W Resort St. Martin

Marigot, St. Martin

Client: Vieques Hotel Partners

Up until 1995 when it was destroyed by hurricane, the Belle Creole Hotel was St. Martin’s crown jewel, offering the Caribbean island’s single most high-end guest experience. Without a high-end hotel on the island, St. Martin has lost many of its employment opportunities and has experienced a major decline in tourism, as the renowned yachting crowd now travels to adjacent islands for deluxe vacation stays. Envisioning a new five-star resort that will rejuvenate St. Martin, Vieques Hotel Partners hired Design Workshop to provide resort master planning as well as golf course planning on the 100-acre site. The end result will be a W Resort Destination Property, with amenities including a 9-hole par- 3 golf course, a 50 slip marina village, boutique shops and spa along with hydroponic and organic gardens. There are four distinct beaches surrounding the resort, with a wide array of water sport activities as well as access to the nearby Nono Island retreat. The overall site plan marries the W’s contemporary sleekness with the natural, historic beauty of St. Martin and provides the island with a means to reestablish itself as a top vacation spot for tourists who love both land and sea.