St. Barthélemy — Destination Guide

Arriving by ship

We reached St. Barths aboard the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, anchored off Gustavia and tendered in. That shapes the whole visit: you are not checking into one hotel and staying put, you are moving across the island by day and sleeping offshore. The hotels are still very much part of it — day passes get you through the gate at properties you are not booked into, which is how a one-day call turns into a real look at a five-star resort rather than a photograph from the road.

Sunset through palm fronds with a cruise ship at anchor on the horizon off St. Barths — The Ritz-Carlton Ilma at anchor, seen from the island at sunset.

Gustavia

The capital is small enough to walk end to end and steep enough that you notice. Red roofs, a harbour of yachts stern-to along the quay, and shops that stay open late because the tenders run late. After dark the palms along the main street are lit and the whole place softens.

A narrow Gustavia lane in late afternoon light, walls and greenery on both sides — The lanes run steep and narrow behind the harbour.

Where we ate

Beefbar is the restaurant at Fouquet’s Saint-Barth, Hôtel Barrière’s property above the harbour, and the view does as much work as the kitchen — red roofs below, then the water. Nikki Beach is the other end of the register: on the sand at St. Jean, table set over the turquoise, and a scene that builds through the afternoon.

A set table at Beefbar with the menu and glasses, red roofs and the harbour beyond — Beefbar, above the harbour.

A bottle of Veuve Clicquot being poured beside a wine list, harbour view behind — The wine list, and the view it comes with.

A table set under a white umbrella at Nikki Beach with the turquoise bay behind — Nikki Beach, on the sand at St. Jean.

A slice of terrine in a shallow ceramic bowl, dotted with pink purée, cubes of toasted bread and micro-greens, seen from above — The terrine, at Nikki Beach.

The hotels

For an island this size the concentration is remarkable: seven Forbes-rated properties, two of them Five-Star. All seven are tracked with their ratings and their surrounding restaurants in The Luxe Zone.

Cheval Blanc St-Barth — Forbes Five-Star
Eden Rock – St Barths — Forbes Five-Star; the red roofs on the point in the photograph at the top of this page
Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa — Forbes Four-Star
Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth — Forbes Four-Star
Fouquet’s Saint-Barth, Hôtel Le Toiny, Le Sereno — Forbes Recommended

St. Jean Bay from the sand, red-roofed buildings on the point across the shallow turquoise water — St. Jean Bay from the sand, with Eden Rock – St Barths on the point.

A lit walkway of wooden steps at night under dense palms, railings strung with lights, leading up towards the hotel entrance — Inside Fouquet’s Saint-Barth.

The church

The parish church in Gustavia is plain in the way island churches often are — whitewashed, cool, and quiet in the middle of a hot afternoon. Worth the ten minutes.

The white parish church of Gustavia with its bell tower against a deep blue sky — White stone and a bell tower.

The nave of the church looking down the aisle towards the altar, dark pews under white vaulting — Inside, looking down the aisle.

Steve lighting a candle at a shrine inside the church — Lighting one.

Pro tips

Beach day passes at Nikki Beach open each morning. If you are arriving on the Ritz-Carlton yacht, the ship can arrange one for you.
The taxi line in the centre of Gustavia can be long. Give yourself enough time if you are relying on one.
Book Beefbar for the view, not just the steak. Ask for the terrace above the harbour; the tables inside miss the point.
Nikki Beach builds through the afternoon. Lunch at one is a meal; lunch at three is a party. Pick the hour you want.
Ask a hotel for a day pass. Cheval Blanc, Eden Rock and Le Barthélemy will sometimes let a non-guest through the gate for lunch or the beach; ask ahead through Jeannie.
Take the dollar or the euro. Both are accepted; the euro is the local currency and prices are in it.
Rent nothing. For a one-day call, taxis and feet cover Gustavia and St. Jean; a car is for a week-long stay.
Watch the planes at St. Jean. The approach over the hill to the short runway is one of the sights, and the beach at the end of it is Nikki’s.

Sources

Hotel ratings are Forbes Travel Guide, tracked with their checked dates in The Luxe Zone dataset. Photographs are our own, from the visit.