It’s hard to know which way to turn, frankly. In the great room of Spice of Life—a newly constructed 35,000 sq ft super villa, sandwiched between two verdantly craggy peaks of the Pitons mountain range in Saint Lucia—distraction is everywhere. Yes, a few steps from some limousine-length sliding glass doors lies a granite-hewn infinity pool overlooking one of the more jaw-dropping vistas in the Caribbean. But during Vogue’s first look inside what is perhaps now the largest private villa available to rent in the region, all eyes are glued to the art.
Take the Yayoi Kusama Mirror Infinity Box, standing chest height inside the entrance hall, its matchbox-sized peep-holes two windows onto a tiny, shimmering galaxy of reflection. Or the Anish Kapoor (Random Triangle Mirror, 2015), throwing 100 or more images of the swimwear-clad holidaymaker back on herself. Or the James Turrell (Iltar, Elliptical Glass, 2021), a pristine six-foot oval of shimmering etherealness, rotating softly through the color spectrum in front of the 20-seater dining table. The American artist and master of light, 81, dispatched a team from his California studio to install it in preparation for the villa opening to guests this month. As you watch its slow progression from neon green to pastel pink, it certainly works as a tone-setter for a new, ultra-refined way to approach a week (or a month) in the sun.
“We are thrilled to be debuting Spice of Life and to begin hosting guests in this spectacular residence,” says James Wyndham, MD of Sugar Beach, as well as VP of brand experience and loyalty for Viceroy Hotels and Resorts. “[It] sets an entirely new standard of luxury.” Of course, it’s no surprise that extravagant villas now constitute an arms race for famed hotels looking to bag big spenders. The trend has been squarely rising for the past decade, gathering pace in the pandemic, to become a defining way to travel for wealthy privacy-hunters and families looking for a hyper-luxe set-up to fly and flop across the generations.
So it is that Sugar Beach, the Saint Lucian resort famed for its white slatted cottages and chicly loyal client base, has entered the fray. The hotel was once owned by Colin Tennant (he of Mustique buying fame, who tempted Princess Margaret with a bolt hole there before decamping to Saint Lucia in his later years with an elephant called Bupa). More recently, and a touch less eccentrically, the property is owned in partnership with Viceroy by brothers Andrew and Alexander Green (other hospitality interests include their also-famous Hamilton Princess in Bermuda). The Greens’ stamp is all over Spice of Life, starting with its name, which it shares with the title of their maternal grandfather’s autobiography (the late politician and industrialist Sir Harold Mitchell). And it is the brothers’ love of art—their late mother Mary-Jean was once immortalised by Warhol, and the family remains avid collectors of contemporary pieces—which brings a sense of singularity to proceedings.
It is a surreal treat indeed to have a museum-worthy collection to pad past damp-footed from the beach. Hirst, Arsham, Koons, Kaws, Banksy, Opie, Sachs, and Dali are among more than 100 works housed at the villa. Then there is the property itself. Acres of calming white walls and pale woods refract and soothe the intensity of the Caribbean sun; the scale, courtesy of architects Botelho Wood, achieves the serenity of a museum; the interior and bespoke furniture design a sense of supreme comfort. (Have you ever dissolved into a 50-foot couch? Recommended.)
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It feels like a new baseline of luxury has been hit. Too often—with hotel villas especially—there is a brutal compromise to be made. Having dished out the price of a car for a night’s stay, invariably one of the siblings or children doesn’t end up in the no-expense-spared primary suite, but in a box room staring at the carpark. The guiding phrase at Spice of Life was: “No bad rooms.” Accordingly, each of the nine suites is spectacularly large. Emperor king beds, walk-in wardrobes, and for those few without an ocean view, an outdoor shower to take the edge off.
Naturally, there is a Peloton-stocked gym, a brace of terraces, and an elegant and attentive staff. Dine in with full butler service or head to any of the hotel’s beloved restaurants for whichever meal you fancy. Drivers hover by the gates to transport you off on a moment’s notice: the spa, paddle, pickle, and tennis courts, the local waterfalls, the extraordinary hikes, the water sports, chocolate making. Though in truth, most days Spice of Life feels like the activity itself. A wildly decadent honeymoon, or a full-on family celebration, beckons.