A family hotel above the bay of St Jean

The hotel has been welcoming guests since 1969, when it was known as the Village St Jean Hotel. It was conceived, designed and built in a chic Caribbean style by André Charneau and his family; today, it is still owned, managed, cosseted and impeccably maintained by the second generation of Charneaus, Catherine and her brother Bertrand, who literally grew up in the hospitality business.

For the Charneau family, nothing is more important than keeping our guests happy. Making sure that our guests' vacations are truly carefree and relaxing is our top priority, especially the hundreds of 'family' who have been coming back to us year after year, in some cases for more than 20 years.

One way we accomplish this is constant tweaking. We are always fine-tuning and upgrading our beloved hotel so that our guests enjoy that 'great-to-be-back' feeling each time they return. The finest compliment we receive is when long-term guests tell us that, even after all the imperceptible enhancements, the hotel has never lost its soul: that distinctive sense of old-style, unspoiled St Barts.

Of course, another sure way to keep guests happy is to offer exceptional value. 'Always offer rates that are better value than the competition' has always been the Charneau philosophy.