, expansive deck, and kitchenette, many guests spend their days secluded, without ever emerging from their private sanctuary.

Somewhat disappointing, though, is Toiny Beach, which can be accessed via a 15-minute walk (or a five-minute drive down a newly constructed pathway). The surf is rough, depositing seaweed along the narrow, crescent-shaped shore. Simply put, it's just not that inviting.

View on a Larger Map

The drive to Le Toiny is a roller coaster-like experience with narrow roads twisting and turning through the gently (and not-so-gently) sloping hills past Marigot and Grand Cul-de-sac beaches. The hotel itself is so discreetly nestled into the landscape above Toiny Beach that you’ll hardly notice anything at all before you reach the main entrance.

Privacy and seclusion are among the main selling points here, so don’t expect to go far on foot -- especially with the hilly terrain giving your legs a workout just to get to the main building. Fifteen minutes of walking (or, rather, hiking) will bring you to Toiny Beach, but otherwise, everything requires at least about 10 minutes in the car.

• 15-minute drive to Saint-Barthélemy Airport
• 17-minute drive to Gustavia Harbor for ferry service
• 15-minute walk, or 5-minute, drive to Toiny Beach
• 8-minute drive to Lorient Bay
• 10-minute drive to St-Jean Beach
• 12-minute drive to Grand Saline nude beach
• 17-minute drive to Gustavia

The one-Bedroom Villa Suite

Hotel Le Toiny’s villas are, in a word, stunning. Sure, a hotel as nice as this is bound to have equally stellar rooms, but the villas here are quite possibly flawless. Each of the one-bedroom suites (which comprise 13 of the 15 total units) is a knockout with massive teak decks and private infinity-edge pools overlooking spectacular ocean vistas. Inside, villas are overtly spacious and feature tropical-wood floors, whitewashed walls, high ceilings, and mahogany furnishings.

In the bathrooms, you’ll find ornate hand-painted Italian tiles, luxurious L’Occitane toiletries, Villery & Boch soaking tubs, and lavender Frette robes. Throughout the rooms, little details add special touches: a lime and bartender’s kit sits on the counter, ready for cocktail hour, an iPod preloaded with everything from the Pixies to The Little Drummer Boy plays on a sound system in the living room, and bottles of water (free, of course) are set by the beds and sinks, reminding you that the island’s taps are not for drinking.

• 15 private multi-room villas are spacious and have beautiful views.
• 300-square-foot teak decks with private infinity-edge plunge pools and cushioned loungers
• Kitchenettes with icemaker, minibar, sink, bartender’s kit, Nespresso machine, microwave, tea maker, and tableware
• Four-poster mahogany beds swathed in Frette linens and covered with mosquito netting
• Preloaded iPods with stellar sound system
• Free Wi-Fi
• Free bottled water, tea, and Nespresso machine/coffee
• Expansive bathrooms with L’Occitane toiletries, soaking tubs, and large bay windows
• 40-inch flat-screen TV and DVD player in the living rooms; 22-inch flat-screen TV in the bedrooms
• Stocked minibars with soda, juice, booze and snacks
• Junior Suite is 820 square feet, and is comprised of a single room with a teak deck and private pool.
• La Villa, the hotel’s largest unit at 1,200 square feet, features two bungalows and a private pool.
• The 13 One-Bedroom Villas are 1,075 square feet and have a separate living room and bedroom.

Restaurant Le Gaiac

• Private pools and decks for each villa
• Small infinity-edge main pool next to the restaurant with amazing ocean vistas
• One-treatment cottage spa with outdoor shower and garden
• Small but modern fitness center
• Le Gaiac restaurant by renowned chef Stephane Mazieres serves refined French cuisine.
• Bar adjacent to the restaurant
• Small crescent-shaped (rough water) beach with a few lounge chairs and umbrellas (no beach service)
• Lobby boutique sells handmade jewelry, beach cover-ups, and Ligne St. Barth products
• A large organic greenhouse supplies most of the restaurant’s fresh herbs, spices, and produce
• Computer station with free Internet in lounge area
• Free breakfast daily served on white linen tables on your private terrace
• Free use of snorkeling equipment
• Free transfers to and from the airport or ferry
• Private dinners with personal menus can be served in the villas.
• On-site car rentals
• Scenic hiking trails throughout the resort’s 28 acres
• View full list of amenities