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Le Toiny is one of the most discreet hotels in the Caribbean. Tucked away at the eastern end of St Barths, it has fifteen large and extremely comfortable suites (one of which is a three-bedroom villa) set in their own cottages and small gardens. They stand ranged across a hillside and each have a fantastic view, of distant islands on the sea horizon, but with privacy paramount they themselves are each almost completely hidden from view. The suites are extremely comfortable, have their own pool, and are furnished in consciously classic but sharp style. The main house is also home to the island’s leading gastronomic restaurant, Le Gaïac. As the most private hideaway in the most chic Caribbean island, le Toiny is the ultimate in sophisticated Caribbean seclusion.
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KEY FEATURES
| A most elegant St Barths hotel with a discreet air, excellent gourmet restaurant, Le Gaïac, fifteen large and extremely elegant suites, each with private pool, kitchenette, plasma TV, DVD. |
STYLE
| Sophisticated seclusion, suites consciously classic in style, elegant with reproduction antique furniture, polished wooden floors and traditional, Arcadian-style fabrics, architecture a touch of the French Caribbean |
CLIENT PROFILE
| Wealthy clientele of all nationalities looking for an extremely private retreat |
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Le Toiny is secluded at the eastern end of St Barths, a string of villas on a hillside in an undeveloped part of the island (which elsewhere is very developed of course), looking out to the southwest. It might come as a surprise that a leading St Barths hotel like Le Toiny is not on the beach, but they make a virtue of the fact by offering some of the most discreet and elegant seclusion in the islands.
On arrival in St Barths you will be collected from the airport and brought to the hotel, pausing briefly at the main house to register before retreating to your suite. Repeat guests even dispense with this and head straight to their cottage. And once there you don’t need to leave if you don’t want to. Breakfast is brought to your room and all other meals can be delivered through room service. Some guests communicate with the front desk entirely by fax. The manager of Le Toiny, David Henderson, says there are guests that he never even meets.
The suites at Le Toiny are of course large and elegant and very comfortable to live in for a week. They make conscious use of traditional French Caribbean features, setting them in a modern context. The floors are polished oak and there are pickled pine ‘tray’ ceilings. They are furnished with reproduction tropical antiques made mostly of mahogany – armoires, cane backed armchairs, some planter’s chairs, and large four poster beds, draped with muslin nets, which are copied from a traditional Martiniquan design. The decoration is understated, tulle fabrics with Arcadian scenes in rich shades of red or blue on white. As with the hotel, the impression is never overplayed.
The suites are actually cottages in their own right, which also take some inspiration from the old French Caribbean, with clapboard walls and double pitched tin roofs painted in pale green. They are glass fronted (though they can be closed with full-length shutters) and the roof, supported on wooden pillars, reaches out to shade the terra cotta terrace at the front. Here you will find a small private pool (20ft by 10ft), with teak sun loungers and some wooden garden furniture. The views, looking southwest, are superb, and carry over the islands of Nevis, St Kitts and St Eustatius, which stand like grey hulks on the horizon.
For all the classic Caribbean refinement, the suites are of course extremely well equipped, with flat screen TVs, DVDs and a modern music system. They each have a kitchenette, more for the staff to warm your meal than for you to cook, although there is the wherewithal for you to prepare breakfast if you want. The bathrooms are also large and you will find embroidered bathrobes and custom-made toiletries.
If some guests are barely be seen during their stay at the hotel, there is still a gravitational centre to Le Toiny, in the main building. This contains Le Gaïac, the restaurant, and the main pool, and is set close to the entrance of the hotel. It is built in the same elegant and classic Caribbean style as the rest of the resort. There is a small entrance lobby with a reception desk, the merest hint of a boutique – some items for sale in glass cabinets – and next to it the wood-panelled bar, which looks out over the dining room, where the tables are set both inside and out on the covered veranda. The view carries outside over the main swimming pool, a low-let half moon curve with an infinity edge looking out to sea, and to the lights of the distant islands.
There are also two very attractive ‘case punch’ either side of the pool – one next to it and the other on the level below, giving onto the curved terrace with the sun-loungers. They are open-sided drawing rooms, in the same clapboard with pretty tin roof, and they are furnished with brightly striped bench seats and prints on a sailing theme, ideal for a pre-dinner drink if you would prefer to be outside rather than in the bar itself.
If you are driving around the island you might almost pass Le Toiny by without noticing it, but as one of the Caribbean’s few Relais et Châteaux, once you do enter the place you know that you are guaranteed peace, privacy and calm and of course fine cuisine. |
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Beach & Swimming
Each of the suites at Le Toiny has its own private pool (private enough for you to bathe nude if you wish) measuring 20ft by 10ft. The main pool is approximately 30 feet across by 15.
