Ultimate Villa Vacations: Caribbean Combo
By and Oliver Slosser, Compiled by Lori Bryan, Jennifer Hall, Michael Schulze
A family of four from Greenwich, Conn., travels to the French West Indies island of St. Barts for a two-week vacation on land and at sea.
Providers. Air travel by Marquis Jet (212.499.3790, www.marquisjet.com); yacht charter by Burgess Yachts (+44.20.7766.4300, www.burgessyachts.com); villa available through Wimco (401.849.8012, www.wimco.com).
Getting There. "For this trip, we suggest the midsize Hawker 800XP," says Marquis Jet vice president Randy Brandoff. The family has purchased a 25-hour jet card, which provides access to the fleet of Marquis' sister company, NetJets, the world's largest provider of jet fractional shares. "[The 800XP] can fly from the Northeast to the northern Caribbean nonstop in less than four hours, and it has plenty of room to let this family spread out," says Brandoff. "We would fly them from the NetJets facility at Westchester County Airport, which is close to their home." The flight's round-trip cost, about $62,500, is applied to the $195,000 fee for the flight card, as is a charge for fuel. Once at Aéroport de St. Jean on St. Barts, the family members take one of Wimco's chauffeured SUVs to their home base for the trip, located about 10 minutes away.
Villa. Wimco's director of marketing, Stiles Bennet, recommends the recently completed villa La Danse des Etoiles (Dance of the Stars) in the exclusive Pointe Milou neighborhood. "La Danse is a stunning, luxurious, modern villa with breathtaking views of the western end of St. Barts, the outlying islands, and St. Martin and Anguilla in the distance," he says. "It faces directly into the sunset, so it's ideal for an early evening cocktail party or cookout facing out over the 70-foot-long infinity pool." A gas grill and a shower also are among La Danse's outdoor features. Inside the villa, which rents for $55,000 per week in the high season, are three bedrooms (with en suite bathrooms, private terraces, and flat-screen TVs) and a kitchen where St. Barts' top chefs can cook for the family. ?"David Cocktail, Bernard Javelle, or the husband-and-wife team of Cordon Bleu are available to prepare gourmet meals at the villa," says Bennet.
Experience. For nights out, "Wimco can make a reservation at any one of the top restaurants on the island, like Maya's or Le Sapotillier," says Bennet, "and arrange for a prescreened babysitter to come to the villa." Days can be spent lounging on any number of beaches located just a few minutes' drive from the villa, or exploring the harborside capital of Gustavia. For day or overnight trips to nearby islands, charter broker Burgess Yachts suggests Muse, a 123-foot Palmer Johnson yacht that costs about $140,000 per week. "With its four cabins, Muse is an especially nice choice for a family that wants to spread out," says Burgess CEO Jonathan Beckett. "Parents will love the master suite, with its king-size bed, generous cedar closets, sofa, writing desk, and en suite bathroom." And both parents and children will love the yacht's water toys, which include a wakeboard, personal watercraft, kayaks, snorkeling gear, and fishing equipment.
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