Villa Sunrise – Luxury Villa in Orient Bay, Sint Maarten

Villa Sunrise sits on the hillside above Orient Bay, angled east so the day opens with the sun coming up over the water and the islands of Pinel, Tintamarre, and St Barths. It is a three-bedroom house, recently refurbished, for couples, a family, or a group of friends.

The design is the reason to book Sunrise. It is furnished with pieces most rentals do not bother with: loungers from Ego Paris and Royal Botania, outdoor seating by Kenneth Cobonpue, interiors by Roberta Schilling, lighting by Terzani, linens from Lacoste. It reads more like a design magazine than a villa listing, and it holds up in person.

The three bedrooms each have a king bed, an en-suite bathroom, and air-conditioning. The third is the one to ask for: it sits a little apart with its own jacuzzi. The open-plan layout runs straight out to the terrace, so the view is part of the living space.

The terrace and pool are the center of the stay, set up to make the most of the hillside and the sunrise. It is a quiet, private perch, with the beach a short drive below.

Orient Bay Beach, with its restaurants and water sports, is a few minutes down the hill. For dinner out, we send guests to La Voile Blanche on the sand. Grand Case is roughly twelve minutes north, and Princess Juliana Airport is around twenty-five minutes by car. A private chef or a dinner reservation can be set up before you get in. At $4,900 a week in low season for all three bedrooms, Sunrise is for guests who notice the Cobonpue chairs and the Roberta Schilling interiors, and who get up early enough to earn the name.