The beach at Le Toiny, a couple of hundred feet below the resort, does not always have all that much sand. It can be nice to walk down there, but it is not a typical dream Caribbean beach. If you want to spend the day on the beach you should probably go along the southern coast to Grand Anse des Salines or along the north coast road to St Jean, where you will find a couple of beach bars. Le Toiny is also happy to provide you with beach towels and a picnic if you would like one. |
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Sports & Recreation
No sports are available on property (besides a morning stretch session and occasional water aerobics). In fact most of the watersports take place at the other end of the island, where the sea and waves are a little gentler (except surfing, which takes place on the delightfully named Washing Machine Beach next door to Le Toiny). Sports can easily be arranged through the Front Desk and include tennis, scuba, deep sea fishing and even horse-riding.
Massage and beauty treatments can be arranged in your room.
Le Toiny is happy to provide an exercise bike or treadmill for use in your suite. |
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Staff
The staff at Le Toiny is mainly (metropolitan) French and like the rest of St Barths (but unlike the Caribbean in general), they are at your elbow when you need them but never there when you don’t want them to be. For all its elegance and edge of formality, and its exclusiveness, once you are in Le Toiny it is fairly low key.
The chef is Maxime Deschamps, who worked in several Michelin starred restaurants before arriving in St Barths in 1994. Since then he has worked as Chef de Cuisine in Le Gaïac at Le Toiny.
The manager of the hotel is David Henderson, a Scot who has lived on the island for the past twenty years or so. He has been the manager at Le Toiny since 1995. |
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The Rooms
The rooms at Le Toiny are very large (particularly by St Barths’ standards) and well equipped. They have a kitchenette and a mini bar, one or two plasma TVs with VCR and DVD, three telephones and a fax machine. Frette linens are used for the beds and there are bathrobes and slippers for your use.
The bathrooms, tiled in white, have huge showers, tubs and double vanities. The toiletries are especially made for the hotel. |
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Dining
Le Gaïac is probably the finest restaurant on St Barths, an island that is already known for its dining. Named after a native tree (which appears as the hotel logo, embroidered on the towels and bathrobes), it is set in the main house, with a view over the pool to the sea horizon beyond. Like the hotel, Le Gaïac has a well ordered, even slightly formal air.
You can get a drink at the bar before dinner, or use one of the two ‘cases punch’ the outdoor drawing rooms on the terrace. While the bar is wood panelled, the restaurant itself has a lighter colour scheme, using the same light clapboard as the suites themselves. The dining room is completely open fronted (though it can be closed off with glass doors when it is windy) and you can dine on the terrace under the veranda roof. In the evenings Le Gaïac is set with white tablecloths and candles.
The cuisine uses the best of St Barths excellent sources of supply, with ingredients flown in fresh from France and Florida via St Maarten. The chef, Maxime Deschamps offers a long menu, French at base with hints of Provence and some Creole flavours and which has been ‘lightened’ for the climate. |
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Children
Le Toiny is happy to accept children, but please note that it has a fairly sophisticated atmosphere and that the cottages have unguarded swimming pools, so it may not be suitable for them. |
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Useful Hints
Repeat guests at Le Toiny are driven straight to their villa suite rather than checking-in at reception, whilst new guests will be required to register on their first visit.
