Perhaps
St Barths does not have that many ‘sights’ to see (beyond people-watching and
getting to know the delightful capital, Gustavia). But hire a car to tour the
island and you’ll immediately discover just how
attractive St Barths is, with steep roads and hairpin bends unfolding views at
every turn. Throw in a Creole culture with a distinctive French flavour together
with a unique heritage combine to create a most elegant and cosmopolitan
ambience.
WHAT TO SEE
Beaches
Hire a car and explore St Barths’ 20 white-sand beaches in just 10
square miles. They come in all shapes, sizes and settings, with varying surf to
suit your mood. Some are lively, with restaurants and watersports on hand.
Others are remote and secluded, where a bathing costume can seem an
irrelevance!
Gustavia
With houses that clamber over the hillsides above the harbour, this
is one of the Caribbean’s prettiest little
towns. Wooden boardwalks line its shores, with some of the world’s swankiest
yachts moored in the marina. Some of the older buildings (a few dating back to
the days of St Barths’ Swedish ownership) reflect the Caribbean setting, but the mood of the narrow streets is
more that of a stylish French town in the tropics; complete with smart shops,
cafés and municipal buildings. A visit to Gustavia Museum offers insights into St Barths’
humbler past.
St
Jean
Bay
Visitors flock to the bistros, brasseries and chic boutiques of
St Jean Bay, boasting a beautiful beach and close to the
charming little community of Lorient, site of the first French
settlement.
Corossol
To the northwest of Gustavia, this tiny fishing village still retains
a little of the Breton air from long ago, with a few women still wearing
traditional dress. The Shell Museum’s vast and varied collection is a
‘must’.
WHAT TO DO
Sports
Life
in St Barths is for living outdoors, especially if there’s water involved.
Windsurfing waterskiing, wakeboarding, jetskiing, surfing, snorkelling,
scuba-diving, deep-sea fishing, hoble cats, sea kayaks and sunfish . . . name
your watersport and St Barths probably has it (see
At a Glance section for more
information on scuba-diving).There’s
horse riding on land – but golfers will need to island-hop!
Shopping
You’ll need to save some energy for the island’s other serious
pursuit. St Barths is duty-free shopping in style, with Gustavia and St Jean offering a huge
choice of outlets. They include many familiar names like Hermès, Dior, Gucci,
Armani, Bulgari and Cartier, as well as others refreshingly new. You can wander
from lifestyle shops, prêt à porter
shops, jewellery and watch
shops to perfumeries, lingerie shops, shoe and leather goods shops and even
speciality sunglasses shops. This is retail therapy at its
best!
Nightlife
St Barths is not the island for glittering night life. You can
hang out with the crowd in the garden at Le Select in Gustavia, where there’s
sometime live music, while a handful of bars (some attached to restaurants and
with disco or other entertainment) generate a pretty lively mood at times. That
said, though, the most popular night-time event here has always been dining
itself - relaxed and stylish in the classic French
way.