Country Inn: Iris Pompier's Six-Room Statia Hideaway
A family-run guesthouse where roaming goats and home-cooked breakfast set the pace on Statia.
Why Go
Just off the runway of F.D. Roosevelt Airport, tucked behind a tropical garden on Passion Fruit Road, Country Inn is the kind of place where the owner, Mrs. Iris Pompier, remembers your coffee order by day two. Six air-conditioned rooms, a cheery breakfast nook, and a hammock-friendly garden make this one of Statia's most authentically Caribbean stays — closer to visiting family in Concordia than checking into a hotel.
The Experience
Country Inn is small and unfussy on purpose. Six spotless rooms open onto a garden thick with hibiscus and passion fruit vines, with cable TV, a mini-fridge, hot-water showers, and Wi-Fi that works best on the porch. Chickens and the occasional goat wander through, and the breeze off Zeelandia Bay does most of the cooling in the evening. Mornings begin in the sunlit breakfast room with Iris's eggs, ham, cheese, toast, and strong local coffee; dinner is available on request and worth booking, especially if you have dietary preferences she can plan around. It's a five-minute stroll from the runway and a 15-to-20-minute walk downhill into Oranjestad's Upper Town — close enough to skip the taxi, quiet enough to actually hear the tree frogs at night.
What to Try
Book Iris's home-cooked dinner at least a day ahead — $20 for a full plate, drinks, and dessert eaten in the garden as the sun drops behind the Quill. Ask about vegetarian or local Statian dishes; she'll happily adjust. In the morning, take your coffee out to the garden bench with a view down toward Zeelandia Bay before heading out for a dive or a hike.
Insider Tip
Bring cash — Country Inn does not take credit cards, and Statia's ATMs occasionally run dry, so pull euros or USD before you land. Also request a room away from the road side for the quietest sleep, and mention arrival time so Iris can leave the gate open; she runs the place herself and doesn't keep a 24-hour reception.
The Practical Stuff
Address: 3 Passion Fruit Road, Concordia, Oranjestad, St. Eustatius (Caribbean Netherlands). Six rooms, all with AC, fridge, TV (~40 channels), hot-water shower, and Wi-Fi (strongest in common areas). Breakfast ~$10 pp, dinner ~$20 pp, both on request. Cash only — no credit cards. ~5–8 min walk to F.D. Roosevelt Airport, ~15–20 min walk to Oranjestad town center; car rental recommended if you plan to dive or hike The Quill daily. Owner/host: Mrs. Iris Pompier.
Pair It With
- Aquarium Dive Site — One of Statia's signature reef dives — an easy day trip when you're basing yourself at a small guesthouse without an on-site dive shop.
- Antillean Horde Car Rental Guide — Country Inn has no shuttle or on-site transport, so a rental is the simplest way to reach The Quill trailhead, dive shops in Lower Town, and Zeelandia Bay.
- Baby Beach Guide — A quiet swimming spot to unwind between dives — pairs naturally with the slow, low-key rhythm of staying at Country Inn.
- Alvin V. Courtar Park — A short walk from the inn for an evening stroll or to catch a local ball game and see Oranjestad life beyond the tourist track.
