We ascend the meandering driveway beyond the electronic gates, gently swerving past Bluff cottage and crawling to a stop at the stately main house with its cobblestone entrance and trickling fountain.
We take in the property like a group of children, Zoe, Dave and myself— they are my eyes and I am the scribe. Villa writers do not usually get to experience a property with their peers and with Dave’s eye for design and Zoe’s impeccable taste, I immerse myself in this rare treat.
The butler escorts us through the mirrored marble and coral foyer, with bleached timber roofing and a dramatic golden chandelier that offers an understated yet striking first impression. An atypical silence falls over our chatty group.
We spend more than an hour in the main house, exploring the nooks and pockets, and enjoying each other’s company in the open entertaining, living and formal dining spaces that flow easily amidst lavish environs that make the most effective use of colour and texture.
Materials such as marble, coral, bleached timber and heavy metal are set against white and cream fabrics and accents with pops of art, flowers and mirrors providing a minimalist modern flavour to a Colonial-Caribbean aesthetic. The smooth transition from outside to in makes for a warm unpretentious elegance, and a seamless connection to nature.
Tucked away among secret gardens with their dense and beautifully landscaped foliage is the row of bedrooms. Six rooms with en-suite bathrooms sit as islands, strategically divided from each other, each privately accessible from the garden. Four of the bedrooms have king-sized beds and the other two have twin-sized beds, each designed with a minimalistic grace.
The master bedroom regally commands its own adjacent structure, with a sprawling, private, western-facing terrace overlooking mature lawns, an expansive swimming pool and the famous Sandy Lane beach, just across the street.
“This would make the perfect honeymoon suite for a small villa wedding,” observes Dave.
We return to the sitting area at the centre of the house, and relax in the shade of the overhead fan, swaying palms and lush tropical plants that integrate easily with the greens and blues of the garden and adjacent pool deck. By day, the pool area is adorned by a vivid array of flowers and foliage and by night, fantastic lighting provides an effortless ambience, perfect for an outdoor cocktail party.
With its Sonos sound system, formal and informal communal living and dining spaces and an easy flow between the garden and main house, Bluff house is ideally suited to events and entertaining. The air conditioned, restaurant-style kitchen provides the perfect setting for the preparation of lavish meals by the staff cook, and is large enough for the use of caterers and event planners.
The housekeeper briefly excuses herself, offering us some refreshments in the al fresco dining area located on the covered verandah. I take a seat beside the barbeque and implore my colleagues to reveal their impressions of the property thus far.
“I’m loving the easy elegance and story-book style layout of the bedrooms,” gushes Zoe.
“It would be fabulous to stay in the detached Master suite and watch the sun go down over Sandy Lane Beach in the evening,” adds Dave.
We do not get to experience Bluff cottage, located near the entrance of the property, but from all accounts, the two-bedroom villa is the perfect setting for a more relaxed family vacation.
With open-air tropical elegance set on over an acre of exotic gardens on a bluff overlooking Sandy Lane beach, Bluff House is the perfect setting for a luxury vacation or event.
To book your stay at Bluff House or Bluff Cottage contact agents, Altman Real Estate.
