Eden Rock St Barths, St Jean Bay

Hotels with History

The episode explores the historical transformation of St. Barts from a rugged, arid Caribbean outpost into an ultra-exclusive luxury destina

Key takeaways

RÃ©my de Haenen purchased the original site for Eden Rock for just $200 in 1953.
The island was under Swedish rule from 1784 to 1878, during which Gustavia became a successful free port.
David and Jane Matthews took over Eden Rock in 1995, focusing on preserving its bohemian essence.
Hurricane Irma in 2017 caused significant destruction, but the hotel successfully rebuilt by 2019.
The island's lack of large cruise ship access forced a focus on high-end, private tourism rather than mass market.

Main topics

History of St. Barts
Founding of Eden Rock Hotel
Colonial transitions in the Caribbean

Notable quotes

If you want to truly understand a city, you should start with its hotels.

Conclusion

A compelling study on how historical limitations and geographic scarci

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:02) The Caribbean is a scatter of commas across a bright blue ocean, and one small island sits here like a dry stone in a shallow bowl. Before it is St. Barthelmy, it is known as Wanalaho. Some say that it means land of iguanas, others translate it as land of salt. The meanings argue with each other, but they agree on the feeling. A rocky, arid place, sun-hard, water-stingy, more edge than softness. Nothing like the luxury location full of white sand beaches, designer shops and a yacht-filled harbour that we know today. That is, until one bold adventurer decides to test the island's stubbornness. A plane approaches, low and steady. The pilot is Rémi de Hanen, and he has spotted the flat savannah at Saint-Jean, a pale strip of ground used more for grazing than planes. He brings the wheels down anyway. Dust lifts, the engine cools, and a hinge turns. As the years go on, this exact spot will be used again and again. A terminal appears, and finally tarmac. If you stand on the beach today, you can still watch the planes coming low as if they're about to land on the sand itself. And every arrival traces the same invisible line in the air, following the path first drawn by that early gamble. Most of the visitors who touch down now would not know that their arrival began here. But the island remembers. And whether you call it Saint-Barthelmy, Saint-Barthes or Huanaloa, one thing is for sure, it is now undeniably a destination. Speaker 1 (1:54) Welcome to Hotels with History. Speaker 2 (1:56) I'm Jules Perrone. Speaker 1 (1:57) And I'm Richard E. Grant. We've been brought together by a shared fascination with what makes a legendary hotel and by the stories embedded in their wall. Because Speaker 2 (2:07) if you want to truly understand a city, you should start with its hotels. In Speaker 1 (2:12) every episode, we'll take you inside some of the world's most iconic and storied hotels. In Speaker 2 (2:17) today's episode, a beautiful accident. one which will turn a craggy island into one of the Caribbean's most iconic and sought-after luxury destinations. Speaker 1 (2:29) St. Barts. There is simply nowhere else on earth quite like it. I was thrilled to be travelling to the Eden Rock Hotel for the podcast, especially because it has been 34 years since I was last here. Speaker 2 (2:41) That's right, you were filming there, weren't you? Exactly. Speaker 1 (2:44) I went with my family, my daughter was just three years old at the time, and it was 1992, so the hotel on island was still very much in their infancy. The place felt like a secret that not quite enough people knew about yet. Speaker 2 (2:57) It's changed rather a lot during that time. Speaker 1 (2:59) True, true. But the one thing that absolutely hasn't is the truly gorgeous views and natural landscapes. I mean, that turquoise water is as relaxing as it was three decades ago. You must have been a fair few times though, Jules. I Speaker 2 (3:14) know it well. There is something about St Bart's that just gets under your skin. And Eden Rock is a big part of that, I think. It's not just a hotel. It's such an experience. Speaker 1 (3:23) I think there is something about the fact that the hotel is so intrinsically linked to the history of the island itself. Eden Rock is one of the places where St Bart's became St Bart's. The version the world recognises now, at least. But let's take you back to the start of that story, shall we? Speaker 2 (3:39) We really should stress the size of this island. Barely 25 square kilometres. I mean, even today, the airport can only accommodate small propeller planes. And happily, the harbour is too small for cruise ships. Speaker 1 (3:52) And so for a long while, the island itself was mostly uninhabited. There's barely any fresh water, difficult to get to, and always has been. It would be incorrect to say it was left empty, though. Indigenous seafarers such as the Taino and Kalinago people, they pass through. They fish here, hunt iguana, gather. It is all part of a whole web of movement across the islands. Speaker 2 (4:16) Until 1493, that is, when Columbus passes through the region on his second voyage and stakes a claim. He names the island after his brother, a skilled cartographer and navigator who frequently assisted Christopher on his voyages. They don't actually settle there, though. For a long time, St Bartholomew is just a dot on the island in a busy, busy sea. Speaker 1 (4:39) All around it, however, the Caribbean is becoming the central focus for the Spanish Empire. Across most islands, indigenous populations completely disappeared under conquest, slavery and disease. Speaker 2 (4:52) It's important to note here how the Spanish are