My wife and I recently spent five nights at the Rosewood Le Guanahani on our first trip to St. Barth for our babymoon. It turned out to be a great place to relax and celebrate, and the staff made a point of making us feel special throughout our stay. What...
My wife and I recently spent five nights at the Rosewood Le Guanahani on our first trip to St. Barth for our babymoon. It turned out to be a great place to relax and celebrate, and the staff made a point of making us feel special throughout our stay. What impressed me even more was that when we had a couple issues, which were initially disappointing for a hotel of this caliber, they did a great job with service recovery and showed a true commitment to guest satisfaction. If I could rate this hotel with half-stars, I would say our stay was a solid 4.5 out of 5. Without that, I can’t give a perfect rating, and rounded down to a 4, since there were more bumps in our stay than expected at a luxury property, even if they were ultimately handled with professionalism. Pre-Arrival Experience: This was our first trip to St. Barth, and by the time we booked (in late November for a February trip), there was decent availability at the Rosewood, but some of the other most popular hotels on the island, such as Cheval Blanc and Eden Rock, were fully booked. In the high season, I’d book as far out as possible if having more hotel options is important to you. We booked through a travel agent that is part of the Rosewood Elite network, which enabled us to get free perks (I highly recommend doing this). For no extra cost, our reservation included a room upgrade based on availability, a one-time €150 hotel credit, and daily breakfast in the restaurant. We weren’t offered an upgrade at check-in, and breakfast is included in all rooms regardless. However, the €150 hotel credit was worth it. Before our stay, I had a good bit of email communication with the concierge team to plan our stay, and found them to be responsive and helpful. They sent me an island guide with information about recommended restaurants and activities, made all of our dinner reservations for us, and also helped us book a rental car to be delivered directly to the hotel. Anastasia from the concierge team was particularly responsive and helpful both before and during our stay. We interacted with another concierge staff member during our stay who wasn’t as great, but that seemed to be an anomaly. The first restaurant we visited could not find the reservation that the hotel had made (this did not happen anywhere else, so I believe it was an issue on the restaurant’s end). However, not knowing if it would be a continued problem, I called the concierge the next day to ask if they could re-confirm our other dining reservations, but he was dismissive and unhelpful, and refused to really give us extra reassurance. Arrival Experience: Arrival itself was a little rocky. The hotel offers complimentary airport transportation, and we were told to look for a Rosewood staff member outside of baggage claim. We were surprised to find no one there when we arrived, so I called the hotel. They were apologetic, telling me that the driver was delayed getting to the airport due to an unexpected backup en route. After driving around for several days, we now know that road closures and delays are very common, so it is possible that the delay was unforeseeable. The hotel then called a taxi to pick us up more quickly, but didn’t tell me the plans had changed, which created confusion. A taxi driver arrived and asked us if we needed a ride, (never mentioning the Rosewood) and we said no, thinking we were still waiting for the Rosewood shuttle. Just as he was about to leave, the hotel called me back to let us know we should go with him. It all worked out, but was not the smoothest arrival. Once we made it to the hotel, check-in was great. The staff immediately whisked us to a private outdoor seating area, and offered us madeleines and a choice of a mocktail, Moët champagne, or rosé. Since I had completed online check-in ahead of time (which came via email before our stay), it was very easy. I was also impressed that the hotel’s general manager, Martein, stopped by to personally welcome and congratulate us. The lovely front desk associate who assisted us also accompanied us to our room, which included a full tour of its features and multiple well wishes for our babymoon. Our luggage was already waiting for us in the room and set up so we could unpack. Room: We booked the entry-level Ocean Bay Room, and spent half our stay there, before being upgraded to an Ocean View Suite for the remainder, due to an issue with our first room. We unsurprisingly preferred the suite (and more generally preferred the side of the resort closest to the beach and restaurant where it was located), but the entire resort is beautiful. I would also note that the décor in the rooms is generally nice, but it didn’t stand out. The views and setting steal the show more than the rooms themselves. The hotel website has minimal