Le Domaine Saint Aubin

Le Domaine Saint Aubin Review

This former estate is perched on a verdant hilltop with a breathtaking view overlooking the Atlantic. An interesting Parisian couple returned to the husband's homeland and lovingly restored the family's 19th-century Creole plantation house, starting with six simple guest rooms opening onto a wraparound verandah. This hôtel de charme then bravely expanded to 30 rooms while maintaining the colonial ambience. Nineteen rooms are housed in newly constructed or completely renovated freestanding cottages on a knoll overlooking the main entrance of the Louisiana-style greathouse. The newer rooms have some antiques and more style. Seven rooms (five doubles and two bi-level "quadruples") have been carved out of the original stables, and three four-room lodges, built in the same Louisiana-style architecture, house a fitness room and a conference room. Built in 2009 are the best yet—six huge, two-bedroom flats, with four-poster beds and fashionable lighting from Spain. A media room with a wide-screen plasma TV is a most welcome addition, as there are no TVs in the rooms, nor are there phones—but there is Wi-Fi, sometimes. The restaurant is elegant, furnished with mahogany period antiques, vintage photos, and chandeliers. It has a fixed-price dinner menu (€40), and non-guests are welcome with an advanced reservation. Joelle is a gourmet chef, so expect mains such as sea bass on spinach puree, fresh vegetables from the garden, and perhaps a coconut-and-guava tartin.