St. Barth: A Guide for Traveling to This Caribbean Hot Spot
St. Barthelomy is a mountainous island in the French West Indies located about 15 miles from St. Martin. More commonly known as St. Barts or St. Barth, this Caribbean hot spot is home to celebrities, beautiful beaches, and great restaurants.
Getting to St. Barts:
Getting to St. Barts means transfering through St. Marten. St. Martin’s Princess Juliana International Airport is served by US Airways, United, American, Continental, Delta, and Northwest. From France, Air France has direct flights from Paris.
From St. Martin, you’ll need to take a prop-powered airplane or a high-speed ferry over to St. Barth. The 15 minute flight from St. Martin can be made via WINAIR (www.fly-winair.com) from Princess Juliana Airport. High speed ferry from St. Barth is made by the Voyager (www.voyager-st-barths.com). This ferry leaves from Chesterfield Marina on St. Martin.
You’ll also need to rent a car (or small SUV) in St. Barth because driving to the beaches is essential.
St. Barth Accomodations:
Staying in St. Barth typically means renting a villa. Wimco (www.wimco.com) is the largest provider of villas on the island. Villas typically are a short walk to one of St. Barth’s beaches, and come with a standard kitchen and small pool.
For a summary of all St. Barth hotels and resorts. IAN.com has a great summary of the local hotels in St. Barth.
What to do in St. Barth?
Beaches. St. Barth is consistantly ranked in the top ten for great beaches. St. Barth beaches are straight out of a hollywood movie and boast soft, white sand and Wonderfully warm turquoise-blue water. Also, St. Barth’s beaches are publicly accessable via a car and short hike. All the beaches are great, but Saline and Gouvenour are not to be missed.
Besides beach-going, food is the other main attraction of St. Barth. Maya’s and La Petite Colombe are two terrific dinner suggestions.
Other Web Resources for St. Barth:
Local Guides:
StBartsTourist.com
st-barths.com