photos of the rooms, but the floorplans and maps of room locations on the website are helpful when picking a room type. Some general basics to know are: -The resort is lush, but hilly, on a peninsula that juts out with protected coves on either side. On the western side overlooking Marigot Bay are the entry-level Ocean Bay Rooms, in separate small buildings containing one or two rooms each. These are close to the lobby and spa, but a bit of a walk from the beach, pool, and restaurant. It’s a private and serene area with lovely views from higher up. In February, we found this area to be hot and humid with very little breeze. -In the middle of the resort are the tennis court and many of the suites, some with ocean views, but many with garden views. -On the eastern end of the resort, just steps away from the beach and restaurant, are the rest of the guest rooms (Ocean Cove Rooms and Beach Rooms), as well as many suites. It’s a little less private than the Ocean Bay side, since you’re lower down the hill right by the beach, and the rooms are close together. However, we found it to be quiet and peaceful to stay there. There was also a better breeze. Our initial Ocean Bay Room was a nice size, and very open (which some may view as a negative). The wall of the headboard in the middle of the room served as a divider between the bedroom and bathroom, with the toilet in a separate water closet. The room included a lot of thoughtful touches like plug adapters, bug spray, beach bag we were encouraged to keep, comfortable waffle robes, thick and fluffy towels, and a very nice Dyson hairdryer. The patio outside the room was covered and large, and had two upholstered chairs plus a dining table with chairs. We were also delighted to find that our room had been decorated to celebrate our babymoon, including balloons and cute messages, along with two mocktails and a dessert to enjoy. The room was also thoughtfully stocked with a pregnancy pillow without asking for it. We were even more impressed later that night when a second gift (a pregnancy-related aromatherapy kit) was delivered, along with a more personalized note that listed details that we had only just mentioned at check-in. The extra touches also kept coming, with skin care items from the spa the next day, and a Valentine’s Day-themed dessert on Valentine’s Day. One initial negative with our first room was that the hardwood floors weren’t in great condition. It was often very loud walking around as the floor creaked and moved. However, a much more significant issue arose on our second night. Our room had a connecting door to an adjacent room. At 4:30 am, we were awoken by an alarm clock that was so loud it sounded like it was in our room, but it was our neighbor. They were then clearly working on their laptop, and we could hear the dings and noises of their emails all morning. They weren’t doing anything wrong, but the connecting door was incredibly thin to the point that in my opinion, strangers should not be sharing rooms so directly adjacent. We weren’t happy about the noise, and happened to run into the general manager, Martein, in the morning. I told him about it, and he immediately seemed concerned and said he would figure out a solution. I was a bit surprised that by the late afternoon, I hadn’t heard back. I called the front desk to inquire, and no one seemed to have any knowledge of the problem, until I spoke with Baptiste, the manager on duty, who seemed to understand our issue and offered to move us to an upgraded room for no charge. The alternative room turned out to be an excellent Ocean View Suite (38). We moved on Valentine’s Day, and Baptiste also thoughtfully had our new room decorated for the holiday, along with a complimentary bottle of Moët champagne as an apology. I was a little disappointed that it took persistence and follow-up to get a resolution, and it was similarly a bit disjointed moving to the new room, which required a follow-up call after I had been told someone would arrive to help us move in 15 minutes, but did not. They also forgot to give us room keys to the new room, so we found ourselves without a way to get in when we returned from dinner, and had to make an extra trip to the front desk. However, the suite was great. It was decorated in a similar fashion as our initial one, but larger with a separate living room and bedroom. The bathroom was also a bit bigger, with a larger walk-in shower. We didn’t need one, but I was a bit surprised to find that neither room had a bathtub. The absolute best part of the suite was the deck. The room was basically directly on the water, almost giving the feel of an overwater bungalow. We loved relaxing on the huge deck, which had good shade for the majority of the day. The mattresses in both rooms could have been much better. They were a bit hard and didn’t have a very plush feel at all. Just looking at peer brands, the standard Four Seasons bed is significantly better. However, blackout shutters on the rooms did help with sleep quality. Each room