Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best St Barths has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- Every time you get in the car you’ll have the pleasure of a super view – the island’s only road is a coastal route. To stop and soak it up, head to Le Toiny hotel and get some lunch at Le Gaiac +(590 (0)590 27 88 88), overlooking Toiny Bay.
- Arts and culture
- Unless you share an obsession with the shell-collecting founder of the Inter Oceans Museum in Corossol (+590 (0)590 27 62 97), there’s precious little to distract you from sun and sea, apart from visiting musicians in January and August.
- Something for nothing
- Beach-based entertainments for the thrifty include volleyball as spectator sport, collecting shells (Shell Beach is great for that, funnily enough) and, by night, watching the young locals who put on fire-eating performances on St Jean beach.
- Shopping
- Located on Rue de la Republique, Loulou’s Marine is Gustavia’s nautical supplier – the logo’d canvas tote bag makes a chic souvenir. Most of the labelicious shopping (Hermès, Gucci, Cartier) takes place in the capital, Gustavia, with the high-end boutiques concentrated in the luxey shopping centre Le Carré d’Or. Le Ti Marché is the open-air market where you can find Belou’s P, a local range of scents and products. There are more luxurious toiletries at Ligne St Barth on Lorient’s Route de Saline.
- Daytripper
- Hire a boat and go diving or snorkelling for the day. Try Splash Diving Centre & Boat Trips (+590 (0)690 56 90 24) or Coté Mer (+590 (0)590 27 91 79) and head to a neighbouring islet: Ile Forchue, Ile Fregate, Ile Toc Vers, Le Pain de Sucre or La Tortue. Check before you set out which water activities are allowed where – much of the environment has protected status.
- Best beach
- All of the island’s 14 beaches are public, free and pretty darn lovely. Those at Marigot and Lorient are the quietest; Gouverneur very private; Saline as pretty as a picture. For surfing, it’s Le Toiny.
- Perfect Picnic
- Head to the beach, natch. Pick up treats such as tuna tataki and wahoo ceviche from La Rotisserie in Gustavia or Maya’s To Go in St Jean (see Cafés), and/or foie gras and rack of lamb if you’re living the Francophile dream.
- Walks
- It’s only a 15-minute stroll, but the path from Petite Anse to Colombier is a must – and it’s the only way to get to the lovely beach there. A slightly more strenuous undertaking is to hike up 286m Mount Vitet.
- Children
- St Barths isn’t nearly as child-friendly as, for example, Barbados or Tobago, and the journey isn’t fun with a young brood. The best beaches for kids are Shell Beach, with its rock pools, and Grand Cul de Sac, where the shallow waters are super-safe.
- Activities
- It’s all about getting wet: windsurfing, kite-surfing (contact the Ecole de Kitesurf, Grand Cul de Sac; +590 (0)690 69 26 90) and the aforementioned snorkelling and diving.
- And...
- Toplessness is fine, nudity not officially permitted, though many sunbathers abandon their costumes, especially to the west of the island.
Diary
January St Barths music festival, with classical, jazz and more. February Costumed Mardi Gras parade in Gustavia. March–April St Barths Bucket is a three-day mega-yacht race. March–April St Barths Film Festival, a showcase for Caribbean-themed and -produced cinema. 14 July Bastille Day, with fireworks and parties. August Fête de St Barthelemy, when more fireworks are let off in Gustavia to commemorate the feast day of the island’s patron saint.
