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Imagine a luxury rental service that offers you the most beautiful, luxurious and impressive homes, across the Caribbean for rent – and then imagine that service wrapped with services that make your stay seamless and effortless, in every way. That is what you’ll find at the core of luxury villa rental service, WIMCO. And, with the Caribbean, namely St. Martin and St. Barths, back in action after the devastating hurricane that blew through in 2017, now’s the time to explore what they have to offer.
I recently worked with WIMCO and their portfolio of properties for a stay on the idyllic island of St. Barths. WIMCO suggested the stunning Villa Fleur de Cactus for my stay, which was chosen by them from their extensive collection of properties. I’ve been to St. Barths many times, but this was my first time back to the island after the hurricane. Upon securing my rental, I was emailed by my dedicated concierge to welcome me to the WIMCO family, and to secure my preferences for my arrival.
WIMCO was very organized throughout the process. I was emailed a preference form, which helped the team on the island get my thoughts on how I’d like the villa to “be” upon my arrival. The concierge offered to do some pre-arrival shopping for me, which included stocking the refrigerator with breakfast items, water, wine, champagne and anything else I wanted.
The day I arrived, I flew from St. Maarten to St. Barths’ small and convenient airport on St. Barths Commuter. The airline is my favorite for their fast check-in at Princess Juliana Airport, excellent service and quick seven-minute flight from island to island. I was met by my WIMCO concierge at the airport who was holding a sign with my name. He quickly helped me with my bags and led me to the Hertz car rental kiosk at the airport to assist me with my car rental. With each villa rental through WIMCO, guests are provided a car rental as part of the experience – which is needed on the island.
We quickly collected the car and I followed my concierge up the hill and away from Gustavia. Perched on a hill with views of the sea that seemed to never end, I walked into Villa Fleur de Cactus and was knocked over by what I saw. Spacious, grand, elegant yet comfortable – this villa was the perfect home base to explore the island and celebrate the recovery from the hurricane that took nearly a year to achieve.
Spread over two floors, Villa Fleur de Cactus offered three huge bedrooms – two on the entry (top) floor and one on the lower floor. Each bedroom has unobstructed views of the island and Caribbean, massive bathrooms, ample closets and the coziest of beds.
The bathrooms in the bedrooms are my absolute favorite with their sexy glass-walled showers, hidden corners and mood lighting.
But, as much as the house impresses on the inside with the whitewashed furnishings, chef’s kitchen and bar area – the outside living area is what really takes the cake.
Stepping outside you’ll find balconies, living rooms and dining tables – perfect for family dinners, entertaining and more. Throughout my stay, my WIMCO concierge checked on me through WhatsApp. He offered to deliver more groceries, make dinner reservations and even help me gain entry into the island’s most exclusive night spots.
My favorite part of the outside living space at Villa Fleur de Cactus was the built-in bar, located next to the pool. You can swim right up to the bar and enjoy a cocktail in the shade of the overhang, never taking your swim suit off and peering over the hills and sea.
St. Barths went through a recovery period that saw the closure of most hotels and eateries on the island. It took months to rebuild and months to restore what was damaged. With the help of the community and international friends of the island, St. Barths saw a successful cleanup and is now ready for guests. Basing yourself in a villa through WIMCO allows you to enjoy the island from the comfort of your own home, while exploring all the places people have grown to love. You can stop for lunch at Shellona Beach, grab a delicious piece of coconut cake from Maya’s To Go and take-in a show in the evening at Le Ti.
WIMCO offers properties on islands such as Turks and Caicos, St. John, St. Barths and more. They also offer impressive places in Europe and North America.
What makes the biggest impression renting through WIMCO is the attention to detail and how easy everything is. All of your needs and wants are a quick phone call a way – someone with show-up to fix a problem, show you where a light switch is or help you make plans to be sure your trip as fun as it can be. You won’t find a better villa rental service on the island.
