St. Barts... What a FANTASTIC island to visit!
| Anse de Grande Saline - St. Barts Caribbean, France |
Welcome to the French-chic Caribbean Island of the rich and famous... but great for everyone. Although known for its famous celebrities, the small 10-square-miles island of St. Barts has a layback feeling with beautiful beaches, great restaurants, and upscale shops with prices somewhat higher than other islands in the Caribbean.
| View from Pointe Milou - St. Barts Caribbean, France |
For some time we wanted to see this beautiful island, so we rented a car, which is easy to do from the airport just a few miles away from the capital city, Gustavia (also, the port your cruise will tender you to). You can also have a rental car delivered to you at the port.
| Beautiful Gustavia - Capital of St. Barts |
St. Barts is French so you drive on the right side of the road. Because the roads are small, directional road signs are not always where you need them, and parking can be a problem (especially in Gustavia), driving around St. Barts is good fun but can present a bit of challenge. Because the island is small, we found our way around and had a great time being able to visit some beautiful places, beaches, and enjoy breathtaking vistas.
Some places in St. Barts we greatly enjoyed include (see map below):
| Beautiful Beach & People - Anse de Grande Saline |
All the 14 beaches in St. Barts are open to the public. The beach in the south at Anse de Grande Saline is one of the loveliest in the Caribbean (see photo). After a short walk from the parking lot over a small hill, you come to this amazing beach. We played in the waves and warm Caribbean water. Because Grande Saline is a more remote French beach with no development, some public nudity may be present. There are no facilities or lounge chairs available for rent at Grande Saline.
| Bale de Saint Jean - St. Barts, France |
Our favorite beach and one of the most popular in St. Barts is Baie de Saint Jean where we spent the afternoon at the Iil Rock Beach Club (see photos). This is one of the most beautiful beaches we have seen. Soft sandy beach with amazing turquoise water and almost no waves so you can just walk in and swim.
| Iil Rock Beach Club on Bale de Saint Jean - St. Barts, France |
Want to experience St. Barts at it's best? Try sitting in the shade with your feet in the soft sand at the Iil Rock Beach Club (located in the middle of Saint Jean beach) and be treated to excellent lobster and chicken with wines, beers, and rum punches. To get you going, try the famous T-punch made mostly of rum.
| French-Chic Saint Jean |
Away from Saint Jean beach there are interesting shops, plazas, and gourmet restaurants (see photo). Parking is challenging at Saint Jean. We parked at the end of the airport parking lot across the street and walked back to Saint Jean.
| Wonderful Colombier Beach - St. Barts Caribbean, France |
Some of the best snorkeling on St. Barts can be found at the tip of the northwest peninsula at Colombier – another beautiful beach (see photo). Great tip: You can avoid walking down the steep cliff by walking to Colombier along the shore from the parking lot at Flamands.
| Shell Beach (Anse deGrand Galets) - St. Barts |
If you want to visit a nice beach close to St. Barts’ cruise port in Gustavia (about 15 minutes walk), Shell Beach(Anse de Grand Galets) is nice with lots of shells to find (see photo). Locals recommend the Shellona Beach restaurant at Shell Beach.
| Shopping in Gustavia, St. Barts |
Those with shopping in mindwill enjoy strolling through the upscale shops in St. Barts pretty capital (see photo). Gustavia is not very big but the shops are unique and interesting. Foodies shouldn’t miss the French grocery shore. If you are renting a car, visit Gustavia after returning your car because parking in Gustavia can be a problem.
| Homes & View at Pointe Milou - St. Barts Caribbean, France |
A nice place to see some attractive St. Barts homes is in the Pointe Milou area. The view down the coast is breathtaking (see photo).
| Wayne in Paradise at Saint Jeans - St. Barts |
Some background and history... St. Barts full name is Saint Barthelemy (most often referred to as St. Barts in English and Saint Barth in French). Christopher Columbus renamed this island after his brother, Bartholomeo. It’s capital, Gustavia, where most of St. Barts’ population of less than 10,000 live, is Swedish named for a former king when Sweden owned this island from 1784 to 1878. For the last 140 years St. Barts has been French and French influence is witnessed everywhere today.
| Map St. Barts |
Travel tips when visiting St. Barts... As is normal in most of the Caribbean, tourism is the motor driving St. Bart’s economy. November through June is the best time to visit St. Barts. December is the peak season with prices reflecting that. Small plane flights are available to St. Barts from St. Maarten and Puerto Rico. French is the official language, although English is widely spoken. Although a French territory, U.S. Dollars, in addition to Euros, are accepted in St. Barts.
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