Our Travel Guide to St. Barths

I am here to share our experience and best travel guide for St. Barths. This February we took a trip to St. Barths to celebrate my 40th birthday. It was an adult couples trip and all of our first time to travel to the island. I had heard and seen wonderful things about the island and had put it top on my list for a 40th birthday celebration.

Can I say?? It was an absolutely fabulous place to celebrate a 40th birthday with adults. This island has a vibe unlike any island that I have visited before. Somewhere between the feel of the British virgin islands and the French vibe of Cannes. I could also compare it a little bit to Harbour Island in the fact that they both of so many great restaurants to choose from and have that seen and be-seen feel. It is a scene and has a party vibe and late night atmosphere that is different from most sleepy islands that are vibrant by day, but shut down after dinner around 10pm.

One of the reasons that St. Barths feels so exclusive is that it is difficult to get to. The airport on the island is famous for having a short runway and this wild ride for a landing. The truth is that I built it up in my mind that it was going to be scary and it was WAY smoother and easier than I thought it would be. We were all thankful for that! It was actually a truly beautiful landing and these pilots do this many times a day, every single day.

HOW TO GET TO ST. BARTHS

Here is a look at the different ways that you can arrive in St. Barths.

Fly into San Juan Puerto Rico (1 hr on small plane with Tradewinds)
Fly into St. Maarten (15 minute plane ride on St Barths Commuter or WinAir)
Fly into St. Maarten and take 45 minute boat/ferry to St. Barths (two options: Voyager and Great Bay Express)

We took option one and I was so pleased with this route! We flew from Pensacola > Miami > Puerto Rico > St. Barths. Puerto Rico is a US Island so you do not have to go through customs. It can be a little tricky when you land in Puerto Rico to find where you go to check in for your Tradewinds flight, but just make sure to ask for help if you need it. We booked our entire flight through the American Airlines website booking all the way from PNS to St. Barths. This meant our luggage was automatically transferred from Pensacola where we checked in, to St. Barths. One thing that is important to note about your Tradewinds flight is that you are only allotted a total of 50lbs per passenger. That includes your checked luggage, carry on bags and personal item. I will say that I stressed about this sooooo much and did my best at making things approximately 50lbs; but at the end of the day, the airline didn’t seem to be SUPER strict on it all being 50lbs. I guess they just don’t want passengers coming with 70-80lbs of luggage! Tradewinds also has a “lounge area” for guests to sit and wait during their layovers before boarding which was decent. It has Wifi & a fridge stocked with cold wine and beer and a few snacks. The planes were nice and I felt very comfortable. I hope this is helpful because booking all this correctly seemed to be one of the most stressful parts 🙂

Map image via Etsy Art Shop

WHERE WE STAYED IN ST. BARTHS

We stayed in a five bedroom house in St. Barths in the Grand Cul-de-Sac area called Villa Hemmingway. Unfortunately, it is not available to rent anymore to the public, but there are tons of beautiful, large villas on the island to rent. The main thing to figure out when you are renting on the island is where you want to be located. Wimco properties seems to have the largest collection of luxury properties on the island.

I really enjoyed our location and would probably call this the “quieter” part of the island. We were close to the following hotels: Rosewood Le Guanahani, Le Sereno, Le Toiney and Le Barthelemy. We were about a 10 or 15 minute ride from the Eden Rock hotel which is home to the chic Remy Bar and is centered around Nikki Beach Club, Gypsea Beach, and La Geurite which are all fabulous beach clubs. So I loved that we were a short ride to all of these hot spots, but we were on the opposite side of the island from Gustavia which is the area where you find most of the yachts parked, the high-end shopping or “downtown” area and where several of our dinner spots were located. To get here from our house, it was probably a 25 minute drive which wasn’t terrible; but just something to point out. I will talk a little more below on how to get around the island.

Through the Wimco Concierege, we were also able to order groceries/alcohol ahead of time. That was a really nice luxury to have a few items stocked in our fridge and pantry upon arrival. We mostly ordered a few breakfast items to have on hand for the mornings. We never went out to breakfast since we had lunch and dinners scheduled every day, so we just ate a bite at the house each morning when we woke.

Hotels to Check Out:
Rosewood Le Guanahani
Le Toiny
Eden Rock
Cheval-Blanc

GETTING AROUND ST. BARTHS

Getting around the island is probably the biggest negative I had going into this trip. Everything I heard was how hard it was to get any type of car service on the island and that it was pretty much imperative to rent a car. We had a large group of 1o people which meant we had to rent two cars for our stay on the island. We did end up renting two cars for our entire stay and looking back, I probably would have rented one large car to have for the week and then planned car service the rest of the time. We rented through Maurice Car rental for our trip.