The voltage at the hotel is 220, 60 cycles and any appliances you take will require an adaptor with a French style plug. |
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Practical Facts
Annual Closure: 01 September to 21 October 2008
Dress Code: Casual during the day and informal but chic at night
Facilities: Swimming pool (approximately 30ft x 15ft), sun terrace, cocktail bar, restaurant and reception
Complimentary: Snorkelling equipment, airport transfers, library of CDs DVDs and videos, use of tennis courts at the Flamboyant Tennis Club
Other Services: Concierge, 24 hour room service, babysitting, baby cots available, currency exchange, daily newspapers, fitness instructor and equipment (exercise bike, stepper, treadmill and free weights) available for suites on request, laundry service, in suite massage, manicure and pedicure service available, flat screen TVs on request for some suites
Children: Welcome, however there is a limit of one child only sharing a one bedroom suite with their parents. Children under 5 years of age sharing their parents’ suite stay free
Accommodation: 15 villa suites
Room Types: All villa suites feature oak floors, a private heated swimming pool, covered tiled terrace onto to pool/sun terrace, living room with ceiling fan, 2 satellite plasma screen TVs, a DVD & VCR player, CD player, fax, telephones, safe, kitchenette with mini bar, ice maker, hot plates, microwave and tea/coffee making facilities, air-conditioned bedroom with ceiling fan, mahogany four poster king size bed or two twins, walk-in wardrobe, en suite bathroom with tub, shower, bidet and a hairdryer. 13 x One Bedroom Villa Suites are in 748 sq ft cottages with a 20ft x 10ft swimming pool and a sofa bed in the living room. One of these villas has wheelchair access with no steps, wider doors, shower ramp and a low level bed. 1 x Junior Suite is smaller than the villa suites, and has an open-plan bedroom with living area. The Three Bedroom Villa Suite consists of one 1075 sq ft master villa and two adjacent bungalows, which share a 12ft x 25ft heated swimming pool. The Master Villa (Villa du Directeur) has a sun terrace, dining patio, air-conditioned living room with plasma TV, DVD player, and fax (no sofa bed), satellite TV and DVD player in the bedroom with king size bed, kitchenette also has a fridge and dishwasher, the en suite bathroom is air-conditioned, black marble, with Jacuzzi tub and shower. The Bungalows have a small terrace, are air-conditioned with ceiling fan, have plasma TV, DVD player, CD player, mini bar and fridge, one has a double bed the other twins, and en suite bathrooms have shower only. The three bedroom can be taken as a Two Bedroom Villa Suite consisting of the master villa and a choice of one of the two bungalows
Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Diner’s Card |
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Rates
| | 22 Oct- 16 Nov 2007 | 17 Nov- 19 Dec 2007 | 20 Dec- 05 Jan 2007-08 | 06 Jan- 15 Apr 2008 | 16 Apr- 31 May 2008 | 01 Jun- 16 Nov 2008 | 17 Nov- 19 Dec 2008 | | Junior Suite 1-2 persons | 650 | 750 | 1,750 | 1,195 | 750 | 495 | 750 | | One-Bed Villa Suite 1-2 persons | 800 | 830 | 1,750 | 1,600 | 950 | 675 | 830 | | Two-Bed Villa Suite 1-4 persons | 1,500 | 1,530 | 3,150 | 2,650 | 1,895 | 1,150 | 1,530 | | 3- Bed Villa Suite 1-6 persons | 1,500 | 1,530 | 3,150 | 2,650 | 1,895 | 1,150 | 1.530 | | 3rd person | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | All rates are quoted in Euros €, per room, per night, including service charge, arrival airport transfer and continental breakfast. Rates subject to change without notice – a Government room tax may be introduced in the near future. A cancellation or change in arrival/departure date will incur a penalty of 50€ year round. There is a minimum stay requirement of 6 nights during Thanksgiving, and 10 nights during Christmas/New Year - 20 December to 04 January . The cancellation policy during Thanksgiving is to charge 1 night 15-30 days prior to arrival, 3 nights within 7-14 days and total stay within 6 days. Over Christmas/New Year the charges are 3 nights within 30-60 days and total stay within 29 days. |
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How to Book
If you wish to make further enquiries or a reservation, please use the WEB LINK or DIRECT EMAIL ENQUIRIES facility at the top of this page to make contact with Hotel Le Toiny St Barths, or if you wish to telephone them, please click on TELEPHONE CONTACT to reveal the number. |
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Locality
Le Toiny’s location secluded at the east of the island doesn’t mean that you will miss out on what the island has to offer. It takes just a few minutes to get right to the other side to Gustavia (unless you hit St Barths’ traffic jams), where you can go for shopping or out to lunch or dinner.
The area around Le Toiny itself is quiet and fairly residential, with some local homes and many holiday villas. Close by (heading along the north shore) you come to Grand Cul de Sac, a lagoon which is known for its watersports because of its excellent cross-shore winds. Other popular beaches are Grande Anse des Salines and Gouverneur on the south coast, both undeveloped, and St Jean on the north shore, which is much more social and has beach bars. |
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Meet & Greet
You will be met at the airport and brought to the hotel by one of Le Toiny’s drivers. If you are booking through a travel organiser, it is likely that their representative will be at the airport to meet you. This service and your return airport transfers should be included in the cost of your holiday. Please check at the time of booking. |
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Getting Around
Taxis are quite hard to come by in St Barths, and so be aware that if you have a dinner reservation in one of the restaurants you may have to reserve a cab a couple of days in advance.
All in all it is easiest to hire a car, which will enable you to visit the beaches by day and to go out in the evenings. On St Barths we recommend Europcar, which has a booth at Hôtel Le Toiny, and Gumbs Car Rental for your St Barths car rental requirements. Both companies have outlets at the airport if you wish to pick up your car on arrival, but they will also deliver to the hotel. Please be aware that at the height of the season, particularly over Christmas and New Year, it is very hard to get hold of a car and so you are advised to book one at least a month in advance. |
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