Here's hoping that new ownership by international luxury-goods conglomerate Louis Vuitton will not deep freeze the genuinely warm Isle de France welcome and gracious service from one of the top staffs in Caribbean hoteldom. This award-winning accommodation is a hymn to St. Barts' particular style of unstuffy elegance, and we hope it stays that way. The hotel is wonderful in every way, including location: It opens up onto the blinding white sands of Flamands Beach. The resort's main building, site of the ivory-hued reception area, restaurant, and hotel pool, has nine luxuriously outfitted (adults-only) beach rooms, each with its own patio or terrace facing the shore. The four one-bedroom beach suites are breathtakingly massive, each with its own infinity plunge pool, fully equipped kitchen, and big stone bathtub. The two 4,300-sq.-ft. three-bedroom Flamands villas feel like home, if home has been "done" by a world-renowned English designer in crisp eggshell pastels and kitted out with a screening room, serious artworks, and a private pool overlooking the beach. And we know it's heresy to say at a resort known for its beachside beauty, but we are smitten with the fairy-tale charm of the garden bungalows, nestled in tropical gardens of banana trees, palms, and bougainvillea. La Case de l'Isle is a chic beachside boîte, and the resort's Isle de France Spa, created by Molton Brown, is easily one of St. Barts' top spas.