idyllic holiday locations the luxury mountain resort jade mountain anse chastenet St Lucia
THAILAND’S SONEVA KIRI RESORT:
WAITERS SWING THROUGH THE
TREES TO BRING YOU PUDDING. HONESTLY
CAMBODIA
On the south coast of the country over 60
tropical islands are waiting to greet you with
sapphire water and palm-fringed beaches. Fly
to Phnom Penh and then head 100 miles
south-west to Kep and its Le Corbusierinspired
Knai Bang Chatt (i-escape.com, from
£84 per night). These three chic converted
houses offer sailing, yoga and snorkelling on
tap and are close to the many surrounding
beaches and islands. Or visit the Cardamoms
for a deserted wilderness with mountains,
rivers and tigers. The new 4 Rivers Floating
Eco Lodge is the only place to stay
(ecolodges.asia, from £64 per night).
THE LUXURY
MOUNTAIN RESORT
Jade Mountain, Anse Chastenet, St Lucia… the
technology-free hideaway with a stunning view
THE LOWDOWN
Imagine a place where ringing phones, blaring TVs
and the tinny noise of other people’s iPods are
replaced by the crash of waterfalls, the sound of
the sea and birds chirping in the mango trees.
That’s what Jade Mountain in St Lucia sounds like.
The only thing this place doesn’t have is air-con.
Oh, and a fourth wall. That’s because the unusual
design of the rooms leaves them partially open to
the elements, giving you fantastic views of the
mountains and sea and a cooling breeze to boot.
Situated directly across from the Piton mountains,
Jade Mountain is a resort within a resort. It’s set in
the most exclusive part of Anse Chastenet, high up
on a hill with no telephones, radio or TV, so you can
kick modern distractions into touch and concentrate
on the finer things in life – snorkelling or diving off
the cliff, boat trips to the resort’s private island and
helicopter tours to name but a few.
INDULGENCES
This is all about theatrical design, from the
uninterrupted views to the private infinity pools, lit
with fibre optics in your chosen colour at night, and
the catwalk-like concrete paths raised on stilts that
take you to your room.
Thoughtfully, the fridge is stocked with Prosecco
TRAVEL
ROOM WITH A VIEW: YOU CAN
SEE THE PITON MOUNTAINS FROM
YOUR HILLSIDE HIDEAWAY
TIRED OF THE BEACH? POOR
DARLING. TAKE A DIP IN
YOUR PRIVATE POOL INSTEAD
and Piton beer and a bento box of snacks like
banana and coconut cake arrives every day on your
doorstep, just in case you get hungry. That’s pretty
unlikely though as Jade Mountain is set in acres of
lush plantations, tamarind, breadfruit and avocado
are on your doorstep and the resort’s chefs work
wonders with the fresh fish and seafood at their
disposal. Alongside less adventurous options, the
Trou au Diable restaurant serves a special modern
East India-meets-Caribbean menu. Delicious.
If all this relaxation gets too much, just call
your private butler to arrange a trip to the rainforest
at the top of Grand Piton (said to be the closest
place on earth to the Garden of Eden), a jungle bike
tour to the nearby mineral waterfall, or a diving trip
to the spectacular Pinnacles reef. From the mahogany
beds to the Swedish massages and the hammocks
on the volcanic beach, it’s luxury with a capital L.
Seven nights at Jade Mountain including breakfast, flights
and transfers from £2,935 per person with Elegant
Resorts (elegantresorts.co.uk; 01244-897 991)
WWW�STYLIST�CO�UK����
To view a Ceros magazine you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser and have the flash player 8 or higher installed. To install the latest flash player, click the icon above, install the flash plugin and then click here to refresh this page.