has exterior shutters that were lowered each night and blocked light better than I’ve ever had at a hotel. We were told at check-in not to drink the tap water, and two glass one-liter bottles of Acqua Panna water are provided each day, along with two small individual bottles at turndown (it was unclear if asking for more would incur a charge or not). We appreciated that housekeeping did a great job, and were very good about small details, such as organizing charging cords and toiletries, and leaving bookmarks for our books. At check-in, we were asked what time of day we’d like turndown, and every single evening, turndown was completed in that time window. Similarly, I would call for regular daytime housekeeping each day when it was convenient for us, and they always cleaned the room right away. Dining: Dining options at the hotel are limited, but it’s best to leave for most dinners anyway to enjoy the island’s great restaurants. We really enjoyed all of the food we had at the hotel. The only restaurant is the Beach House, which is right along the beach and has a bright and airy indoor area where breakfast is served, along with an outdoor seating area in the sand that looked popular for lunch. Breakfast was excellent, and we never tired of it. There was a full buffet of cold options (the pastries were especially delicious), along with a small menu of hot items to order, which included eggs prepared any style, eggs benedict, avocado toast, and classic sides (hashbrowns, bacon, sausage). There was also a station where a chef was preparing sweet breakfast items to order, including crepes, waffles, and pancakes. There was also a separate “decadence” menu with items for an extra fee. I tried a couple of them, and it was nice to have the extra variety. I had the lobster omelet and truffle scrambled eggs, and the scrambled eggs were especially delicious. The other thing that made breakfast great was the excellent service. At our first breakfast, the staff made a point of noting we had just arrived, and gave us a detailed introduction. Alix was our server most days, and she was incredibly nice. She remembered us from day to day, including knowing our past food and drink orders. Given that it’s a busy breakfast service, I was surprised and impressed by this. Without us saying anything, she also knew when it was our final day, and brought us a crepe with ‘bon voyage’ written on it in Nutella, which was a thoughtful touch. Outside of the excellent breakfast, we did have some food at the beach and room service that came from the restaurant, and it was great. The mahi sandwich, lobster roll, and lobster pasta were all delicious. Spa: We visited the spa one afternoon and enjoyed our time there. The spa is a peaceful spot in the center of the resort, set up as an open outdoor courtyard with treatment rooms off of it. Our technicians were very nice, and the experience was relaxing. We spent a bit of time by the spa pool after our massages, which we had basically all to ourselves. The spa pool is open to all hotel guests anytime, as is the adjacent gym. The only feedback I would have about the spa is that better drinks and snacks could be offered. I view champagne after a treatment as standard at a high-end hotel spa, but only regular water and coconut water were offered. Similarly, snacks were minimal. We were each offered a coconut marshmallow after our treatments (which was tasty), and then some almonds were available by the pool. Beach/Pool: The beach at Le Guanahani is certainly lovely, with different directions you can face for optimal sun/breeze, but when trying to parse the difference between luxury hotels on St. Barth, I’d say this is one aspect where the Rosewood doesn’t have an edge, and other beaches are simply nicer and more swimmable comparatively speaking. The Grand Cul de Sac side is swimmable, and various non-motorized water sports are included, while the Marechal side is too rocky to swim. However, even on the Grand Cul de Sac side, there was quite a lot of seaweed and it still was a bit rocky. The beach also had coarser sand than we noted at other beaches on St. Barth. However, our real complaint with the beach was the service. Staff members were available to set up chairs and provide an initial small bottle of Evian for each of us, but beyond that, the beach service was lackluster and very poor for this class of hotel. Whenever we wanted to order food or drinks, I had to get up and find a server, and water was never replenished without asking. Our server never proactively came by and asked if we needed anything, and it felt like when she did walk by, she avoided making eye contact. Attentive beach service is just a standard feature at a resort of this caliber, so I was very disappointed. When we went to the beach another afternoon and sat in a totally different area, it was the same situation. The main infinity pool is also right next to the beach by the restaurant, with a large covered bar right next to it. I would say the pool is less of a focus here than at