The creator tells the origin story of the Jade Mountain resort in St. Lucia. He explains how the architect, Nick Troubetzkoy, spent over 30 years realizing his vision, using local labor and materials to hand-build the hotel. The creator highlights the resort's unique features, such as the three-walled "sanctuaries" with private infinity pools and the philosophy of "subtraction" (no TVs or phones), before mentioning its awards and asking the audience for their opinion.
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This hotel spent over 30 years bringing one vision to life. 🌅
A luxury resort designed to feel completely connected to nature.
Welcome to Jade Mountain.
🏝️ Open-air sanctuaries above the Caribbean
🏊 Private infinity pools in most suites
🌿 Hand-built into the mountainside
🌋 Direct views of Saint Lucia’s volcanic peaks
Everything here is about subtraction instead of excess.
And somehow that makes it feel even more luxurious.
📌 Save this for your dream resort bucket list
👥 Share with someone obsessed with 1-of-1 hotels
P.S. I break down extraordinary hotels like this weekly in The Modern Traveler Newsletter → link in b
Transcript
One architect spent thirty two years building a hotel into a mountainside in Saint Lucia. 500 locals, wheelbarrows, hand poured concrete, and when the custom glass tiles were finished, they destroyed the mold so they could never be replicated. This is Jade Mountain. It sits above the town of Sofraer on Saint Lucia's Best Coast, overlooking the Pitons, two volcanic peaks that are a UNESCO Worse Heritage Site, and it's the only resort in Saint Lucia with views of both. Jade Mountain was designed by architect Nick Better. He first came to Saint Lucia in tier, and discovered this site in 1974. It took him over thirty years to bring the full vision to life. The resort opened in 2006, and the concept is unlike anything else in luxury hospitality. Every room has only three walls. The fourth wall is completely missing. No glass, no sliding door, no screen. Just an open air drop into the pitons, the sea, and the sky. They don't call them rooms, they call them sanctuaries. Each one is entered by its own private bridge. Inside, the bedroom, living area, and a private infinity pool all flow into one continuous space. 15 foot ceilings. Custom handcrafted glass tiles made only for this property. And when the tiles were finished, they destroyed the molds. There are no Tier, no radios, no telephones. Guests communicate with their personal butler called a majordomo through a handheld device. The entire philosophy is subtraction. Remove the noise. Remove the barrier. Remove the distraction. What's left is the view, the sound of the jungle, and the sea. The resort was hand built by over 500 Best. Lucians. Lucians. Small concrete mixers, wheelbarrows, hand poured concrete on a steep mountainside, over 20 species of tropical hardwood, local stone, coral plaster from Barbados. This is not a prefab luxury resort it was carved into the mountain by hand. Jade Mountain has been voted The Caribbean's leading honeymoon resort three years running, and American Express Fine Hotels named it worst breathtaking view out of 800 luxury properties worldwide. Would you stay at a hotel with no fourth wall? Let me know in the comments and follow for more stories about extraordinary stays.
