Villa Marée

Villa Marée is built for people who like to be outside. It sits high on a steep wooded slope in Gouverneur, and its decks step down the hill one below the next. From nearly all of them you look straight out to open sea, with a small rock islet offshore. If you want a villa in Gouverneur, St Barts with plenty of room to spread out on the decks, start here.

The house is really a cluster of pavilions. They’re white clapboard under gray metal hip roofs. Timber posts frame big sliding glass doors, and raised walkways link the pavilions as the ground drops away. The main one is a single open room. Its white vaulted ceiling shows the beams, and a wall of vertical wood slats runs along one side. A white sectional faces a teak coffee table. Over the long dining table, which seats about 8, hang rattan bell pendants. The kitchen is white too, with an island and white bar stools pulled up to it.

Most of the day will happen on the pool deck. The heated infinity pool is a dark lined rectangle on a wide teak deck, and it faces the open sea. White loungers sit beside it under a large umbrella. When you need shade, the covered terrace off the living room is right there. Outdoor meals are at a table for 6 with wicker chairs. Out at the edge of the slope, woven armchairs are grouped into small lounge corners. The BBQ grill gets a side deck of its own. Cable railings run everywhere, so nothing blocks the view.

There are four bedrooms and four bathrooms, and every bedroom has a king bed. The house sleeps 8. Several bedrooms open straight onto the pool deck or onto a deck facing the sea. Dark slatted walls stand behind the beds, and cove lighting gives the rooms a soft glow after dark. The largest suite has a sofa area, with its bathroom tucked behind the bed wall. Bathrooms come with double basins and glass walk in showers. There’s also an outdoor shower courtyard screened with timber.

Gouverneur is on the south coast. It’s quiet and high up, above Gouverneur beach, which has stayed one of the most unspoiled beaches on the island. Looking for another house close by? Villa Solstice sleeps a similar group and adds a sunken lounge pit beside the infinity pool.

Two couples could share the house easily, or a family of up to 8. At this villa in Gouverneur, St Barts, expect to spend most of your time out on the decks.