Villa Pinel

Villa Pinel is a one-bedroom bungalow in the hills of Les Jardins de la Baie Orientale, above Orient Bay on the French side. Sixty square meters, one terrace, and a view that runs from Pinel Island across the bay to St Barths on the horizon. For two, sixty square meters is all it needs to be.

The layout is simple: a lounge and open kitchen in front, the bedroom with its en-suite behind, and big windows that keep the sea in the frame from almost anywhere. Nothing here needs explaining: you drop your bags and you're on the terrace within a minute.

That terrace is the villa. The bungalow faces east, so sunrise comes up over Pinel Island with your morning coffee. Afternoons the trade winds keep it cool; evenings you watch the water shift color.

Orient Beach, with its two miles of sand, beach clubs, and calm water, is about a 5-minute drive downhill. The little ferry to Pinel Island leaves from Cul de Sac, about 7 minutes away, and the restaurants of Grand Case are roughly 12 minutes north; for a dinner down on Orient Beach, KKO is the Santorini-style beach club to pick. Princess Juliana Airport is around 25 minutes by car.

At $1,200 a week in low season, Villa Pinel is one of the least expensive villas in our collection, and for honeymooners or couples marking an anniversary, that math is hard to argue with. Traveling with another couple? Its twin bungalow, Villa Tintamarre, sits next door and shares the same view; together they make a private two-bedroom compound. For the first morning we can have the fridge stocked and the little ferry across to Pinel arranged.

Most guests plan one dinner out per day and skip the rest. The terrace wins.