Villa Atlantis, Cap Estate, St. Lucia

The road to Atlantis winds up through Cap Estate, around the property's tall and sturdy, natural stone retaining wall to its gated entrance on top of a hill overlooking some of the best views in Saint Lucia. The sloping parkland around the villa is beautifully manicured, with many well established trees and tropical shrubs, low-walled planters and a carefully tended kitchen garden springing into bounty after years of green-fingered care. 

The curved driveway leads to a generous parking area, and the impressive but welcoming entrance, with its elegant coral stone staircase framed by an arched portico and stately double doors. The single storey villa's walls are built from natural local stone, and the arch motif is repeated throughout the exterior and interior, including the stylish but eminently functional solid wod windows whose shape exactly echo the architectural detail. Atlantis is a unique property in many ways, and the villa's recent clever, high end upgrade has resulted in a crisp, modern look with an historic, old Caribbean feel. 

Step inside, and the 8,000 square foot home beckons in all directions. Through double doors in the west wing is the master suite and guest bedrooms lie to the right of the entrance in the east wing, but the immediate centre of attention is the indoor gated courtyard, with its soothing water feature and deep koi pond open to the blue sky above, a surprisingly Italianate feature in this Saint Lucian family home, throwing light and air throughout the adjacent great room and casual living area. 

The living space has two areas, the formal lounge looks onto the villa's capacious wrap-around verandah and pool deck, through tall, wide French windows which echo the arched style of the entrance. The interior walls are beautiful, textural mixture of coral stone and natural local stone, its silvery grey tones contrasting with the high vaulted, dark stained ceiling, an original feature which was hand-crafted from beautifully finished natural wood. A casual-style TV den lies to the right of the main living space, and the kitchen and formal dining room open up to the left. 

From crisp white cabientry and modern fixtures to granite countertops and state of the art appliances, the family kitchen at Atlantis is spacious enough for casual dining, and impressively appointed for entertaining. It leads to the formal dining room, with is solid wood, refectory style table and seating room for eight to twelve. 

Through every arched window of Atlantis there is a breathtaking panorama, and a step through any one of the French windows reveals some of the villa's extensive views. The outdoor living area is a seamless extension of indoors, with comfortable areas for relaxing and dining, and access tot he 60' infinity pool with its bird's eye vantage of the hills and golf course below. To the west, the panorama extends from Mount Pimard and Rodney Bay to Pigeon Island, with Martinique sometimes visible on the horizon. To the east, the wraparound verandah peeks towards the Atlantic off Cas En Bas Bay: all around the property, balmy breezes and shady corners keep the indoor and outdoor spaces cool all day long. 

The Master suite is a private retreat which includes a luxuriously designed spa bathroom with high, vaulted ceilings, a double vanity, lots of counter space, an oversized bathtub and wet room-style shower. The large bedroom is flanked with built-in storage on one wall, with double-arched glass doors and windows shedding light and cooling breeze from two sides of the room. The highly polished, dark wood floors echo the artisinal vaulted wood ceiling, one of many original architectural features in the home. The view from the Juliet balcony expands over the green surroundings of Cap Estate to the Caribbean seascape and horizon, adding to the 'top of the world' yet secluded feel of the suite. 

Several guest and/or children's bedrooms are laid out in an interlocking floor plan off a beautiful indoor/outdoor atrium to the right of the courtyard. Cathedral ceilings and lots of arched windows ensure every bedroom is bright and airy; two bedrooms have en suites while a Jack-and-Jill bathroom is shared between two of the rooms. There is also a guest suite off the main hallway of the villa, taking the accommodation to 6-7 bedrooms. 

Atlantis is a unique and impressive property, sprawling and spacious, but with a warm and welcoming family ambiance, and a layout designed for entertaining. Through throughful and detailed renovations, the house offers an attractive blend of historical Saint Lucian style with modern European upgrades and intelligent design with particular focus on the Caribbean outdor lifestyle; the villa is luxuriously furnished throughout, with an eclectic, elegant aesthetic which touches on whimsical shabby chic in some spaces. Perched on top of its hilltop vantage point, secluded and private but within 10 minutes drive of the amenities and attractions of Rodney Bay, the villa Atlantis offers a spectacular tropical lifestyle and some of the best real estate in Saint Lucia.