Worth a Drive

Just like an oyster producing a pearl, the oyster industry in Mississippi gave the town of Bay St. Louis the Pearl Hotel.

In 1959, Joseph Eloi Cure started Bayou Caddy Fisheries, a wholesale oyster business in Mississippi, with just one boat. Over the years, the business grew to include the second generation of four children now running it, and many of the eight grandchildren working there, as well. The Cure family decided to diversify into hotel ownership in 2020. Not taking an easy route, they built the hotel from the ground up. Their parents and grandparents built Bayou Caddy Fisheries with blood, sweat and tears, and it took the same to get the Pearl Hotel opened.

The façade of the hotel is striking, with four floors of balconies providing spaces for the guests to sit and enjoy the sunset views. The hotel has become the centerpiece of the town and can be seen from the harbor that sits in front of it in the bay.

The Pearl’s lobby sets the tone for the hotel. From the moment you step inside from Main Street, you are struck by the elegant design. This is where I sat down with Sarah Cure to discuss the hotel and the history associated with it. Sarah is the hotel manager and great granddaughter of Joseph and Sylvia Cure.

Sarah gives credit to Rick Dobbs of Unreal NOLA, who was responsible for designing the logo and overseeing all the hotel’s branding. The logo was inspired by her great grandmother, Sylvia Bertel Cure’s beautiful penmanship. Rick took the letter P and formed the simple, yet dramatic logo. He also is responsible for the large painting at the reception desk of a toad fish. Sarah admits it’s one of the ugliest fish, but it’s often caught in Bay St. Louis, It’s not edible, but has teeth that can crack an oyster shell.

The hotel’s curated art collection features a stunning oil painting by Billy Solitario, commissioned by the family, depicting the two of the families’ original boats. The boats, 30.3088° N, 89.3300° W the Cindy C and the Joey C, are named after the eldest of the Cure’s children, and are still in use today. Sarah tells me that other boats are also named after family members, and some are even named posthumously after family pets.

In August of 2005, Katrina devastated the region, but thanks to revitalization efforts, the bay area is now lined with multi-storied bars and restaurants offering harbor views and Gulf breezes. The Cure family purchased the vacant lot on the corner of Main Street and Beach Boulevard, hired famed New Orleans architectural firm Trapolin- Peer and contractor Woodward, and set about building the hotel. Sounds simple right? But as with most major projects, the target date of December 2020 was ambitious, and then Hurricane Zeta struck the area. With guests, including a wedding party, booked in for New Year’s Eve, it was all hands-on-deck to finish the hotel in time.

Sarah describes that Christmas as a blur, as the entire family worked mightily to get the hotel ready just in time for the 3pm check in. That ethos carries on today, with most of the current staff having been with them since the start. They work as a team and understand what it takes to run a successful hotel.

Due to the small and unique footprint of the hotel, they have five different floor plans, many offering balconies with water views. The rooms are well-stocked with coffee makers, fridges, microwaves, steamers and hair dryers, and they feature photographs of the family oyster business. Bathrooms offer personal items along with multiple oversized bath towels. The housekeeping, like the rest of the staff, go out of their way to make guests comfortable, adding supplies as needed, along with personal notes letting you know that they have been in the room and what they have done.

Along with the 53 rooms and suites, the hotel offers a meeting room called the Captain’s Quarters. It overlooks the pool area, which offers private cabanas, making it a perfect spot for bridal or baby showers, or corporate meetings. The hotel also features a plush bar called The Hinge, which is run by the hotel management, offering specialty craft cocktails, pre-Prohibitionstyle drinks with daily specials and live music on the weekends. Guests can also enjoy outdoor seating overlooking Beach Boulevard and the bar area.

There are two restaurants in the hotel, and both are owned and run by local Chef Jeffery Hansell and his wife Amy. Until recently, they ran the Oxlot 9 at The Southern Hotel in Covington to much local and regional acclaim. Sarah describes Hansell as a “Mississippi Coast boy.” Their parents went to school together and the families grew up in nearby Waveland, so when Hansell wanted to return to his roots, he found the perfect home at The Pearl Hotel.

The main restaurant, The Thorny Oyster, takes up a large portion of the ground floor, with bright fixtures and banquets along the wall bordering the bar area. The raw bar features freshly caught and prepared oysters, tuna crudo, and Gulf shrimp and grouper ceviche. The regular menu features familiar classics like fish almondine with a modern twist, along with

Hansell’s favorite frog legs served with hot sauce butter and pickled celery with buttermilk ranch dressing.

My personal favorite is the Bouillabaisse. This fish stew is a seafood delight with Gulf fish, mussels and clams, all served in a spicy tomato base. The bold, balanced flavors are a signature of Chef Hansell, who takes fresh, local coastal fare and creates creative seafood dishes to delight any palette. The famous oysters were also delightful, beautifully plump delicacies served on the half shell. It was hard to decide between all the tempting items on the menu, which features fresh, local seafood, but the knowledgeable staff helped us to navigate. And we easily chose to end the meal with their campfire dessert, which pays homage to S’mores.

The second eatery is a small, funky breakfast and lunch café, called Cosmos. The décor is a tip of the hat to the local NASA facility, and its family-friendly menu includes sandwiches, salads and various breakfast items.

Visitors from all over the country have found their way to the revitalized Bay St Louis, which has retained its small-town charm, while offering a respite to visitors wanting to get away from it all. Along with its beach, boat trips and fishing, the walkable and golf-cart-friendly community boasts an endless number of boutiques, antiques shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. This formerly sleepy hamlet has evolved into a funky, bustling destination, even hosting popular festivals like Cruising the Coast, Jeepin’ the Coast and Frida Fest, plus block parties every second Saturday.

Bay St. Louis is only a short drive from the Northshore. So, pack up the car and head for the coast for a perfect little getaway.