Villa Sérénité

Villa Sérénité sits on a steep wooded hillside just above Flamands beach, among dense palms and trees. Through tall picture windows, the bedrooms frame the beach and its turquoise water, with a rocky islet offshore. For couples or a family who want a modern villa in Flamands, St Barts close to the sand, the view from bed is the clincher.

Dark stone walls meet timber and glass in a house of clean lines. Gray hip roofed pavilions are linked by a long teak deck under slatted timber pergolas. You arrive by a floating teak staircase set against rough stone walls, lit at night. Inside, living and dining share an open plan with the kitchen under a white vaulted ceiling with cove lighting. Woven rattan pendants hang over white slipcovered sofas, and black and white graphic rugs sit under round wood coffee tables. The gray kitchen has a dark island with bar stools. Large picture windows bring in strong natural light.

Long and narrow, the heated pool has a stone clad side wall, and it is cantilevered off the deck behind glass railings. Loungers line the wide teak deck. Under a slatted pergola, a covered lounge with white outdoor sofas sits beside the dining area. The pool is lit at dusk, and there is a BBQ for dinners outside.

Three bedrooms, each with a king bed, sleep up to 6 guests, and the house has three bathrooms. Very tall bay windows give the rooms sea views. One has a botanical wall mural and another has patterned wallpaper. The clean, minimal look carries into the bathrooms, with double vessel sinks and glass showers, plus one shower walled in stone. Air conditioning runs throughout, and the house has a safe and satellite TV. It is also adapted for guests with disabilities. Solar panels help power the house, and heat from the air conditioning is reused to warm the water. The interior covers 2,045 square feet.

Flamands is calm and residential, on the north west of St Barts. Its beach is one of the longest stretches of white sand on the island. A good backup in Flamands remains Villa Corail, with 5 bedrooms for up to 10 guests and a long dark-stone lap pool facing the bay.

Villa Sérénité suits couples or families of up to 6 who want thoughtful modern design. In this villa in Flamands, St Barts, the beach is the first thing you see through the window each morning.