London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025

A Designer’s 30-Year Love Story With a Caribbean Hotel Results in This Stylishly Updated Getaway

A Designer’s 30-Year Love Story With a Caribbean Hotel Results in This Stylishly Updated Getaway

The founder of Chris Pardo Design creates a midcentury retreat in St. Croix-nearly three decades after becoming enamored with the coastal property as a young child.

For designer and hotelier Chris Pardo, island life has been a dream since childhood. At 12 years old, he became fascinated with the idea of living on a petite body of land surrounded by waves and tropical vegetation. But even at a young age, "island life" meant more to Pardo than white-sand beaches and aquamarine seas. It represented an alternative lifestyle filled with bustling culture, music, and endless sunshine-the latter of which was a major draw for the vitamin D–deprived sun-lover from the Pacific Northwest.



The interiors are swathed in organic hues to allow the surrounding Caribbean landscape to shine.

To satisfy his interest, Pardo’s father recommended that he subscribe to real estate pamphlets by mail. Soon after, Pardo came across a hotel that caught his eye in St. Croix of the U.S. Virgin Islands. He wrote a three-page business plan with "lots of decorative borders" that included a general description of the U.S. Virgin Islands, an excerpted paragraph from a St. Croix travel book, a cut-and-pasted image of the hotel, and a rudimentary budget. And so began Pardo’s 30-year journey of making the hotel his own.



The hotel bedrooms are outfitted with rustic furnishings and woven decor.

"I was captivated by [’80s] movies like Club Paradise and Water, and the book Don’t Stop the Carnival by Herman Wouk," explains Pardo. "I loved the history, culture, and musical influences of the Caribbean as a whole, and I also had an interest in French Polynesia. The idea of living in a tropical climate, listening to reggae or calypso, and running a little hotel sounded very appealing to me-even at that age," he continues.



Designer and hotelier Chris Pardo was inspired by movies such as Club Paradise (1986) and Water (1985), as well as the book Don’t Stop the Carnival by Herman Wouk (Doubleday, 1964).

Luckily, Pardo had the proper foundation and mindset to accomplish his goal. With a father who worked as a general manager at a lumber and logging company (and had a personal passion for looking at real estate), and two parents who built the home he grew up in, it’s no wonder Pardo developed an eye for design. He went on to receive an undergraduate degree in hotel management and completed an accredited M.Arch program.



Various suites feature remodeled kitchenettes, which were opened up from traditional peninsulas to include floating bars with seating.

Before Pardo turned 30, he established an eponymous architecture and design firm and also launched the U.S.-based Arrive Hotels. All the while, Pardo was "stalking" the St. Croix hotel he wanted, becoming familiar with the property and even staying there as a guest periodically over the last 20 years. In 2018, Pardo was finally able to purchase the hotel along with another property-the Waves at Cane Bay, which was originally built in 1956 on the site of a dynamited grotto.



Oceanside patio seating makes for an ideal space to enjoy a seafood dish or a craft cocktail.

Despite having briefly stayed in the hotel rooms during previous trips, this was the first time Pardo was able to evaluate the structure, which unfolded in what he describes as a "pretty organic" process. Building in paradise, however, came with its challenges, which Pardo says were constant. The construction team would sometimes run out of water, lose power, or not be able to find the material they needed. "It was a quick and harsh learning curve," Pardo says. The property now contains eleven suites, two bars, and a sustainable seafood restaurant. While the Waves at Cane Bay renovation was completed in March 2021, the designer and hotelier says he is "still working on the larger remodel."



The hotel restaurant, Ama, exudes a sensual air with dark walls and wood ceilings.

"I wanted the hotel to be a respite from full days out in the sun," says Pardo, who describes the scenic destination as a place where travelers can spend their days lounging on the beach, or swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving amid coral reefs. The concept was to hone in on the hotel’s surrounding environment, using soft and soothing natural tones to permeate the spaces and accentuate the natural beauty of the landscape. The exterior, too, was designed to fade into the background-but there were elements of the space that Pardo wanted to maintain, paying homage to the previous incarnation.



Natural stone walls create protective barriers around the hotel.

"There was a breathtaking draw from the grotto and natural stone walls," Pardo says. "By choosing black for the building’s body, we were able to really accentuate the stonework." The existing hotel-which was reminiscent of a standard beach house with tiled floors and practical furnishings-included various additions from throughout the years, such as solid louver windows, arches, railings, and trellises.



Outside the restaurant, a neutral palette unfolds from the seating to the stone floors.

"The first course of action was to strip down the buildings and relieve them of these added components, allowing the structure of the building to be perceived," Pardo says. "One of the largest impacts, in my opinion, was the addition of the mahogany windows, which replaced the old solid louvers. For the first time, guests can fully enjoy the beauty and natural light."



A spacious deck with geometric tiles opens up from the guest rooms and overlooks the ocean.

The updated property’s overall style takes on one of Pardo’s favorites-midcentury-with various spaces that incorporate textured walls and mood lighting throughout. "To me, midcentury really illustrates a harmonious balance between form and function," Pardo explains. "The principles of natural light, open spaces, and an indoor/outdoor connection are timeless."

Now, the Waves at Cane Bay takes on a welcoming demeanor with rustic wood furnishings, woven decor, and bamboo and lattice accents. The boutique hotel exudes the air of a place that you’d stumble upon while strolling the beach and be so smitten by the sustainable seafood, craft cocktails, and contemporary decor that you’d decide to stay the night to do it all again.



The guest room kitchenettes previously featured tiled countertops in a semi-enclosed space.



Before the remodel, the dining area exhibited an entirely different feel with arched windows painted in shades of pale yellow and blue.



Chris Pardo Design transformed the Waves at Cane Bay guest rooms for the recent remodel.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
×