Our on-site concierge (we love you Enzo!) in St. Barths was amazing and he was able to get us taxi rides whenever we needed them (as well as everything we possibly asked him for). So I was pleasantly surprised with that. They are definitely expensive, but it was important to us not to have to drive on these narrow, curvy roads. We rented an SUV and a 4-seater electric MOKE for the trip and unfortunately we had nothing but problems with our Moke. The concept seemed so cute and fun and at first I enjoyed it, but I think the island has too much topography for these electric cars to handle. However, they are all over the island; so some of them must work, but we didn’t have good luck with ours.

THE BEST PLACES TO EAT IN ST. BARTHS

There is NO shortage of amazing restaurants on this island and I am ready to plan my trip back just so that I can go visit the rest of them that we weren’t able to hit!! The unique thing about this island is that it is popular to go to a Beach club lunch (they typically have seatings at 12:30pm and 2:30pm) and then go out for dinner if you’re up for it and those seatings are at 7:30 and 9:30.

Nao Beach Club: This was one of my favorite meals on the island. I thought the food was spectacular and the atmosphere was so pretty right on the beach. This was our first lunch spot and where we learned that every beach club has a DJ and that even on a Monday, this place is hopping. I will say it was one of the least crowded places, but it’s not huge and they still rocked the DJ and got us dancing on the tables!
Nikki Beach: This was the spot that I had the highest expectations for because of all the hype it gets and we did have fun here; but on the day we were there, it looked like the party started at the 12:30 seating and we got there for the 2:30pm seating. It was fun to start, but then the DJ shut down around 3:30pm, so the vibe calmed down a bit. I will say you have to try the sushi pizzetta. I am still dreaming about it and determined to recreate it at home. Nikki beach is known for its Sunday afternoon party, so that’s the time to go if you there! Unfortunately, we arrived Sunday night, so we missed that party.
Shellona Beach: Located on the beautiful Shell Beach where we tendered up from our catamaran, this place was a fun scene right on the beach. I enjoyed a fried chicken sandwich that came highly recommended from the waiter and it was on one of the best buns I’ve ever put in my mouth! I would not have ordered chicken if he didn’t recommend it, but I am so glad I did and actually enjoyed a little break from the TONS of seafood we were eating.
Gyp Sea Beach: This was another beach club that is close to Nikki Beach and was a pretty big restaurant. We had a nice table to start and then we got a little rain shower and had to sit towards the back of the restaurant. I thought the food was probably our least favorite and it seemed to be less of a “scene” or dance party compared to our other spots.
La Guerite: Another beach club located right on the beach just next to Nikki Beach. We didn’t make it to this lunch spot, but we heard great things about it. Apparently it is the place to be on Wednesday nights which we didn’t make it to either.
Sand Bar at Eden Rock: We enjoyed drinks and apps here one day as well as having lunch at this iconic hotel. Put this on your list of places that you have to stop and see. They have a beautiful bar, beach and great little shop to stop and peek in. It is built on the rocks the jet out over the beach and has some pretty wild architechture. I hear their dinner is fabulous too.
Ti”Corail: This is supposed to be a pretty under-the-radar favorite of locals that is located on grand cul-de-sac which was really close to our house. I was sad we couldn’t squeeze this in because it has beautiful views but yet it’s like a food truck without wheels having delicious fresh seafood and produce. Next time!
Le Tamarin: This restaurant located in the jungle comes highly recommended and the decor really is beautiful. It is located in the middle of the island, so not on a beach, but you really feel like you are in a serene, tropical jungle. I thought my whole fish meal was just okay, but I highly recommend the Mahi dish in coconut broth. It was so unique and delicious.
Le Petite Plage: This was one of our very favorite dinners and was such a fun scene. We were here on a Thursday night heading into the weekend and it was quite the party! We had a 9:30pm seating and they had us dancing on the tables right out the gate. This place parties until late in the evening.
Bagatelle: Similar to Le Petit Plage, Bagatelle is known for its upbeat party scene and a fun place to celebrate. We went here on a Tuesday night and they had a woman walking around singing which was beautiful, but I will say it didn’t feel like a huge party vibe. I forget what night it is, but they have a special night that is supposed to be a fun white party I think.
Le Ti: This is one spot that I had read about before our trip, but we didn’t make reservations before our trip. Thank goodness we had a night to squeeze it in and this ended up being one of our very favorite nights on the trip!! It is dinner and a show and our crowd loved it!! It is risqué and I am sure it is not for everyone, but as long as you know what you are getting into and don’t mind seeing beautiful women doing choreographed dances, then this is for you! Don’t miss out on the Pandora’s box cocktail!!!
Private Chef @Take.Your.Chef: We had a private chef come to our house one night and we absolutely loved him. We had a fantastic meal and it was so wonderful to come home from our long day out on the boat and they had made themselves at home in our kitchen and decorated a beautiful table out on our back deck. The ambiance was perfect and all the food was delicious.
L’isola: This was an authentic Italian restaurant that I read great reviews about and would have loved to squeeze into our trip but we didn’t make it here. I LOVE good Italian, so I was sad we missed it.
Le Cafe: This spot came highly recommended as well and we didn’t make it here, but it is located in heart of the port in Gustavia and is known for its French meets Caribbean cuisine. At night, it turns into a piano bar every evening which I know our group would have loved!
Le Select: this is official home of Jimmy Buffet’s Cheeseburger in Paradise and a casual spot to grab a beer or burger if you want something simple when shopping in the Gustavia area. It is right next to the Rolex store with lots of outdoor seating.
L’isoletta: Perfect pick for fabulous pizza and wine and a more casual environment if you are in the Gustavia area.
Black Ginger: A Thai restaurant that came highly recommended!
Bonito: This is a French-pan American style restaurant that we didn’t make it to but I also heard was great. They have a sister restaurant in Aspen called Betulas if you have ever been there!

THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN ST. BARTHS

I am a little embarrassed to say that most everything we did on the island was eat, drink and hang out!! With that said, I felt like we were SO BUSY the entire trip. The ironic thing about our vacation is that we wore our swim suits and cover ups every single day of the trip, but we never once laid out on the beach and really hardly jumped into the water! That doesn’t have to be the case, but that’s how it went for us this trip.

Rent a boat for the day: We did rent a private catamaran for the day on our trip, so on this day we did enjoy jumping into the water and laying out in our swimsuits on this day. We rented through St. Barths Sailing and it was a 47ft Nautitech and the captain and mate were great. They provided water, beers and rum punch. We picked up the boat in Gustavia and sailed around some of the beaches over there and stopped for lunch at Shellona. This was a great time to be able to see some of the beaches on the other side of the island from where we were staying.
Shop around in Gustavia: We really only had about an hour or so to hit the shops in Gustavia and walk around. We did this after our boat day and I was glad to get to see some of this area. They have designer shops and some great local shops to get anything from local knick knacks to Rolex watches or Hermes scarves. We had some fun in the Poupettes St. Barths flagship store.
Rent a Moke and Explore the Island: I mentioned above that we didn’t have the best luck with our Moke which was true. I would maybe consider renting one just for the day if you wanted to tour the island yourselves for a bit and enjoy the fresh air and site-seeing.
Swim with Turtles at Anse du Grand Cul-de-Sac Lagoon: I wish we had done this because we were so close to this spot but we didn’t make it. This is situated near the Rosewood Hotel, so for a day adventure; you could go to the Rosewood and rent some beach chairs — you don’t have to be a hotel guest to do this! You could enjoy lunch there and swim in the lagoon where there are super shallow waters so you can walk around and try to see the sea turtles in the area.
Sunset drinks at Hotel Christopher: This is supposed to the the very best spot on the whole island to get the sunset views. Hopefully we make it here next time.
Hiking to Grand Fond Natural Pool: I hear this is really cool and apparently a bit of a well-kept secret. It sounds like a pretty good hike taking about 20-30 minutes where tennis shoes (but wear your swimsuit) are required and you are walking cliffside for a good bit of it. But you ultimately end up in a beautiful natural pool with some really pretty sites along the way. It is not suggested for kids to take this hike even though they would probably have some fun seeing goats and other animals along the way and enjoying the protective pool at the end of the hike!
Hike to Columbier Beach: This is also supposed to be a beautiful hike that takes around 30 minutes. You hike to a private and pristine beach that we were able to go to by boat, so we didn’t do the hike, but it is a spot that you might want to enjoy with a picnic lunch. You could grab some food from Eden-to-go and make a day out of it and don’t forget water. You will also want to wear tennis shoes and bring a towel and swimsuit to enjoy the beautiful water when you get there.
Rent a day bed at Gypsea Beach club, Nikki Beach, or Shellona: If you want a day to sit and enjoy the beach, you can always rent a day bed at one of these spots as well and enjoy the food for lunch.
Book at Spa Day: We didn’t make it to any spas this trip, but I hear there are some beautiful ones and if I was on a girls trip or just with my husband; I would probably indulge in this.
Hotel Hop: There are so many beautiful hotels around the island, you may just enjoy stopping in a few of them and grab a bite or a cocktail at each spot. Most of them have a really cute little shop and it’s fun to see how each one is unique. We stopped in the Remy Bar at Eden Rock as well as the outdoor bar at the Rosewood and I loved seeing both spots.

