Le Sereno Supermodel Hotel of St. Barths

By: George Wayne

If you are the astute jetrosexual on the prowl for a supermodel binge, have we got the destination point for you! It turns out that this is one of the best kept secrets of St. Barthelemy – that 25 square kilometers of rugged terrain in the French West Indies which the glamour set have been haunting for years. Well, it turns out that there is one chic resort property where, on any given week on any given month, not only in high season from November to May, you are more likely than not to check into a villa or bungalow at Le Sereno only to catch sight of a willowy beauty such as Doutzen Kroes or Alessandra Abrosio checking in right behind you. For Le Sereno, it's the St. Barths home away from home for the contingent of Victoria's Secrets supermodels and the accompanying photographers, make-up artists, wardrobe stylists and other assorted hangers-on when they are on location in beautiful St. Barths, which is all the time.

On any given day of the week you can turn to page 3 of the New York Post only to see a supermodel cavorting in a next-to-nothing string bikini, say on Shell Beach in St. Barths, snapped from a discreet lens in the bushes off the famous St. Barths beach. There is no denying that these various and multiple continuous Victoria's Secret photo shoots have become a thriving cottage industry for the local ''paps'' (paparazzi) who sell these bootleg images all over the globe, but it seemingly makes a four day stay at Le Sereno all the more worth it. For this is where they eat, sleep, spa and rest their pretty heads when they hit the sack. Yes, it is always here by the picturesque, windswept Grand Cul-de-Sac property known as Le Sereno that you will find a working supermodel letting her hair down.

''They love having poached eggs for breakfast and bouillabaisse for dinner,'' says the robust chef in residence Chef Jean Louis Brocardi. ''Apparently they must have heard that the best bouillabaisse in St. Barths comes out of my kitchen, for that's all they seem to eat.''

And indeed, GW can concur with that notion, for a few months ago while in residence for five days at the sumptuous Villa #1 of Le Sereno, having a late night supper in the open air restaurant right there, paces away from some of the most gorgeous, startlingly tall and elegant palm trees swaying briskly in the serene moonlit night, I had only to swivel my head to spot two equally flawless works of nature in the flesh. Was that supermodel Erin Heatherton, who as luck would have it had just days before ended or been dumped, the rumor goes by Leonard DiCaprio — pacing and chain smoking by that large group of people spooning from their soup bowls? Yes, it was. And was that yet another Victoria's Secret beauty Caroline Gonzalez on the other side obviously relishing her arrival to the big time photo shoots? Yes, you would be correct on that count too.

Because their days are spent on location all across glorious St. Barths — more often than not at one of the many fabulous beaches that groom the island — a great time to begin the day supermodel watching is over breakfast at 6 am where you may one day see the ample assets of some Brazilian born Victoria's Secret supermodel spilling out of her Pucci caftan as she grabs a quick cup of coffee and then dashes to one of the cooly chic bungalows that dot this quaint and fabulous 37-room beachfront luxury hotel. You won't see them on the property again until later that evening where a gamine can be spied getting a full rubdown with the fragrant and iconic Ligne St. Barth massage oil during a 30 minute St. Barth softness peeling massage at the divine Le Sereno spa before drinks by the pool with the entire entourage of Victoria's Secret contingent and then dinner before the early wake-up call the next day. It is work, after all darlings, but what a fabulous, glamorous job it is.

That night I retired to my vast villa, the uber-glamorous one at the top of the hill, over the "GW Mimsy," my special creation of Veuve Clicquot with a spooge of Grey Goose vodka and a hearty splash of blood orange juice served in the largest piscine wine goblet from the modern, quite huge stainless steel hued kitchen which, like every other interior to Le Sereno, was designed by the world famous decorator Christian Liaigre. Surveying the flawless moonlight simmering off the hippest bit of bohemia on St. Barths, the Grand Cul-de-Sac, I felt like the imperious king of the world when I learned that the day I would be checking out of Villa #1 none other than the iconic supermodel Kate Moss would be checking in, and sleeping in the very same bed I was just in; you ought to understand why.

The appeal of Le Sereno is pretty obvious; it's not a sceney face-place like say, the resort Eden Rock. It's not showy like Le Toiny or the Manapany, and none of these can flaunt an array of more gorgeous supermodel guests than this one. The chic, minimalist interiors of the three villas are vintage Liaigre, and all are replete with stellar ocean views, private terraces and lush gardens and, of course, the requisite infinity pool.

Of the some 900 villas and some 400 hotel rooms available on the entire island of St. Barths, you can rest assured that none provide better value for the money than this one. In other words, there is tremendous value for your buck here, especially now. •

Le Sereno  
Grand Cul de Sac BP 19
St. Barthelemy, Saint Barthélemy
info@lesereno.com
1 888 Le Sereno | +59 (05) 90 29 83 00