Jade Mountain – the name itself has a certain totemic awe. After ascending from the ebon-wood reception, Jade Mountain first looms in front of you like a sun-gold monolith, a gigantic carved stone structure that, one might imagine, stands testament to humanity’s fervour and passion. As you rise up on this grand stairway to heaven, you recognise it for what it really is: an imperial complex of terraces and tiers, floating walkways and etheric spires. Walk among the cloud-seeking columns in the grandeur of a mandarin and spot the undulating pools of koi-carp among the carefully positioned trees and ferns.
The inspiration for the resort was the carved jade mountains of Chinese traditional sculpture; and the resort itself epitomises this synthesis of natural and man-made beauty. The Jade Mountain resort is an experience designed primarily for couples, although anyone can feel and understand the absolute magnificence that abounds here. It is a place that arrests you with sheer wonderment at the power of the universe and of the people in it. Simply put, Jade Mountain provides the perfect setting for the sort of emotional response that is said to be a form of enlightenment in itself. This writer is hosted in the Galaxy Suite, one of a pair of ‘rooms’ on the penultimate floor of the complex. Half open to the elements (with the zephyr sent to chill the rooms as welcome – if not more so – than the sun’s rays), one only has to look over the edge of the Suite’s peerless parapet to realise that the high minded name is fully deserved.
Opposite the hotel are the volcanic Pitons overlooking a sapphire bay; it is a stunning sight even for just a few seconds, yet a perennial one for the near-gods atop Jade Mountain. Below and all around are the lands and forests of St Lucia, a viridian sea lapping at the oceans around the bays of the Pitons and the Anse Chastanet beach. At sundown, when the shadowy volcanoes loom out of the distant darkness and the sky is made of diamonds, one can feel the world – the galaxy – pulsating all around; and one realises that, despite the pessimism of ‘our lonely planet’, at this moment one really is the centre of it all, in this time and in this space of glorious mysticism. All this is, of course, coming from hours of lounging and floating on the signature infinity pool that covers up to a third of one’s (very, very large) suite.
The whirlpool bath, while a delightful possibility in itself, seemed to me to pale in comparison next to this sun-speckled pool of iridescent glass tiles. Looking outwards, one has the visual effect of the pool’s waters sliding over the sides, while the more distant seas themselves slide into the infinite horizon. At night, when the water finally become a little too chilly for comfort, step back onto the coral, stone and hardwood floor – a marriage of design – and slip under your bed covers, drifting off to the soothing medley of open space…
Waking up in the morning means a pleasant breakfast of light and airy touches. The mélange-like cocoa tea, despite its initially strange flavour, is an easily acquired taste and instills in one a heavenly sense of well-being that lasts throughout the day (I am later told that the drink is used locally as an aphrodisiac). Dining at Jade Mountain is also a truly beyond any mundane conception of ‘haute cuisine’ that you might hold. Aided by one of the most famous New World chefs, Allen Susser, the Jade Mountain kitchen is a paragon of tropical and Far- Eastern styles, both of which are fused to create some of the most exciting, one-of-a kind dishes I have ever tasted. It is a testament to the staff at Jade Mountain that they have adapted to the fickle supply from the resort’s organic farm, the Emerald Estate, and have used its superlative produce to create a world class gastronomy which will surprise you every single day and night. Personal highlights include the succulent sashimi (prepared on-site by the hotel’s sushi-chefs of course); the unsurpassable blue marlin steak, impossibly full of flavour and the melt-in-your-mouth wagyu flat-iron steak.
The setting is cool: coral stone floor and pillars, the small moonlit pool in the centre and the potted palm fronds transport you to a world of exotic divinity. The sea breeze caresses the warm candle on the table. The staff, in sable uniforms, are courteous but quick to fade from your presence. Each of the couples dining here impeccably dressed and as dreamily perfect as the hotel itself, shine in their own, intimate limelight. This, the fairytale love story, is the power of Jade Mountain, the effortless grace to bring two people together; after all, how many of the best stories end with the lovers in each others’ arms?
Tel: 758-459-4000/ 7000/6100
jademountain@ansechastanet.com
Like us on Facebook!
Follow us on Twitter!
