“We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever. It is to create something that will.” Chuck Palahniuk
On November 25, 2024, Executive Director and co-owner of the ever-popular, Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain resorts, Karolin Troubetzkoy, shared this note with her 1745 Facebook followers.
“Yesterday Las Vegas, today Miami, tomorrow London; all to promote the magic of Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain. London, here I come and the bonus of catching up with my husband Nick.”
The note ended with heart emojis signifying her love of her husband of 40 years, Nick Troubetzkoy, SLC, SLMH.” A day later, to everyone’s shock, and I daresay, hers as well, Karolin posted:
“I have no words. I have lost the love of my life, my best friend, my soul mate.”
Then followed a “Troubetzkoy Family Announcement” confirming that Karolin was referring to Nick, who had passed away in his sleep.
Taking a page from St. Thomas, I would call Karolin in forlorn hope that the post I’d read was the work of some wicked hacker, determined to cause her anxiety and grief. Karolin’s heart-wrenching sobs told me much more than I wanted to know. She did not get to see Nick alive. They did not have oysters and wine for dinner as they had planned. Instead, she was plunged into an infinite pool of grief and faced with the weighty task of preparing for Nick’s return to Saint Lucia, where he’d long expressed his wish to be buried. Nick’s wish speaks eloquently about the special place that Saint Lucia occupied in his heart, from the moment he first set foot on the island in the 1970s.
Creative people, especially architects, are inherently unselfish and futuristic. Their primary goal is to leave a legacy that inspires future generations. That intention was very clear when I first met Nick in the mid-1980s. He’d come to see me at the Development Control Authority (DCA) to share his dream of building a resort masterpiece that he called “Jade Mountain.” I recall the twinkles of excitement in his eyes as he described the architectural jewel he had polished in his mind. Having already built the award winning, Anse Chastanet resort, Nick was intensely familiar with the mountainous environment where his Jade would be displayed, the history of the area, how the structure would impact it, and the style that he planned to adopt.
About six years later, as Permanent Secretary in of a freshly minted Ministry of Tourism, I would have the joy and privilege of spending two nights at Anse Chastanet, as part of a familiarization tour of tourism properties in Soufriere, being undertaken by then Tourism Minister, Romanus Lansiquot. At the time of that visit, all that was evident of Nick’s dream resort was the steep mountain that would receive it. However, Anse Chastanet presaged what was in the offing. I found myself immersed in an Eden-like ambience, teeming with vibrant, Nephrite and Jadeite colours—lush green vegetation, yellow, white, imperial green, orange, brown and lavender flowers, complemented by the black, Anse Chastanet beach sand. It was the first time I had stayed in a room with three walls. My initial discomfort was quickly replaced by the realization that this omission was deliberate and was designed to provide uninhibited, panoramic views of the imperious Pitons, nature’s globally acclaimed, tropical masterpieces, from anywhere in the room.
It would take another 20 years before I could fully experience Jade Mountain which was opened in 2007. Happily, my wife was with me, which saved me the embarrassment of trying to describe the indescribable to her.
Jade Mountain is an architectural wonder, fashioned by the interlocking fingers of God and of man, under whose feet God placed all things. It can best be described as a natural cathedral that enthralls, soothes and replenishes one’s soul. In that mindset, the rooms at Jade Mountain are called “sanctuaries. There are no TVs. The only bow to modernity is an irresistible, infinite pool. When immersed in it, one has a surreal feeling of oneness with oneself, with nature and with God. The soothing sound of water as it falls lazily over the lips of the pool, seemingly into the ample bosom of the sea, from which rise the Pitons, like giant circonflexes, titillates the senses into a joyous dance. At every turn during a walk around the property, something new catches the eye, like colourful koi fish darting about with abandon in elongated sanctuaries of their own, and meticulously designed, tree-lined walkways that crisscross each other, conjuring feelings of being on a magic carpet ride.
Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet resorts speak convincingly about Nick Troubetzkoy’s lifetime commitment to organic architecture. Here, he was way ahead of many of his time. He understood the value of healthy and productive environments and ecological conservation. He was a founding member of the Soufriere Development Foundation (SDF) and the Soufriere Marine Management Area (SMMA), which have helped to promote the sustainable use of land and marine resources in Soufriere. Nick, and Karolin too, have received several awards for their work in this area. At the Caribbean Hotel and Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS), held in May 2023, they received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for their contribution to sustainable tourism.
Nick loved Soufriere and its people. They, in turn, appreciated his abiding interest in their welfare and that of their families. Nick had intimate knowledge of family dynamics in the town and supported numerous family events.
As I reflected on Nick’s passing, this quote from the movie, “The Thin Red Line” came to mind. “One man looks at a dying bird and thinks there’s nothing there but unanswered pain. Another man sees the same bird and feels the glory and feels something smiling through it.”
Nick Troubetzkoy’s spirit has taken flight, but he has left behind two glorious masterpieces to smile about.
Rest well Nick. Hold fast to the fond memories Karolin and family.