Villa Astrolabe

Waves break on a low rock ledge just offshore from Villa Astrolabe, close enough to hear from bed. These small white Creole cottages sit on a rocky point at the water’s edge in Pointe Milou. Turquoise water and a reef fill the foreground, and the open sea runs to the horizon. Across a small cove, a neighboring headland closes the view. Looking for a villa in Pointe Milou, St Barts that is about the sea and little else? This is it.

Green metal hip roofs top the cottages, with gray blue wooden shutters and dry stone retaining walls. Agave and sea grape grow in the garden. Inside, whitewashed vaulted timber ceilings glow under soft uplighting, and ceiling fans keep the air moving. Pale stone floors run beneath white cushioned sofas on teak frames. Large abstract art hangs on the walls, and a telescope stands ready by the window. Picture windows in the living room look straight out to sea. The kitchen has a stone island with open shelves and a steel fridge.

The pool has rounded corners and sits on a pale stone deck against a dry stone wall and a cactus garden. Teak loungers line the edge. Under a white pergola, a dining table seats 6. The best seats might be the Adirondack chairs on a timber deck at the sea’s edge, just above the waves. A gas BBQ grill takes care of dinner.

There is room for 4 guests, with one queen bed and two single beds across the two bedrooms. One room has a turned wood bed under a mosquito net canopy, with glass doors facing the sea. The other has built in gray blue wardrobes and a door onto the deck. Both bathrooms have stone counters and wood framed mirrors, with walk in showers. Every bedroom is air conditioned.

The Pointe Milou headland runs along the north coast, lined with homes set above the ocean. Here the ocean is the neighbor, and sunsets are part of the evening plan. For a second look in the same area, Villa Petit Astrolabe pairs 0s for up to 2 guests with a cliffside deck over a turquoise cove.

Simple and full of charm, the cottage suits a couple or a family of four. Plan on morning coffee in an Adirondack chair at this villa in Pointe Milou, St Barts.