Is it St Bart, St Barts, St Barth, St Barths or St Barthelemy?
St. Barts, also known as St. Barth, St. Barths and St. Barthélemy, is located in the French West Indies and, at eight miles long, is one of the tiniest islands in the entire Caribbean. The local refers to Saint Barthelemy as SBH, which is the island’s airport code.
St. Barths or Saint Barthélemy, with only 7000 residents, has no large resorts, no casinos, no all-inclusives and no golf courses. What the island does have in abundance are beautiful beaches, breathtaking vistas and a fantastic array of wonderful restaurants. The climate is ideal, with temperatures generally ranging from 76 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit and the crystal blue waters have a average temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit making them perfect for swimming year round.
St. Barthélemy was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493 and was allegedly named after his brother Bartoloméo. The first plane did not land on the island until the 1940’s when a Dutch pilot, Rémy de Haenen, made a daring landing on the pasture in St. Jean where the airport sits today. The runway was eventually paved but people continued to wait for flights under a tree until a terminal was constructed in the 1980’s.
Although the island has certainly seen development since de Haenen landed on the grass “runway”, it has retained its character and charm.
Unlike most Caribbean vacation destinations, almost half the beds available to St. Barts’ visitors are in privately owned villas, cottages, and apartments.
This is not an accident. Local authorities, to their credit, have long recognized that excessive development is bad for everyone, and have severely restricted the size and style of hotel construction.
All St Barthélemy vacation villas range from moderate to very expensive in price, and from okay to superb in quality. All are informal, quietly chic, and intimate.
Most of the beaches on St. Barts are still commercially undeveloped. Keep in mind that you will probably want a car, and that from anywhere on the island, you can drive anywhere else in less than 20 minutes.
St Barths villa rates are highest during the “Season”, from mid-December until mid-April, and drop substantially during the summer months.
