Bonjour St. Barth
It’s Always Summer Somewhere
By Connie Walsh
Are you in the throes of avoiding conspicuous consumption these days? If you must, eschew those telltale Tiffany blue and Hermes orange bags and bring home your new goodies in a plain brown wrapper - but don’t miss out on a St. Barth vacation. Just tell your friends weeping over their stock portfolios that it’s the value season on the island and you got a really great deal. And then put on a modest pair of Foster Grants – and go.
St. Barth has long been the destination of choice for the well-known and well-heeled. It still is. The first international jet-setters and mid-century Hollywood movie stars have made way for today’s pop stars, late night talk show hosts, the odd Russian billionaire, and a new rendition of A-list celebrities. But don’t even think about asking for an autograph. In fact, best to not even raise an eyebrow. It just isn’t done, mon chéri.
This beautiful little volcanic island – just eight square miles with 21 gorgeous white-sand beaches - is ensconced in the Caribbean’s French West Indies. Getting there can present some challenges. Timing into St. Martin is key to connect with one of the 12-minute flights with an eye-popping landing on the notoriously tiny runway – or there is the option of the Dramamine-essential ferry.
But that’s all part of the mystique and panache of vacationing in St. Barth. You’re in “the club.”
First-timers are often delightfully surprised with the island’s ambiance of casual sophistication and its Gallic charm and culture - a legacy of the early settlers from the coast of France. But by the second day, they are padding barefoot about their villa - boulangerie run completed and baguette secured – packing a beach picnic, chilling wine, and deciding where to observe the island tradition of sunset cocktails. C’est bon.
Red roofs of the villas dot the hillsides and even the more modest usually have pools, terraces, views, and maid service. Take it up a notch and the WOW factor increases. Oh-so-private estates meander over “mountain” peaks and boast panoramas and amenities galore – heated infinity edge pools, air-conditioned gyms, media rooms, and gourmet kitchens. Private chefs are at the ready to cook, serve, pop the champagne, and pass the fois gras.
Villa Avenstar
Isle de France
Eden Rock
Featured Hotels and Accomodations
www.edenrockhotel.com
www.isle-de-france.com
www.stbarth.com/villas/avens.shtm
Good to know about St. Barth
High season is October through mid-January. French is the official language and the currency is the Euro.
Choose your ambiance - something cool and sleekly contemporary, like the new beachfront Villa Avenstar or a Villa Le Manoir de Lurin with its romantic look and feel of a long-ago plantation.
Prefer a hotel? St. Barth’s have made all the lists in the glossy travel mags. There’s the sexy and sophisticated Isle de France – think topless nymphs poised under beach umbrellas and the sound of the surf combined with the clinking of champagne flutes; the uber-private Le Toiny on the end of the island, where the rocky coasts challenge that of Brittany; and the glitzy, iconic Eden Rock. Howard Hughes and Greta Garbo stayed here back in the day and have amazing suites named after them, but the latest and the greatest are the hotel’s over-the-top, six-star, butler-serviced Eden Rock Estates. Villa Nina has a private art gallery. And Villa Rock Star? A recording studio - no, really!
St. Barth is the culinary capital of the Caribbean and produce is flown in daily from Paris. Nosh poolside at the gastronomique Le Gaïac or harborside, at the Wall House, favored by island regulars. The deliciously infamous Le Ti St - Barth is a must. Tricked out like a bordello, the food is fabulous and after 10:00 morphs into “one of the world’s sexiest” nightclubs. The bubbly flows, and the patrons dance the night away on the tabletops. It’s all so, well, St. Barth.
And should you wake up tomorrow and find that you are now living in reduced circumstances – there’s a sweet little inn called the Normandie Hotel. The beaches are free, and you can still enjoy the quintessential St. Barth experience – a cheeseburger in paradise at Jimmy Buffet’s fave Le Select. Make it a point to visit this exquisite place.
St. Barth Properties represents a portfolio of over 15O private villas, a collection of distinctive hotels, and offers a full range of concierge services all
exclusively on St. Barth.
www.stbarth.com
St. Barth Properties, Inc.
12 Washington Street
Franklin, MA 02038
800.421.3396
info@stbarth.com
Connie Walsh is a freelance marketing consultant and writer whose vocation and avocation are travel. When not traveling for work or pleasure, she makes her home in Boston, MA. She can be reached at connie@wtravelmarketing.com
