A luxury hotel owned by the parents of Pippa Middleton’s husband James Matthews has been left in ruins after being ravaged by Hurricane Irma.
Eden Rock Hotel on St Barthelemy – a hotspot for celebrities including Tom Hanks, Jessica Alba and Jennifer Lopez – was pictured today strewn with rubble after a devastating encounter with the storm, which has left ten people dead.
Describing the scene at the hotel, where rooms start at £777 a night, one witness wrote on Twitter, ‘all that’s left is rock’.
Eden Rock Hotel on St Barthelemy – a hotspot for celebrities including Tom Hanks, Jessica Alba and Jennifer Lopez – was pictured today in ruins after it was struck by Hurricane Irma
Describing the scene at the hotel, where rooms start at £777 a night and which is pictured before the devastation, one witness wrote on Twitter, ‘all that’s left is rock’
David and Jane Matthews moved to St Barts in September 1995 after purchasing Eden Rock from local adventurer Rémy de Haenen.
It quickly became one of the Middleton family’s favourite holiday spots, with Pippa and James spotted relaxing there on numerous occasions.
Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews is also a fan of the resort, and has been seen visiting it with friends and girlfriends.
The hotel was the first to be built on St Barts, in 1950.
It quickly pulled in celebrities, and was visited in the 50s and 60s by guests including the Rothschild and Rockefeller families.
Hurricane Irma, at category 5, is the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic.
Eden Rock became one of the Middleton family’s favourite holiday spots, with Pippa and James spotted relaxing there on numerous occasions. Pictured is David and James Matthews, left, and James with Pippa Middleton, right
Hurricane Irma, at category 5, is the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic and devastated the hotel, pictured
Describing the scene at the hotel, where rooms start at £777 a night, one witness wrote on Twitter, ‘all that’s left is rock’
It left a trail of deadly devastation through the Caribbean when it struck on Wednesday
Barbuda and St Martin, next to St Barts, suffered the storm’s full fury with roughly 95 per cent of properties destroyed on both islands.
Officials said at least ten people died on the French part of St Martin – a pristine resort known for its vibrant nightlife.
Speaking on French radio France Info, Gerard Collomb said the death toll in Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthelemy could be higher because rescue teams have yet to finish their inspection of the islands.
Some 95 per cent of St Martin has been destroyed. ‘It is an enormous disaster, 95 percent of the island is destroyed, I am in shock,’ Daniel Gibbs, chairman of a local council on Saint Martin, told Radio Caribbean International.
Hurricane Irma left a trail of deadly devastation through the Caribbean when it struck on Wednesday. Pictured: The scene at Eden Rock