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Saint Barth For The Best High Class Vacations Jan 26

St_barth_eastbeach_edenrockSt Barts in English or Saint Barth in French is located in the French West Indies is considered by many to be Monte Carlo in the Caribbean islands. This little Caribbean gem measures just 21sq km or only 8 sq miles, and is a magnet for the European jet set as well as the American well heeled.

An international flavor combines with French chic, West Indian cool and stunning scenery to produce one of the most idyllic vacation destinations to be found not only in the Caribbean but and anywhere in the world. Stepping onto St Barts is to step out of normal existence; the island has an unmistakable feel of quality and affluence, which sets it apart from the over-developed, tourist over-run islands, found elsewhere in the Caribbean chain.

International flights from the US and beyond arrive at the neighboring French island of St Maarten, and then a quick hop of less than 20 minutes will find you in your cab heading for your luxury villa accommodations favored by many visitors to the island.

The island is home to some 20-odd beaches widely regarded as amongst the most perfect on the planet. Some are long expanses of snow white sand catering to every possible need of the fanatical beach dweller. There are restaurants, stunning beach bars; every conceivable kind of water sports, as well has the clearest water imaginable.

There is a distinct lack of monstrous condo developments and massive resort hotel construction; this is because of firm government controls that favor eco-friendly tourism development. The capital of the island was developed by 17th century Swedish colonialists who named the town Gustavia, after their King.

Scuba diving is an incredibly popular pastime around the island’s shores, which is not surprising given the quality of the clear water. In addition, the large numbers of beautiful coral reef structures, as well as at least three ship wrecks, innumerable beautifully colored fish as well as other sea creatures such as turtles and dolphins.

If you prefer your enjoyment, back on the land St. Barts can offer a huge array of activities and sports to keep even the most athletic entertained for every day of their vacation. There are a huge number of diverse sports such as archery, tennis, horse riding, hiking, quad bike riding and many more.

Those who prefer more sedate activities can enjoy a variety of spa treatments including massage and many other therapies. Shopping is also a very popular indulgence especially in Gustavia due to its duty-free port status. Here you will find not only local crafts and gifts; you can also indulge yourself in the world’s finest boutique designer goods and clothing.

St Barts offers the finest of everything from shopping, to villa accommodations, to the best beaches, and the clearest waters. This is why it has become one of the meeting points of the international jet set, who come to enjoy its many sights and wonders.

Call Sonja of BlueOceanVillas toll free at 1 877 311 7759

The most popular time to visit St Maarten and St Martin …… Jan 26

Pinel from the air .....Sint Maarten is a popular stop in the southern Caribbean with an unusual blend of Dutch and French cultures. Nice weather makes the island even more attractive to visitors and long-term vacationers alike.

Sint Maarten is actually the name of the Dutch side of the island, while Saint Martin is the name for the smaller French side. It is the smallest island in the world that is shared between two nations.

But they share the same weather. Visitors to the island’s 37 beaches will find year-round warmth, but they also will find the usual heavy rainfall later in the year when the Caribbean’s annual hurricane season takes place.

The average monthly high temperature is about 86 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Meteorological Service of Netherland Antilles and Aruba. The average monthly low temperature is about 77 degrees.

The monthly high temperatures reach an average of 88 to 89 degrees from June through October. They reach a low of about 84 degrees from December through March, making the island one of the warmest year-round.

The island receives an average of 3.4 inches of rain per month, but with distinct peaks and valleys during the year.

Rainfall averages about two inches per month from January through April, spikes to nearly four inches in May and drops in June and July. In picks up in August and exceeds five inches in September, four inches in October and more than five inches again in November. In fact, St. Maarten is unusual among Caribbean destinations for receiving more rainfall in November than in October or September.

The most popular times to visit are March and April, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization. The least popular month is September, followed by October.

Based on rainfall totals, the riskiest month to visit St. Maarten is November followed by September and then October. The best months to visit with the lowest risk of heavy rainfall are March, April, June and July.

Sunshine, exclusive shopping and dynamic nightlife. Jan 19

Where else can you experience the sunshine, exclusive shopping, elegant hotels, and the dynamic nightlife of two different countries in one place? The top half of this Caribbean oasis is owned by the French, and the bottom half is owned by the Dutch. No worries, no borders, no customs or immigration, just the benefit of two cultures fused together on a small island that has everything one could want.

No other Caribbean island offers as much diversity as St. Maarten. Formidable mountain ranges meet lush flatlands against the background of spectacular ocean views and breathtaking sunsets. A landing port for some of the world’s largest, exclusive yachts, St. Maarten is a sailor’s dream.

Enjoy duty-free shopping from the world’s finest retailers who have locations throughout the island. A stellar selection of restaurants makes St. Maarten a premier location for fine dining, and the nightlife keeps the island buzzing after dark.

If the beach is your ultimate destination, then lie down on the gleaming white sand or dip into the turquoise waters of the ocean. For those seeking more excitement, St. Maarten is a great place for almost every water sport imaginable. Snorkeling, Scuba diving, surfing and sailing are available on most of the resorts and public beaches.

