St Barths confuses you before something else, simply because of the various spellings of the same identify. Have you ever wondered whether St Barths, was in truth the same as St Barts, or for that matter St Barthelemy. Well in that situation be reassured that all are one and a single are all.
St Barthelemy is part 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 tiny island getting only eight square miles in dimension, but like many other modest things this kind of as valuable stones it is very prized and high-priced which is why it has turn into a retreat for the wealthy and popular., rock stars, pop stars, and even royalty.
This should not prevent you from going simply because it is a gorgeous tiny island family vacations with toddlers wonderful white sand beaches, turquoise sea, and pristine coral reefs, and but is really much a lot 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 till this day it is nonetheless element of the French overseas region of Guadeloupe. Oddly sufficient St Barths was once one of Sweden's couple of overseas outposts practically 3 hundred years ago, but other than the name of its red roofed capital Gustavia couple of reminders stay.
The main point to do on a St Barths Getaway is to chill out on the seashore, and regardless of the minute dimension of the island there are far more than twenty spectacular seashores. These variety from the bustling St Jean and Grand Cul de sac to the far more personal Grand Saline, Gouvernier and Flamands. If what you are looking for is entirely secluded bliss then go to Anse Colombier which can only be reached by boat or a half hour hike. You will uncover topless sunbathing, after all this is France in the Caribbean, so if it embarrasses you, then stay away from Shell and Marechal Seashores.
The powerful French connections also indicates that site visitors would do well to be ready to converse in French, and the currency is not the US dollar but the Euro. Apart from the language the most evident indicator of the French influence is in the cuisine, and it is impressive to discover it has far more than 60 gourmet eating places. An additional surprise is that a lot of of the population is white and most residents are French Citizens.
There are significant restrictions now imposed on hotel constructing, so no hotels can now be created with over twelve rooms and so the biggest hotel which is the Guanahani with 76 rooms will not ever be seen once more. There are no massive chain hotels on St Barths, and numerous people go for the quite upmarket villas.