Barefoot luxury in Taha’a.
When Jeannette Spits’ three children were fully grown, she found herself able to pursue the kind of barefoot lifestyle that she had always dreamed of, sailing to French Polynesia to find her new place in the world and build her dream home.
At one with nature
Finding that many of islands offered luxury hotels, over water villas or family guesthouses, Spits wanted to create an experience specifically for travellers like herself. A place that offered the luxury of seclusion without compromising on style. She found an architect who was able to rebuild from the ground-up, according to the principals of a typical Polynesian build. Complete with soaring beamed ceilings, hammocks, thatched roofs and terraces facing west, Sirius Escape is nestled within tropical gardens, framed by palm and coconut trees. Jeannette herself even designed the hardwood bed frames, coffee tables, worktops and clothes rails, which are all made from hand-hewn trees gathered on the island, as well the Swiss Family Robinson-luxe staircase, constructed from rope and wood.
Once in a lifetime travel experiences
Jeanette has now launched her dream dwelling as a private rental and is already curating the kind of once-in-a-lifetime experiences that money can’t buy. After serving-up a killer breakfast, she will offer a variety of adventures for her guests, guided or captained by local experts with unrivalled knowledge of Taha’a and nearby islands.
Desert island dreams
As part of the package, Jeannette will arrange the transfer from the airport via a water taxi, allowing her guests to absorb the sights, sounds and scents of the lagoon along the way. A jeep, bicycles, scooters, paddle boards, kayaks and snorkelling equipment are also available as part of the optional package for self-powered discovery. An island-hop-of-a-lifetime, Taha’a is the only society island without an airport, so visitors will find themselves on a virtually secluded island, away from the obvious tourism trails. As Spits herself attests, this is real French Polynesia, where guests can expect privacy, barefoot luxury, instagrammable sunsets and beauty in a league of its own.