Jade Mountain Resort – St. Lucia

The bellman was about to call a doctor. Doubled over with laughter and glee, I’m sure I looked ill. That’s the kind of response Jade Mountain’s rooms elicit. Some people have spontaneously leapt up and down, while others have burst into tears. Talk about a room with a view.

Designed by Canadian-Russian architect Nick Troubetzkoy, Jade Mountain is the brand new resort-within-a-resort at the larger Anse Chastanet compound. Open-air rooms have been carved into the side of a mountain on St. Lucia, and with just three walls—in some cases, two—they feel like four-star tree houses. The view, overlooking the Caribbean Sea to the west and the magnificent twin Pitons mountains to the south, is simply astonishing.

Room selections, appropriately referred to as “sanctuaries,” all have private in-room infinity pools. Sun rooms are located at the highest elevation with the most spectacular vistas. These spaces measure 2,000 square feet, while the in-room infinity pools are sized around 900 square feet. The smaller Moon and Star sanctuaries are nothing to sneeze at. Fifteen-foot ceilings look down upon floors crafted from 20 species of tropical hardwood. Bathrooms are tucked out of view but have no doors. It’s exhilarating to shower while you’re gazing at the sunset, but for other bathroom uses, the design is less than desirable.

What Jade Mountain boasts in the unique design of its accommodations, it lacks in other amenities. As part of the resort’s “forget-the-outside-world” schtick, the fabulous rooms lack technology (including phones to call reception). The island breeze and sun’s rays are welcome guests in the sanctuaries, but the same can’t be said for the birds, moths and mosquitoes. With the exception of the Caribbean-Indian restaurant Apsara, the dining options are sub-par. For a place this expensive (rooms start at $950 a night), and allegedly this exclusive, you shouldn’t prefer to fish for your own dinner. An invigorating, outdoor yoga class is offered three times a day, and the beachside Kai Belté Spa—a separate spa for Jade Mountain is forthcoming—offers the usual roster of services.

Some resorts awkwardly impose upon Mother Nature’s design, but Jade Mountain has miraculously enhanced it.

"Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy." Benjamin Franklin's words have rung true for much of Alejandro Ayala's life--one spent among the glorious grapevines of Napa Valley, California. Born in Indaparapeo in the Michoacan state of Mexico, Ayala was one of nine children. "We are from a really, really poor family in Mexico," he says. Ayala's father was a migrant worker in the California vineyards, and soon enough, Alejandro fallowed suit. At age 18, he and his older siblings left his mother and the younger kids behind. (They later moved north as well.) "We came to the states to improve our lives and live better. I started picking grapes and pears and working in the fields, and [eventually] I found a job at Meadowood."

Located in a picturesque, 250-acre valley, Meadowood looks like a private estate from the 19th century, hut it was actually founded as a country club in 1964. The resplendent property features championship croquet lawns, seven tennis courts, a nine-hole walking golf course and some of the Valley's finest wine country cuisine. For Alejandro, it was quite a culture shock to spend each day at Meadowood--a far cry from his childhood in Indaparapeo.

Ayala began work as a dishwasher at the elite property and quickly moved up the ranks. He worked as a prep cook, sous chef and, finally, chef. Mentored by various experts from France, the eager employee soon became the resort's executive banquet chef in 1998. Still in that position today, Ayala oversees cuisine for executive retreats and special events, as well as events catered in other local settings. "Nothing ever goes wrong when he is in charge, says executive chef and fellow Mexican native, Vincent Nattress. "He's on top of everything."

(Click on photo to read the rest of the story.)

Southern Greenland