Best 5-Star Hotels in Gustavia

36 suites and three villas are available at Le Sereno, a hotel built beside a magical coral reef cove, with a long freshwater pool set vertically toward the sea. Spa Le Sereno provides treatments in outdoor pavilions facing directly out to the ocean, or in a couples’ suite with outdoor showers. The alfresco restaurant serves French-Caribbean fusion cuisine beside the sea (chairs and tables by designers Christian Liaigre and Patricia Urquiola are right on the sand), with a sophisticated covered bar area beside it. And the five-star service ensures your every whim is catered for.

A mere five-minute transfer from the airport, Hotel Manapany is found at Anse de Cayes, an area underpopulated with hotels. It occupies four acres and is committed to sustainability, as evidenced by the resort’s use of electric vehicles, solar energy, natural fibres and organic produce. There are two pools (one for adult-only use), a spa with Dr Hauschka treatments, a library, a games room and a boutique selling designer apparel. Guests can partake in complimentary yoga and pilates classes and soak in the serenity of its peaceful gardens, home to resident tortoises. It has one restaurant, serving healthy, nutritious fare, with lots of vegan options and a bar, with its own take on a martini. Manapany in St Bart’s is a place of true relaxation.

This clifftop hotel’s pool is the biggest on the island — the fresh-water infinity swimming pool area overlooks the ocean from its beautiful perch, incorporating teak loungers and a relaxed restaurant and cocktail bar, Mango. Christo is the main eatery, serving an opulent morning buffet and chic, upscale dinners, where seafood takes centre stage. The French influence is strong at Hotel Christopher; its spa is by Sisley and there’s more than a hint of Parisian style in the decor. There are 42 bedrooms in total and the resort welcomes both children and small pets, along with adult guests.

There’s a colourful luxe boho style to the hillside Hôtel Villa Marie. Lemony yellow is a frequent hue found throughout the property, elsewhere there are accents of palm-covered feature wallpaper, oranges, blues, and furnishings from Jaipur, Indonesia, Peru, Pakistan and Tunisia. However, the food at the hotel’s restaurant, François Plantation, is very much in a southern French vein, although it’s decorated in more of a vintage Caribbean style. It also has a spa, a fitness suite and just 18 guestrooms, all equipped with Nespresso machines and Pure Altitude toiletries.