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At the far western end of St. Thomas, beyond the island’s busier harbors and hillside neighborhoods, the land rises above quiet coves and a narrow strip of sand called Mermaid’s Chair.
Here, the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic meet beside 300 acres of tropical terrain. Sandy Bay Beach lies below. The airport is only minutes away, yet this part of the island feels removed from the traffic and cruise activity closer to Charlotte Amalie.
Now a new luxury resort is opening here this winter.
The Botany, a 20-villa retreat inside the gated Preserve at Botany Bay, is preparing to welcome its first visitors on the western tip of St. Thomas. The solar-powered resort will be operated by Practice Hospitality and will join the L.V.X. Collection from Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
The opening will bring a new kind of hotel to St. Thomas: a secluded villa resort with far more land than rooms, a private beach setting and a strong focus on solar power, rainwater collection and locally inspired design.
“Luxury used to mean more,” Practice Hospitality founder and CEO Bashar Wali said. “Here it means less, on purpose. Fewer villas. More land left alone.”
A Different Side of St. Thomas
St. Thomas has long been one of the Caribbean’s easiest islands to reach from the United States. Nonstop flights arrive from major gateways, U.S. citizens do not need a passport, and visitors can pair beaches and sailing with historic Charlotte Amalie, duty-free shopping and day trips to St. John.
Most hotels, however, are concentrated around the island’s eastern, southern and northern sections.
The Botany is opening far to the west, in a part of St. Thomas many visitors have never explored.
Botany Bay occupies a broad section of land beyond the airport, where steep hills descend toward secluded beaches and waters looking toward Puerto Rico and the surrounding Virgin Islands.
The area’s relative isolation has kept it far quieter than Magens Bay, Red Hook or the resort corridors near Frenchman’s Reef.
Arriving visitors will stop first at an overlook above the bay. Resort staff will collect their luggage before the drive continues through the preserve toward an open-air reception pavilion positioned between two swimming pools.
The sea remains visible throughout the arrival, with Mermaid’s Chair extending into the water below.
Just 20 Villas Across 300 Acres
The Botany will open with three villa categories.
The Villa King will offer a single bedroom facing the water, along with a private terrace. The Villa Suite will add a separate living area, lounge seating and space for casual dining.
The largest accommodations will be the two- and three-bedroom Villa Residences, designed for families and groups. Some will include private swimming pools.
All villas will have indoor and outdoor showers, high ceilings, exposed beams and floor-to-ceiling windows. Private terraces will connect the interiors with the surrounding hills and sea views.
Blue volcanic stone from the Virgin Islands will appear throughout the villas, alongside curved walls and tiles in shades of green and pearl.
“We chose every material with intention, allowing the design to blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape,” said Brynn Braun, director of design at developer By-the-Sea Resort Properties.
With only 20 villas, the resort will feel closer to a private residential retreat than a conventional hotel. The larger residences will allow several generations or groups of friends to stay together, while couples can choose one of the smaller villas with direct views toward the water.
A pre-arrival team will begin planning stays before visitors reach the island, arranging dining, spa treatments, excursions and other details in advance.
Two Pools Above the Sea
The resort will have two pools, each with its own bar.
The Sequence Pool will curve above the bay, with views toward Mermaid’s Chair. The lower Legacy Pool will be positioned closer to Sandy Bay Beach.
The arrangement gives visitors several different places to spend the day: beside the upper pool, near the sand or on the terrace of a private villa.
A three-room spa will include a couples’ suite, hot tub and indoor and outdoor relaxation areas. A fitness center and yoga pavilion will be located nearby.
The resort will also offer more than 50,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, spread among lawns, pool terraces, historic stone ruins, dining venues and beachfront areas.
Weddings and retreats will be able to use multiple sections of the preserve rather than relying on a single ballroom or lawn. Ceremonies can take place near the ruins or water, followed by dinners beside one of the pools or on the resort grounds.
A New Restaurant Called Ginger Thomas
The Botany’s principal restaurant will be Ginger Thomas, named for the yellow flower associated with the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The restaurant will serve Caribbean flavors through a contemporary fine-dining menu.
A coffee shop and boutique will offer specialty coffee, light meals, take-away items and custom picnic baskets for the beach.
The small number of villas will give the food program a more intimate character. Ginger Thomas will primarily serve resort residents, private events and celebrations rather than the crowds associated with a larger hotel.
Dining will also be part of the resort’s pre-arrival planning, allowing visitors to organize meals, picnics and private experiences before they reach St. Thomas.
The restaurant will add a new dining destination to the western end of the island, far from the better-known restaurant areas in Frenchtown, Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook.
A Resort Powered by the Sun
The Botany expects to generate most of its electricity through solar power during much of the year, sharply reducing its dependence on the island grid.
Goats will graze beneath the solar panels, controlling brush and reducing the need for mechanical maintenance.
Every villa and public building has also been designed to collect and store rainwater. Cistern systems have long been an important feature of Virgin Islands homes, and the resort is incorporating the same tradition throughout the property.
Reclaimed materials will appear in signs and decorative details.
The environmental program will be visible throughout a stay. Visitors will see the solar arrays, the grazing goats, the rainwater systems and the preserved land surrounding the villas.
The resort’s limited footprint is central to its design. Much of the 300-acre property will remain untouched, keeping the villas separated by broad areas of tropical terrain.
Close to the Airport, Removed From the Island’s Crowds
The Botany’s location gives it an unusual advantage.
Cyril E. King Airport is only a short drive away, making the transfer easy after a flight. Yet the resort lies beyond many of the island’s commercial roads and heavily visited districts.
St. Thomas has nonstop flights from major U.S. cities including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, Charlotte, New York, Newark, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, depending on the season.
Visitors can spend most of their stay inside the preserve or use the resort as a base for exploring the island.
Charlotte Amalie’s Danish colonial architecture and historic streets are within driving distance. Frenchtown’s restaurants are nearby, while trips to Magens Bay, Hull Bay, Sapphire Beach and Red Hook cross much of the island.
Ferries and private boats also connect St. Thomas with nearby islands. St. John is home to Virgin Islands National Park and beaches including Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay and Maho Bay. Water Island is just offshore from Crown Bay, and private charters can reach smaller cays throughout the Virgin Islands.
The Botany’s western position will also place visitors near waters and beaches often overlooked by travelers staying on the opposite side of the island.
A Major New Opening for St. Thomas
The opening comes as St. Thomas continues rebuilding and expanding its hotel product following the hurricanes of 2017.
Several of the island’s best-known resorts have undergone extensive renovations or complete reconstruction, including the Frenchman’s Reef complex.
The Botany is different from those larger properties.
It is opening as an intimate villa resort rather than a traditional beachfront hotel, with only 20 accommodations spread through a vast private preserve.
The Botany will also become part of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts L.V.X. Collection, a group of independent luxury hotels selected for their design, service and destination character.
Its debut will introduce a new hotel option to one of the quietest parts of St. Thomas.
When The Botany opens this winter, it will add only 20 villas to the island’s hotel inventory. But its arrival will open an entirely new corner of St. Thomas to visitors, one defined by secluded beaches, preserved land and the meeting place of two seas.
It’s also a big boost for the island’s luxury hotel stock, which largely consists of the Ritz-Carlton, St Thomas and a collection of villas.
The post A New Luxury Resort Is Opening in St. Thomas, With 20 Villas, 300 Acres, and a Secluded Beach appeared first on Caribbean Journal.
