Stylish, scenic and spacious, Villa Olive manages to dazzle while still merging subtly with the surrounding verdant hillside. Overlooking peaks, St Jean Bay – whose restaurants and bars are colourfully lit at night – and the azure ocean, it is a collection of linked pavilions concocted by François Pécard, St Bart’s pre-eminent villa architect. Nestled on the same large, gated estate are similarly indulgent Villa Rose and Villa Jasmine, and all three can be rented collectively to accommodate groups as large as 24.

Very much outdoor-meets-indoor, Pécard’s design has Olive’s main pavilion divided into two wings by a central, open foyer. Those include a top-notch kitchen next to the group dining table, allowing families – or hired chefs – to chat as they cook. Outside, a pale teak deck, partially shaded by two palm trees, sprawls around the 23-metre infinity pool. Passing cacti and rock gardens, timber walkways lead the way to four huge bedrooms: each in their own, private pavilion, and each boasting double showers and a gazebo for lounging.

English interior whizz Catherine Pawson is behind the soothing, minimal design: think white weatherboard walls, airy pitched roofs, elegant Christian Liaigre furniture and pretty glassware. Sunlight pours in, and a feeling of expansiveness pervades. All the same, you’ll want to explore: Gouverneur’s white-sand cove and the longer Saline Beach are only a few minutes’ drive away, as is the small, seaside capital of Gustavia.