St. Barths is a very intimate and alluring Caribbean destination ! Jan 15

St. Barths is a very intimate and alluring Caribbean destination! Located in the Frean West Indies, St. Barths is a relatively unspoiled tropical island with 22 beautiful white sand beaches and unbelievable vistas! The capital city of Gustavia wraps around a very picturesque harbor loaded with impressive yachts and rustic fishing boats. St. Barths also features some of the Caribbean’s best restaurants!

The climate of St. Barths is ideal with temperatures ranging from 76 to 82 year round. The warm, crystal clear Caribbean waters are perfect for swimming year round.

The French influence combined with the Caribbean flavor creates a relaxed and serene vacation getaway.

BlueOceanVillas specializes in Vacation Rentals in St. Barths. Selecting a villa rental or hotel is different in St. Barths then any other island in the Caribbean. Most people desire a vacation on the beach, but in St. Barths, that is not always easy to do. Most of the beaches have no development on them. Plus, with the mountainous terrain, most of the best hotels and villas are perched away from the beaches featuring spectacular views of the ocean!

With its laid back approach, St. Barths is an island that has a daily routine of shopping at quaint French boutiques, sunbathing on one of the spectacular beaches, and dining at some of the best restaurants in the Caribbean! There are over 80 restaurants to choose from on St. Barths. Most of the vacation villas feature outstanding kitchens giving travelers the ability to purchase local food and create dinner for family and friends while taking in breath taking sunsets.

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“Dollarisation” in St Maarten ? Jan 09

dollar-billThe discussion about switching from the Antillean guilder to the US dollar in Curaçao and St. Maarten when the Netherlands Antilles ceases to exist has died down somewhat since a symposium on the subject at the end of last year. However, preparations for “dollarisation” continue unabated behind the scenes in financial circles in Willemstad, confirmed director Chicu Capriles of Maduro & Curiel’s Bank (MCB), the parent company of Windward Islands Bank (WIB), during a recent interview on TeleCuraçao.

The banker was quite candid about it, saying the move made sense considering the strong economic ties to the US. He added that the public would be duly informed in due time and every effort would be made for the process to go as smoothly as possible.

Full article can be read here

Source : The Daily Herald St. Maarten

Westin files court case against government Jan 09

wi_logoPHILIPSBURG – Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort and Spa has filed a court case against the Island Government contesting the government’s claim that the hotel owes it a large sum of money in unpaid room tax, accumulated since the resort opened in 2006.

An auction of some of the resort’s assets was put on hold in December when legal representatives of Westin and the Island Receiver’s Office worked feverishly to arrive at a deal.

Westin’s lawyer Maarten Le Poole explained that all monies that the Island Receiver said were owed to the government by Westin would be held in escrow until the outcome of a court case that had to be initiated by Westin within 14 days. Le Poole said the case was expected to be called in the next month or two.

The court will decide if Westin has to pay the government or not. Le Poole said Westin would use the “letter of comfort” granted to the resort in 2005 as part of its argument, but it wouldn’t be the resort’s only legal argument. He did not wish to elaborate further at this time.

The Island Receiver had placed a lien on the assets of Westin, citing unpaid room taxes. Westin’s counter to that claim was based partly on a “letter of comfort” it had been granted by the government in 2005 promising that the Room Tax Ordinance would be amended to allow for the resort to be exempted from paying room tax for a period of time. The ordinance has not yet been amended.

Source : The Daily Herald St. Maarten

Kate Bosworth celebrating her birthday on St Maarten Jan 09

SPL149412_002She has been celebrating her 27th birthday on the island of St Maarten as of late, and yesterday (January 7) Kate Bosworth was spotted returning to Miami International Airport. The “Blue Crush” babe looked lovely as she made her way through the terminal with a female friend, sporting a black and white top with denim shorts.

St. Maarten Street Map for your Iphone Jan 09

This is a complete street level map for St Maarten for your iPhone. The entire map is stored on your iPhone, so it works where you have no access to the Internet – it works where Google Maps is inaccessible.

Lets you find all streets, and many useful locations such as ATM’s, parkings, museums, and many others. Remembers where you’ve been so you can find that parking spot where you left your rental car. To make sure your phone doesn’t use any expensive data on your trip, go to Settings, then General, tap on Network, and slide the Data Roaming to “off”.

Requirements:

· Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch
· iPhone OS 3.0 or later

Click here to visit Apple’s Itunes Store to download the map.

See below screen shot from the Itunes store.

Picture 7

St Barts, the celebrity hotspot. Jan 02

While Barbados appears to attract more mainstream celebrities, St Barts is strictly the destination for the fashionable crowd.

Renowned for its pristine beaches, the 21-square-kilometre island only has 25 hotels, most of which only have 15 rooms or fewer, which adds to the exclusivity of the place.

Jimmy Choo boss Tamara Mellon is a regular at St Barts, having previously visited with former boyfriend, actor Christian Slater.

This year, she brought her seven-year-old daughter Araminta for company, and has been showing off her slender figure in a series of skimpy bikinis this month.

