Worth Traveling For
Guanahani translates to “welcome” in Arawak, and that’s exactly how you’ll feel taking your first step onto this Caribbean stunner. Set on a quieter stretch of party-centric St. Barth, Rosewood Le Guanahani works wonders for R&R and romance alike, but is also family friendly when it’s time to bring the little ones.
Le Guanahani is more laid back than the showier properties on the island. Take a deep breath; there’s no need to play into the see-and-be-seen crowd here. Staff are friendly and approachable, other guests lean in the same direction, and you don’t need to dress for the catwalk or the club just to meander down to breakfast in the morning. Feel free to toss the extensive plan or to-do list into the trash bin. This resort is an ideal place — and idyllic setting — to simply wake up, open the shades, and see where the day takes you. While the property is turning 40 in 2026 after originally opening as Le Guanahani in 1986, it’s been part of the Rosewood portfolio since the 2021-2022 winter season.
Hotel Highlights
Rosewood Le Guanahani calls a small peninsula home, with beach access on two sides, Anse de Grand Cul De Sac and Anse Marechal. Only a small sliver of sand separates the two, but it’s here that you’ll find the resort’s central hub. This includes the all-day Beach House restaurant where Mediterranean and Caribbean flavors merge, as well as the Bar Mélangé cocktail bar, where there’s no need to settle for overly sweet island drinks. There’s also an infinity pool and deck perched atop the sand, and ample rows of beach lounge chairs.
With 18 acres of property and 66 rooms, Rosewood Le Guanahani qualifies as the largest resort on the always chic yet oh-so-small St. Barth. Consider that beyond private villa rentals, there are only 450 hotel rooms to be found across the entire island.
Accommodations here include rooms and suites, the latter of which are more akin to brightly colored Caribbean cottages, with exteriors painted in pastel shades of yellow, turquoise, and lavender. Inside, expect pops of color and geometric-patterned carpets playing off dark wood flooring and white-washed ceilings, along with mosaic-tiled bathrooms. From one room to another, the star of the show is found outside, though, whether in the form of an ample back terrace with sweeping vistas, a private pool deck, verdant gardens, or discrete access straight to the beach.
The hotel’s spa enclave is home to a fitness center, as well as a small adults-only pool area. Treatment rooms offer sensational ocean views of their own, and facilities include a co-ed sauna.
Rooms & Experience
Rooms range from 400 to 535 square feet, while suites can extend up to about 2,000 square feet, including multi-bedroom options.
Accommodations are scattered across the grounds, with a wooden deck walkway leading down from the open-air lobby and curving along a lush pathway dotted by sculptures and meandering tortoises — and then heading down a short hill to the beachfront. Rooms located higher up offer a more expansive showcase of the cerulean water below, though those closer to the beach have more direct toes-in-the-sand access. On-demand buggy service is available to get guests down to the beach and back, as well.
Be sure to grab complimentary snorkeling gear and wade straight into the lagoon, a protective shelter for the area’s sea turtles. Within moments of my first swim and a mere 200 feet from the shore, I came upon a sea grass-grazing turtle, and spent the next chunk of the morning on a languid float along the current with my new friend.
What to Know Before You Book
Signature suites are named rather than numbered, so perhaps the Bougainvillea Suite or the Garden House is calling, with each offering space for up to seven guests along with a private pool.
As with most properties on the island, Rosewood Le Guanahani closes for two months during storm season from about mid-August through the end of October. November is prized as a short shoulder season before the peak busy stretch of December and January. Not that St. Barth needs an excuse to party, but the regatta in March is yet another worthy excuse to do so.
Most hopper flights connect via Sint Maarten’s SXM airport, though service from Puerto Rico and elsewhere is also available, as are ferries and private boat transfers from neighboring islands.
Address: Grand Cul-de-Sac, 97133 St. Barthelemy.
Closest Airport: 15 minutes.
Feature image courtesy of Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth. Travel Curator may earn a commission from product or booking links on this page.