many other hotels. It was most popular with families with kids, and no one really stays by the pool as a home base for the day, since it has few chairs and no shade. There is a hillside at the end of the beach that has an easy path to hike up to the top, and this is well worth doing at some point in your stay (with sneakers). The walk was easy, and the views of the hotel, the island, and the surrounding waters were stunning. Location: St. Barth is a relatively small island, so there’s not really a “bad” location per se, but if you view the main town of Gustavia as the central hub, the Rosewood is a bit removed. It’s about a 20-minute drive to Gustavia, double the drive time from the more centrally located Eden Rock or Cheval Blanc, for example, but it’s in virtually an identical location to its neighbors, Le Sereno and Le Barthelemy. It’s a relatively easy drive to Gustavia if you take the main roads into and out of the town, but unexpected road closures on multiple occasions caused us to have to use narrower and steeper roads through the middle of the island, which we really hated at night. Driving in general was a little bit of a drag due to the narrow, steep, winding roads, but we still view having a car on St. Barth as necessary to really explore and experience the island. The hotel will assist with taxis, but we heard that they’re very overpriced, hard to get, and more frustrating than renting a car. Service: Despite having some service-related complaints mentioned above, the thing that ultimately differentiated this hotel in a positive way was also the service. I don’t think I have ever seen a hotel with such a strong presence from the general manager, as Martein could be seen walking the resort and checking on things constantly. We also generally found most of the staff here to be among the most friendly and helpful of any hotel we’ve visited in a while. Key issues I often have at high-end properties are not feeling recognized by staff and not having special occasions celebrated well throughout the stay. It’s frustrating when staff members you’ve met more than just in passing don’t seem to recognize you a day later. Similarly, I find it frustrating when special occasions are mentioned at check-in, maybe even with a gift in the room, but never brought up again. However, Le Guanahani exceeded expectations in both regards. Examples of the strong service included: -Management, namely Martein and Baptiste, remembered and checked on us multiple times. After we had the issue with our initial room, Martein made a point of finding us at least once each day to ask how things were going and make sure we were happy. He was also present at check-out to wish us well. -Front desk staff members remembered us. The woman who checked us in was still greeting us by name days later. I had also called the front desk one evening with a question about charging our rental car, and the evening clerk volunteered to come to me to answer my questions in person, and insisted that he handle car charging for us anytime we needed it. Days later, he remembered me, asked how we were doing with the car, and volunteered to charge it again. -Our babymoon was recognized and mentioned repeatedly. Beyond the multiple personalized cards and in-room amenities, staff members simply mentioned it a lot. Even our friendly driver back to the airport showed a lot of interest and clearly wanted to make sure our babymoon stay was lovely up to the last moment. He also stayed with us at the airport until just before we got onto our flight, which was very nice. -There was a general feeling of well-coordinated and proactive service, even in basic areas that are easily missed elsewhere. For example, when we ordered room service, the staff automatically returned an hour later to remove the plates. Similarly, I loved that on our last day, we were proactively emailed about the timing of our departure transfer back to the airport without asking. A staff member was then at our door to assist with luggage at the proper time without having to ask. The only other service suggestion I’d have is to offer another option to communicate with staff. I missed having an app with a chat feature or option to text with hotel staff that other hotels use. There was nothing like that here, and I noticed myself missing it. I also found on occasion that it was a little difficult to make requests over the phone in English without getting slightly lost in translation, so it would be helpful to have an option to communicate in writing too. Overall: Overall, our stay at the Rosewood Le Guanahani was lovely and relaxing. It would be hard not to have a nice time here. While I was a bit surprised by some of the issues we experienced early in our stay, I was also really impressed by the service recovery, which really defined our stay. Although there are other great hotel options in St. Barth that I’d like to try, we would certainly recommend and look forward to returning to the Rosewood too.
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