St Barths confuses you just before anything else, simply because of the distinct spellings of the identical title. Have you ever wondered whether or not St Barths, was in truth the very same as St Barts, or for that matter St Barthelemy. Effectively in that situation be reassured that all are one and 1 are all.
St Barthelemy is portion of the French West Indies just north tropical family vacations of the lesser Antilles close to St Martin/St Maarten and St Kitts and Nevis. St Barts is a small island getting only eight square miles in dimension, but like a lot of other small factors this kind of as valuable stones it is very prized and pricey which is why it has turn into a retreat for the wealthy and well-known., rock stars, pop stars, and even royalty.
This should not avoid you from going because it is a beautiful tiny island with pretty white sand seashores, turquoise sea, and pristine coral reefs, and yet is quite considerably far more akin to the South of France than the Caribbean.
The reason of program for this is the reality that St Barts and France have been closely linked for centuries and until finally this day it is nevertheless part of the French overseas area of Guadeloupe. Oddly ample St Barths was as soon as a single of Sweden's number of overseas outposts virtually three hundred many years ago, but other than the title of its red roofed capital Gustavia few reminders remain.
The primary point to do on a St Barths Trip is to unwind on the beach, and in spite of the minute size of the island there are far more than twenty spectacular seashores. These assortment from the bustling St Jean and Grand Cul de sac to the much 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 discover topless sunbathing, after all this is France in the Caribbean, so if it embarrasses you, then steer clear of Shell and Marechal Seashores.
The powerful French connections also signifies that site visitors would do well to be capable to converse in French, and the currency is not the US dollar but the Euro. Apart from the language the most obvious signal of the French influence is in the cuisine, and it is impressive to discover it has much more than 60 gourmet eating places. Yet another shock is that numerous of the population is white and most residents are French Citizens.
There are substantial restrictions now imposed on hotel constructing, so no hotels can now be constructed with more than 12 rooms and so the largest hotel which is the Guanahani with 76 rooms won't ever be noticed yet again. There are no big chain hotels on St Barths, and numerous men and women go for the very upmarket villas.