The beginning of my love affair with villas..

You always remember your first..

Being a Luxury Villa Specialist is not an easy job. I can confidently say that it is impossible to be an expert in this business without a passion and respect for luxury villas and their beautiful locales. My understanding and love for Villas began on my first business trip to St. Barts. My assignment: look at the villas, get to know the island, bring home some information and have fun! I landed on the island with my backpack, my new iPhone (an absolute necessity for a traveling business woman such as myself), and some notes from my boss offering advice on where to go in my free time. Travel Keys set me up like one of our guests for the full experience, so, after an incredible 10 minute flight from St. Martin to St. Barts, I stepped off the small Winair plane, smiling ear to ear, arrival documents in hand, and scanned the very small St. Barts airport until I spotted the crew who would assist me in my first St. Barts task- the rental car pick up.  With their help the rental process was a breeze and soon we were off—up and away to my villa in Colombier!

The journey to Villa L Enclos - CLO was quick; I found myself captured by the views, barely able to listen as the airport crew gave me important numbers, a list of restaurants, keys to the villa and other useful information. They asked if I has any questions, “NO” was the fast word out of my mouth and off they went, leaving me with instructions on where to meet early the following morning for my first official day of St. Barts training!
This is a photo I took from the top of Colombier Point before I took the trek down! I highly recommend this trip for those of you who enjoy a hike. Don’t worry it is not too hard, just remember to wear your tennis shoes! Colombier Beach is only accessible by boat or a rugged trail and the 30 minutes of sweating is well worth the secluded, calm and white sand you will find at the end.
In my mind I thought, “Awesome… I will see some cool villas, eat amazing food all day and lay on about 6 different beaches during the week, piece of cake.” My thoughts on the upcoming week were not wrong, just a little less intense than reality. During the week, I spent my days with two incredible and knowledgeable men who turned me into the passionate villa expert I never knew I wanted so badly to be. Villa after villa I fell more in love with what each had to offer and found simple villas just as beautiful as the grand. I began to think like a villa specialist, “Who would this villa work for? What if my guest has $50,000 to spend on a week? What if they had $2,800? Could I just as comfortably put a guest in a villa that cost $3,000 for the week as I could the other? YES!!”

I did not notice at the time, but laying on the beaches and relaxing in restaurants all week had taken a back seat to my new mission: see every beach and restaurant long enough to feel the sand, smell the food, note how it applied to my guests, and move along! With that mission mindset, I set two goals for myself: 1—acquire the most thorough knowledge of luxury villas any person could have (we’ve all got our thing right?) and 2—become an expert on the lovely and inspiring island of St. Barts (the first Island on my long, ever-growing list).
A not so petite view from one of our villas in Petite Saline.
After a week of nonstop villa touring during the day, I felt confident that I had achieved my first goal—newly equipped with the intricate knowledge that can only be gained from five days of 8am-6pm villa touring (trust me), I had transitioned from an office villa consultant to a true villa specialist.

Goal # 2- St. Barts expert, yes please! Of course I wanted to learn as much about St. Barts as possible because so many of our clients choose to travel there, but also, I was personally captivated! It did not take long to understand what all the hype around St. Barts was about. It is everyone’s island! It is known for being for the rich and famous but it was my island too! Laid back and sophisticated? It was true! If someone had told me that I could go on a reasonably priced villa vacation to St. Barts before this experience, I would have laughed. Now, I find myself directing people with a wide range of budgets and interests to St. Barts. Often, my guests act surprised and, ultimately, thrilled to know they can and will go to St. Barts!

For couples, I love to include, Duette - AUM, in my list of recommendations that starts at under $3,000 per week! From this sexy, sleek, and comfortable villa a couple can enjoy privacy but still be able to walk into the beautiful and highly desired town of Saint Jean! For larger groups who are looking for privacy but also want the bustle of the harbor town of Gustavia, I make sure to offer Villa Wickie - WIK, which blew my mind with her every tiny detail. For each guest, I am confident there is a perfect villa- it’s only a matter of investigating, sifting, and finally, discovery! For many people, outlining the location, style, and pricing of our 350 plus St. Barts villas may appear a tedious task, but, it is my job, and I love it.


By now you know that “Villa Specialist” is my title, but I have plans to consult with my leaders about a longer more intense title. I think changing my business card to read, “Luxury Villa Expert and Island Connoisseur” would work for me. I took a trip and fell in love; now I see, feel, and believe in ALL things villa (that may become a T-shirt). What is a villa vacation without respect for the island you will be taking in every morning from your terrace? Only an island with the most breathtaking beauty and some of the greatest gifts nature has to offer could inspire artists (or more likely, millionaires who employ artists) to create these luxurious villas for you to make your home (if only for a week each year) and, of course, for myself to specialize in.