& More 2015
Hunting wild pearls requires great skill,
with the most precious lying in deep and dangerous waters.
Yet in Barbados, there is one fascinating pearl that sleeps
right on the seashore, a villa named “Footprints”.
B
ob Monkhouse was a famous comedian who brought
chuckles to Brit radio, TV and the big screen for over
40 years. But in his later years he brought his gags and
goofs to Barbados with a serio u s inve st ment in a
holiday home on the West Coast . The prop erty at t h e time
was a Spanish style bui ld ing separate d into a pair of
apart ments and was truthfully a sandy grain of the refined
jewel it stands as today. Called “Footprints”, it is a 5 bedroom,
5 bathroom installation across four floors, a 12,000 sq ft chunk
of only the best beach front property that money can buy. We are
talking about the Platinum Coast of the most easterly island in
the Antilles, here, you’re so deeply embedded in heaven that a
stone’s throw might knock God’s window.
“Footprints”, with modern décor and white on white on
white, is definitely worth a peep. But if you try to sneak your
peep from the outside, you’ll be terribly disappointed. Had we
been in 1714, many a groggy buccaneer would float right by
without ever catching an inkling of the treasure they’d passed.
These days the buccaneers zip by on jet skis, catamarans and
glass bottom boats, but from the open horizon they’re equally
oblivious to the wild pearl nestled on the white sand beach, its
entrance concealed by sea grape shrubs, palm fronds and other
indigenous flora.
In fact, with dandelion cushions on the sofa, the media and
entertainment room is the only place where Kelly allowed a
change from the taupe and white code. It ’s refreshing to
experience an interior so au naturel, devoid of the tacky eye
burning colour of tropical hotels and stripped of any crude
landscapes on the walls, but rather enhanced with minimal
accessories like organic sea shells on the counter tops, genuine
corals asleep in sand from the Crane, and beach pebbles
gently manicured into the flooring.
Designed by Jeremy Gunn, a Vincentian born, detail oriented
architect, you really must crack the shell to see all the good stuff
inside. Gunn’s repertoire includes luxury hotels, dining concepts
and bars across the Caribbean and Europe.
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