Saint-Barthélemy is a French island located in the Caribbean among the Leeward Islands. Its land area is 21.0 km² (8.1 sq. miles). Administratively, the whole island of Saint-Barthélemy is a French Overseas Collectivity, until recently part of Guadeloupe and is part of the European Union.
The island is also known as St Barts, Saint Barths, or Saint Barth.
St Barts has long been considered a playground of the rich and famous and is known for its beautiful pristine beaches, gourmet dining in chic restaurants and high-end designer shopping. St Barts has about 25 hotels, most of then with 15 rooms or fewer, and the largest, the Guanahani hotel has just 70 rooms. Hotels are classified in the traditional French manner 3 Star, 4 Star and 4 Star Luxe.
Singer Jimmy Buffett is a frequent visitor on the island, and owns a house there. He also owned a hotel, the Autor de Rocher, before it burned down. There is a famous sailing event called The Bucket, in March featuring the largest sailing yachts in the world.
David Letterman and Steve Martin also own property on the island, as well as the French singing star Johnny Hallyday.
Cities
Gustavia is the capital city, built around a colorful rectangular harbor lined with one and two story shops and restaurants.
Understand
Oddly enough for a Caribbean island, the population is nearly entirely of European ancestry.
Having massacred the native Arawaks in the 17th century, the French population, originating from Normandy and Brittany, is one of the oldest in the Caribbean.
There was a minimal slave population on the island due to the lack of agricultural opportunities as the island is principally cliffs and hills and has no rivers or springs.
There are no official statistics but the "native" St Barths, known simply as "St Barths" make up around 30% of the population and have a distinct culture and manner of speach that distinguishes them from the more recent Metropolitain French arrivals.
The island has changed hands several times over the centuries, belonging to Sweden from the late 18th to late 19th century, after they swapped it for some warehouses with the French.
As part of the Treaty with Sweden, St Barts (currently) pays no taxes.
It is very Gallic in flavour now, and English is widely spoken and the island is frequently visited by the wealthier end of the United States' demographic.
Get in
By planeThere are direct flights from the US to Sint Maarten, from New York, Charlotte, Miami and Puerto Rico. Connections from Europe come via Paris and Amsterdam, as well as from London, connecting through Antigua.
The connection into St Barts is by small planes ideally adapted to the short runway.
The airport is truly one of the most wonderful aviation experiences - the first-timer should beware the hair-raising landing. Pilots require a special licence to land here, such is the trickiness of the maneuvering required. Accidents are quite common, almost yearly, and while most of the times the passengers get away with just a few bruises, 3 years ago one of the planes crashed while attempting to land and all the passengers died, including the pilot who was very well known in the St. Barth community.
The transfer through Sint Maarten airport can be somewhat chaotic, and luggage can frequently spend the night there.*
Premium IV St Barts provide a very useful transfer service. Call 011 590 590 290 007 or Email: .
Access to the island is via Antigua, Guadeloupe or more frequently St Maarten from the air, or from St Maarten by boat, but beware - it's a pretty rocky crossing!
By boatTalk
French is the official language of St. Barthelemy. Many residents, especially those involved in the tourism industry, also speak English.
Creole is widely spoken on the windward side of the island, and a variety of Patois across the leeward side. These languages are sadly dying out in favour of French.
Up until recently Gustavia was English speaking and the creole quarter, La Pointe, remains so.
Buy
The Euro is the official currency, although US Dollars are widely accepted.
CostsThe hotels, villas, and restaurants are generally not on the "package tour" plans, so deals are scarce - if available at all in High Season.
The Christmas/New Year period is Peak-Season when the Jet and Mega-Yacht set come to the island.
The High Season runs from mid December to mid April, and many Low Season deals are available with significant discounts on hotel and villa accommodation as well as car rentals.
Meals are wonderful, and a number of restaurants will let two people out for under $100.00 for an essentially basic meal (two entrees, a bottle of wine, and a salad or dessert or two.)
Budget hotel accomodation is available, as well as reasonably priced villas and appartments. However the island does specialise in high in tourism, and the island has some of the best hotels in the Caribbean.
St Barts Weddings
To get married on St Barts, one of the couple has to have been resident on the island for a month.
As such the majority of "weddings" held on the island are in fact blessings, carried out either by the Anglican or one of the Catholic Ministers. Blesings for other faiths and secular celebrations can also be organised at a range of locations.
There are a number of
Wedding Planners on the island who can organise the whole event for you.
Stay safe
St Barths is without a doubt the safest island in the Caribbean, and one of the safest places in the world.
There is virtually zero crime, beyond petty theft. You can go anywhere on the island night or day with no fear whatsoever for your personal safety.
There are no pickpockets, muggers, dealers or street traders to hassle you.
The roads are narrow and often steep and winding. Small 4x4 rental jeeps are the vehicle of preference and renting scooters is not advised.
Saint-Barthélemy, officially the
Collectivity of Saint-Barthélemy (
Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy), is an overseas collectivity of France that came into being on 22 February, 2007, encompassing the island of Saint-Barthélemy proper plus several offshore islets. Also known as
Saint Barts,
Saint Barths, or
Saint Barth, the collectivity is one of the four territories among the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean that comprise the French West Indies.
History
Saint-Barthélemy was first claimed by France in 1648. It was sold to Sweden in 1784, which sold it back to France in 1878. The Swedish period left its mark in the names of many of the streets and the town (in honor of King Gustav III) and leaving its national arms, the three crowns along with the grey heron, as well as the mural crown, in the island's coat of arms.
Geography
Located approximately 250 km east of Puerto Rico, Saint-Barthélemy lies near the islands of Saint Martin, Saba and Anguilla.
Gustavia, which is the main town of the island, was named after King Gustav III of Sweden, and remains as a reflection of the Swedish period.
The oldest settlement still remaining is the village of Lorient (or L'Orient), although scattered in every cemetery on the island can be found Swedish grave markers. Lorient's sister village on the French mainland is the city of Lorient on the northern coast of Brittany.
BeachesOf the 20 beaches on the small island, several are considered especially inviting. On the southern side of the island, Saline and Governor beaches are pristine beaches with no development upon them. On the western edge of the island is Colombier beach, which is only reachable by boat or a hike. St. Jean, Flammands and Grand-Cul-de-Sac beaches are also popular and attractive beaches which have hotels and other establishments on them. Shell Beach is popular for families with kids as it has little surf, and lots of tide pools.
St. Barths has a tidal difference of only 8 - 15 cm. The beaches vary according to ocean currents -- the weather travels onto the island following the sun from the East. One of the main surfing beaches (Toiny) is known for its riptide, while Grand Fond is one of the island's only non-swimming beaches. Although tourism doesn't allude to it, there are a small variety of warm water sharks in the Caribbean. So, swimming at dusk and dawn or in murky waters is not recommended. Otherwise, scuba and snorkling are a great way to see the nurse sharks, lobsters, conch and green sea turtles that abound in the waters surrounding St. Barth.
The beach of Grand Cul-de-Sac is the easiest beach in the Caribbean for learning to sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing as it has a reef which closes off the entire bay. The current that passes outside the reef here also carries the migrating whales and dolphins.
Demographics
According to the 1999 census, the population of Saint-Barthélemy was 6,852 inhabitants, with a population density of 326 inh. per km² in 1999. Unlike most Caribbean islands, its population is nearly all white.
Many of the full time residents are French citizens who work at the various establishments on the island. French is the primary language spoken, but many residents also speak English, particularly at hotels and restaurants.
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