Elite Traveler Winter 2021

INFLUENCE A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... by Sophie Killip

A day in the life of... Nick Troubetzkoy

Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain are some of the finest resorts in the Caribbean — the embodiment of biophilic architecture, working in harmony with the tropical rainforest without compromising on five-star luxury. In fact, Anse Chastanet is one of the first eco- resorts in the world. For founder/owner Nick Troubetzkoy, the resorts are the crown of his life’s work. He speaks to Sophie Killip about life in St Lucia and beyond

This image Jade Mountain Left Nick Troubetzkoy

The first thing I do is... I start my day with a triple espresso, having finally moved from using an old-fashioned filter coffee system to an illy espresso machine. Most mornings, I like to spend some time studying various online magazines and websites, as well as browsing the latest news, most notably, the New York Times website. Meetings (many of which have now moved online to Zoom) take up much of my day-to-day life; these are mostly related to the operation of Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain, including architectural planning and future development. Given the current climate and the pandemic, on a typical workday you’d mostly find me at my home office. However, my wife and I do like to make regular appearances at the resort to meet with managers, staff and guests. In my downtime, I have a lot of interests — design, architecture and the fine arts. I’m forever on the lookout for interesting books, both fiction and nonfiction. I prefer to read printed versions, but will happily read a good thriller on my tablet! I also recently bought a large collection of Taschen books, which cover a number of interesting topics. I’ve always appreciated good photography and the way these coffee-table books are laid out.

“I wanted to create a cornucopia of organic architecture”