Nestled between the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Petit and Gros Pitons – soaring volcanic plugs emerging along Saint Lucia’s increasingly popular Caribbean coastline – Sugar Beach unfolds within a dense rainforest. The 100-acre resort comprises a wide variety of classically styled guest rooms, bungalows, and villas with light, bright, and breezy architectural details harkening back to the locale’s history as a sugar plantation.
While the central restaurant, pool, and spa complex is defined by meticulously manicured lawns and picturesque fountains – not to mention the beach – most accommodations intimately populate along the steep mountainside. The views from these perches fully encapsulate the setting; the especially secluded and dramatically mountain-framed Pitons Bay.
Joining this diverse offering is the brand-new Spice of Life residence. The sprawling 35,000-square-foot mansion opens up to the waterfront and a monumental infinity pool with nine grand en-suite bedrooms able to accommodate an impressive 18 guests. That said, its clever layout and the deft introduction of detailed finishes and furnishings render the spacious home-of-sorts comfortable enough for just two.
Imbuing the sleek, light earth-toned residence with intriguing moments of color, pattern, and playfully recognizable iconography, is the strategically placed art: paintings, sculptures, and mixed media works – even decorated sneakers – sourced from international renowned Pop Art talents like Daniel Arsham and KAWS. The star of the show is the fully wall-integrated Iltar, Elliptical Glass installation by James Turrell which illuminates an extra-long dining space and the wider open-concept great room with its shifting palettes of layered and gradient hues.
Also comprising pieces of varying scale and application by the likes of Yayoi Kusama, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Julian Opie, Pedro Reyes, Anish Kapoor, and Sue Fuller – to just name a few – the collection is the largest in Saint Lucia. Whether a smaller figurine or vessel that sits on a seamlessly built-in shelf or large-scale structural composition that takes pride of space in one of the suites; art is everywhere but somehow doesn’t overpower. The main attraction here remains the scenic setting: verdant slopes descending into warm, dark turquoise waters.
In true modernist style, the residence – designed by Bermuda-based architecture practice Botelho Wood Architects – has a striking rectilinear profile articulated in a dynamic composition of intersecting massings; wings containing individual suites with meandering bathrooms and large walk-in closets – all retaining the same cohesive array of finishes and color. These volumes also pedestal deep second level terraces covered in lattice-form overhangs. Operable floor-to-ceiling window walls achieve that oh-so-modernist of principles: establishing a near-inconspicuous connection between indoor and outdoor space.
Local materials – various types of wood and stone – carry across the residence, from the cladding of interior walls to the fabrication of sized-to-fit custom furnishings – coalescing as the optimal backdrop for the art. Equally sustainable components include solar power, an innovative water management system, and a gray water tank installation. The residence’s non-monolithic configuration is also conducive to the climate with carefully introduced breezeways filtering in cool air where necessary.
Though very much in their own resort-within-a-resort, Spice of Life guests still benefit from all of Sugar Beach’s amenities. Of note is the serene treehouse-esque Rainforest Spa. If time spent simply immersed in this grand yet domestic environment wasn’t enough, they’ll undoubtedly be spoiled for choice. Though there are several top-ranked restaurants within the resort, Spice of Life guests indulge in carefully planned meals catered on site.
What: Spice of Life residence at Sugar Beach Resort
Where: Saint Lucia
How much: $30,000 to $80,000 a night, depending on the season
Design draws: An expansive nine-room villa cohesively designed with sleek modernist spatial distribution and muted tone finishes; large suites that host a comprehensive collection of contemporary Pop Art while opening up to the stunning surroundings of lush rainforest and vibrant Caribbean waters.
Book it: Spice of Life
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Photography courtesy of Sugar Beach.
