Château Sainte-Croix transforms an emblematic castle into an event venue and luxury rental | Company

Entrepreneur John Alexander has big plans for Sainte-Croix. With the acquisition of Tamarind Reef Resort and Marina, Pyramid House and now Castle St. Croix, Alexander and his wife Andrea want to put St. Croix on the map as a premium vacation destination.

John Alexander is a fourth generation crucian. Although he and his family moved to Idaho when he was a child, he returned frequently for family visits. With a successful career in technology, mortgage, banking and construction, Alexander found his way back in 2021.

“I was able to acquire a few businesses to come back to and my goal and intention is to revive them,” he said. “Places like Tamarind Reef Resort and Marina, which was run down. I worked with a lot of people who were already employees there and others to get it back.

Alexander also renovated the island’s famous Pyramid property, which once featured on the cover of Architectural Digest, which he acquired and reopened in November 2020.

“When we bought it, there were a lot of delays in closing and we had 46 days to renovate it, including plumbing, electrics, brand new kitchen, new sewage system,” a- he declared. “We had over 26 team members on this property working feverishly. The couple who rented it for their 50th wedding anniversary with 22 family members stopped as our last truckload of building materials left. The quality of work of our local masons, roofers, carpenters and finish carpenters has been highly recognized, so we are delighted and delighted to have our crew and team, and we will continue to strengthen and support the workforce of Sainte-Croix. .”

Principal Director of Calabash Real Estate, Alexander was able to purchase the iconic Contessa Castle in St. Bulgarian Countess Nadia de Navarro-Farber, sits on a 104-acre property that stretches to the sea.

Growing up, Alexander remembers seeing the castle under construction, but never had the chance to visit the exclusive grounds. It’s a property he’s been watching for years.

Renamed Chateau Sainte-Croix, the elaborate property has been completely renovated for use as a vacation rental and event venue.

“The castle is what you would class as an elaborate Airbnb,” Alexander said. “It is a residence, but one that has been set aside and focused on giving back to people in the community of Sainte-Croix. That’s our big thing, trying to get St. Croix and all of the Virgin Islands recognized as a really good, upscale place to come and vacation and have weddings and events like that. We really have a lot to offer and we will be advertising and marketing internationally. We want to bring notoriety and awareness of what Sainte-Croix has to offer the world. As a lifelong Crucian in love with my home island, this is an opportunity to give back and really set the place apart and try to grow it.

Andrea Alexander, top interior designer, took charge of the design of the property, including the castle and other structures, which are now individual villas, modernized and refreshed, while remaining faithful to the original design, which, in the final layout, will sleep 31 guests. All of the artwork, painted by local artist Barbara Geraldi, remained.

“What we’re doing is taking the existing homes on the property and they’re getting a full renovation, additions, whatever we can do to extend them to the level of luxury that we’re looking for,” Andrea Alexander said. “As the interior designer of the castle itself, I tried to focus on the integrity that the castle brings. It has been an emblematic place in Sainte-Croix for years, so I did not want remove the original design, but we wanted to make sure that these designs were not only updated but made multi-functional. We wanted it to be a place where people can come for a wedding or a jazz series, or a family can rent everything the resort for a meeting or vacation.The final plan will come with a Contessa package which will include maids, maids, concierge service, chauffeur service, everything you would need for a luxury rental property top of the line.

Part of the property is commercially zoned, and John Alexander is considering a number of ideas to meet the needs of people living in the East End, such as an upmarket grocery store and an urgent care facility.

“Our great effort is to pay it forward and give thanks for what we have received,” said John Alexander. “That’s what we’re focused on and hope we can continue to promote the quality of life we ​​have here in Sainte-Croix.

One way they are showcasing Castle St. Croix is ​​with the upcoming Jazz at the Castle concert series, in conjunction with the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts, taking place January 13-15. The series will include jazz artists such as Lauren Henderson, Grammy-winning musician Joanie Leeds, Charu Suri, Oren Levine and Pascale Grasso, as well as local talent, with a meet and greet, gala, jazz brunch and family day. free. For more information, visit cmcarts.org. To learn more about Château Sainte-Croix, visit ChâteauSTX.com.