Mellon is joined by designer pal Marc Jacobs and his fiancé Lorenzo Martone, who have been displaying their toned and tattooed bodies in tight swimming trunks.

And according to friend, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, the gay couple may have married on the island over the holidays.

Def Jam Records founder Simmons wrote on his Twitter page on Tuesday: ‘Now dressed for Marc Jacobs and his boyfriend’s wedding party… Very happy for Marc Jacobs. Very sweet man who makes so many people happy… he deserves to be happy… Lorenzo seems very nice.’

Also in St Barts is Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, his girlfriend Dasha Zhukova and their four-week-old son Alexander.

Abramovich, who owns a £54million estate on St Barts, is rumoured to be hosting a £3million New Year’s Eve beach party and has paid Prince £500,000 to perform.

Celebrities staying at other islands in the Caribbean, including Barbados, have been reportedly offered private jets to ferry them to St Barts to welcome in 2010.

Other famous guests on St Barts include Cowell’s ex-girlfriend, former model Jacqui St Clair and Canadian singer Avril Lavigne, who is holidaying with rumoured new boyfriend Andrew Levitas.

Jetting off to the islands for the New Year’s holiday,  Lindsay Lohan has opted to kick off 2010 in sunny St Barth.

Showing off her fit figure, the actress tweeted a sexy personal bikini pic as she cruised around the Caribbean waters ahead of a scheduled appearance at Russell Simmons’ NYE bash.

It was a New Year’s Eve washout in St. Barts, where storms with soaking rains and high tides forced boldface revelers to move their supersized yachts offshore and cancel their parties.

The biggest bash was supposed to be Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich’s, where more than 250 were expected. But sources said the rain has been so bad that food and supplies for the party couldn’t get there in time. The blowout was to be hosted by art dealer Larry Gagosian for Abramovich’s gallery-owning girlfriend, Dasha Zhukova.

Among those who braved the Caribbean storm were Marc Jacobs and boyfriend Lorenzo Martone, Harvey Weinstein and Georgina Chapman.

Back at the party,Gwen Stefani, Pince andBeyonce (while Jay-Z watched and quaffed on a fat cigar) all preformed for a reported £500,000 each and other guests included Usher,Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr,Kanye West, Victoria Silvstedt, Jon Bon Jovi. Suddenly, we’re not that jealous anymore…

Caroline Kennedy, 52, and husband Edwin Arthur Schlossberg, 64, spent their Christmas Eve on a beach in St. Barts with their three children – Rose, 21, Tatiana Celia, 19, and John Bouvier, 16.

SENSAATIONAL ST. MAARTEN Nov 25

St. Maarten Tourism Unveils New Branding Campaign

maagical st maartenSt. Maarten is focusing on the variety of experiences that vacationers enjoy with a new branding campaign that captures the “feeling of the experience” that visitors elicit during their stay on the island. When announcing the new branding campaign for the destination, St. Maarten Commissioner of Tourism Frans Richardson explained that the concept behind the branding can be summed up with one statement: “It’s all in our name.” Working with the spelling of “St. Maarten,” the just-launched campaign will capture audiences across North America with positive adjectives purposefully misspelled with “capital double ‘A’s” followed immediately by the words “St. Maarten.”

The campaign identity, created by advertising agency Tambourine, will be visible in all logos, videos, print and outdoor advertising, specialty marketing items, brochures and stationary as well as an image gallery which features all new photography from an extensive on-island photo shoot recently completed by Tambourine. Adjectives will constantly be changing depending on the focus of specific ads. For instance, when promoting St. Maarten as a wedding and honeymoon destination, an ad may read: “PAASSIONATE ST. MAARTEN.” When conveying St. Maarten as an active vacation playground, an audience could see: “PLAAYFUL ST. MAARTEN.”

A just-launched public relations campaign to promote winter specials for vacationers is using “SENSAATIONAL ST. MAARTEN” to capture the deals that are now available. Other words designed for the campaign include: MAAGICAL, GLAAMOROUS, CHAARMING, and ENCHAANTING.

“We are very proud of our diversity with a wide range of attractions and activities, a variety of accommodations, more than 300 quality restaurants and our central location which enables vacationers to enjoy day trips to other islands,” said Richardson. “This campaign allows us to tap into and highlight all the things that make St. Maarten an ideal vacation destination through words and phrases that truly represent how a traveler feels while on-island.”

The branding campaign is part of an overall new marketing strategy being launched under the direction of Richardson, which coincides with the hiring of KTCpr, headed up by long-time Caribbean marketing and public relations specialist Richard S. Kahn. The new branding will encompass advertising, public relations, marketing and sales as well as a new website.

“Our mission was to take St. Maarten in a new direction and illustrate how the island ‘feels’ rather than literally documenting the infrastructure of the island,” said Rafael Cardozo, president of Tambourine. “The concept is innovative and playful; the message is strong and memorable. In addition to the logos, the photo collection tells a story of the vacation experiences captured through movement, mood and expression. Most importantly the campaign is a true representation of the beauty and excitement of the destination.”