St Barths confuses you prior to anything at all else, simply because of the different spellings of the exact same identify. Have you ever wondered whether St Barths, was in truth the very same as St Barts, or for that matter St Barthelemy. Nicely honeymoon in hawaii that case be reassured that all are a single and 1 are all.
St Barthelemy is element of the French West Indies just north of the lesser Antilles near St Martin/St Maarten and St Kitts and Nevis. St Barts is a small island getting only eight square miles in size, but like numerous other small items this kind of as valuable stones it is extremely prized and expensive which is why it has turn into a retreat for the rich and well-known., rock stars, pop stars, and even royalty.
This should not stop you from going since it is a spectacular tiny island with wonderful white sand beaches, turquoise sea, and pristine coral reefs, and but is really significantly much more akin to the South of France than the Caribbean.
The purpose of course for this is the reality that St Barts and France have been closely connected for centuries and until this day it is nonetheless portion of the French overseas region of Guadeloupe. Oddly enough St Barths was once one particular of Sweden's couple of overseas outposts virtually three hundred many years in the past, but other than the name of its red roofed capital Gustavia few reminders remain.
The primary factor to do on a St Barths Trip is to loosen up on the seashore, and despite the minute dimension of the island there are more than twenty spectacular beaches. These variety from the bustling St Jean and Grand Cul de sac to the more personal Grand Saline, Gouvernier and Flamands. If what you are searching for is entirely secluded bliss then go to Anse Colombier which can only be reached by boat or a half hour hike. You will find topless sunbathing, right after all this is France in the Caribbean, so if it embarrasses you, then keep away from Shell and Marechal Beaches.
The sturdy French connections also means that visitors would do properly to be ready to converse in French, and the currency is not the US dollar but the Euro. Apart from the language the most obvious indicator of the French influence is in the cuisine, and it is outstanding to uncover it has far more than 60 gourmet restaurants. Another surprise is that several of the population is white and most residents are French Citizens.
There are substantial restrictions now imposed on hotel developing, so no hotels can now be constructed with above 12 rooms and so the greatest hotel which is the Guanahani with 76 rooms will not ever be seen once again. There are no large chain hotels on St Barths, and numerous individuals go for the very upmarket villas.