CHECK IN: Le Toiny in St Barths

Q&A from our stay at Le Toiny in St Barths

The private villa pool experience: does having your own pool genuinely change how you spend your days?

Yes, I think it gives you the opportunity to spend more time in your room relaxing privately vs. at a communal pool. Being able to have breakfast delivered to your room and relaxing by the pool gives you the opportunity to have a really private experience.

No direct beach access is unusual for St. Barths. How do you handle it practically, and does the hotel make it seamless?

It’s not that unusual. The hotel has regular shuttles in their signature land rovers that run between the hotel lobby and the beach club about every 5-10 minutes.

La Table restaurant: worth a reservation as a non-guest?

The restaurant here is called La Table, but I can’t comment on this because we didn’t eat here for dinner, but a local told us it was their favorite on the island and the views are really pretty in the evening. It was lovely at breakfast. The food and drinks at the beach club were really amazing!

The intimacy of 22 rooms — how does the size of the property change the experience compared to a bigger resort?

It’s 22 rooms and I think it did feel more intimate and quite. You really only saw other guests in the lobby or at the beach club and especially because a lot of the rooms are their own standalone private cottages. The hotel doesn’t have some of the other amenities that other hotels have (large community spaces, a spa, multiple dining outlets) but they do have the beach club and a nice and brand new gym.

Cheval Blanc vs. Le Toiny: you stayed at both. Which would you rebook first and why?

I think it’s hard to compare the two hotels because they are very different and I think for different clients. Cheval Blanc felt more fancy and refined where as Le Toiny felt a little more relaxed, quieter and more intimate. Cheval Blanc has the added benefit of being beachfront so it’s easy to walk right out from the hotel onto the beach. But the views at Le Toiny, private pools, large rooms and Boho beach vibes at the beach club make it also a great place to stay. Cheval Blanc is more family-oriented and in closer proximity to Gustavia and Saint Jean.

Is this a couples-only hotel or does it work for other travel profiles?

I think it certainly leans very adult and isn’t somewhere I would put a family, however I think it would be a great hotel for a group of couples traveling together. Or potentially a family with older teens in the two-bedroom suite. We did see kids down at the beach club in the pool there.

What Le Toiny does that no other St. Barths hotel does.

Real privacy and an intimate and romantic atmosphere. I think it’s a great hotel for honeymooners with all the rooms having actual pools and ocean views. That combined with the fun boho aspect of the beach club give you sort of the best of both worlds. The location feels rugged and wild but not too remote.