THE BEST TIME TO VISIT ST. BARTHS

I think like many of the Caribbean islands, this spot is happening in the winter months with the Christmas and New Years holiday being the most crowded. I heard that they had around 200 yachts in the harbor around New Years this past year.

We visited the first week of February and I have to say, it certainly never felt too crowded. I do think that it is exclusive because it can be hard to get to and of course it is expensive as well. During these winter months, you do still experience colder water temperatures. We were able to swim in the water, but it is a bit chilly. We also had a pool at our villa that they said was heated, but it was pretty chilly as well which kept us out of it for most of the trip. The temperature during our entire stay was absolutely perfect though. We loved that it was warm, but not too warm, and there was a tiny breeze that kept us cooler the whole time.

I imagine the Summer months are beautiful and I am sure it is plenty crowded. I would love to visit again in the Summer even though I am sure it is quite a bit hotter.

OUR ITINERARY FOR ST. BARTHS

I always find these helpful when planning a trip if someone shares their exact itinerary. Not that you will copy it exactly, but it helps to give a good idea of how to approach the destination and what your days may look like. So hopefully this is helpful to you for me to share:

Sun Feb 2
5:37pm Arrival to St Barths
Check into Villa Hemingway
9:30pm Dinner at Tamarin

Mon 3rd
2:30pm Lunch at Nao beach
9:30pm Dinner at Bagatelle

Tue 4th
2:30pm Lunch at Nikki Beach
9pm Dinner at Le Ti

Wed 5th
10am – 530pm Boat Day
12:30pm Stop for Lunch at Shellona
8pm Chef at the Villa

Thur 6th
12:30pm Gyp Sea Beach Club for Lunch and Beach Chairs
9:30pm Dinner at Le Petite Plage

Fri 7th
11am Check out of Villa
Lunch at Remy Bar at Eden Rock
2:50pm Depart St. Barths

WHAT TO PACK FOR ST. BARTHS

Here is a look at items I packed for this trip. I will explain that basically every single day that you wear a bathing suit and a “chic” coverup. You see lots of crochet on the island and cute cover up styles. You can wear sandals and lots of the lunch spots have sand floors, so keep that in mind when considering shoes.

At night, you can wear a fun sun dress and wedges and I think that is perfect. You see people dressed up (we wore sequins one night just for fun) and yet also, beach casual. The men can wear shorts and button downs at night and then during the day they were in bathing suits with t-shirts or polos. It seemed like pretty much anything goes. My husband brought a sports coat that he wore one or two of the nights, but it definitely wasn’t required.

I linked items the best that I could. Some of the exact items that I wore were older and no longer available, so I did my best to share similar versions. You can also find my full post on everything I packed here.

:: Shop the Post::

FINAL THOUGHTS FOR OUR STAY IN ST. BARTHS

As I mentioned above, I truly felt like this was a bit of a one-of – a -kind island. It was different than the other islands we have visited and I loved that. It was much more of a classy, party vibe and a late night scene from other islands we have been to. Of course, that doesn’t have to be the direction you take. You can certainly go for a more relaxed, casual feel to this trip too if you desire and keep your lunches and dinners to the early seatings and be home by 9:30pm and asleep.

Our days just happened to be more of midnight to 1am bedtimes and then we slept in until 11am or so before we got our days started. It was pretty wild, but it just worked that way. You can certainly wake up, put your work out clothes on and go walk or hike to get your day started before venturing to your first lunch seating of the day too. This island may not be everyone’s cup of tea and I can recognize that. It definitely a fun place to experience and I think Matt and I will definitely venture back at some point. I will also mention that we only ever saw about 4 kids our entire stay on this island. It is not a place that I would recommend for small kids at all. Typically, when Matt and I travel some place without the kids; I am always saying how I can’t wait to bring the kids back here one day. That was not the case with St. Barths. It really is an adult island in my opinion.

If you have the opportunity to go celebrate a special birthday here, I would highly recommend it. I also truly enjoyed being able to experience this with friends. It was a fun island to have friends with us to experience each of these beach clubs and fun restaurants. I would recommend looking into a villa if you have three couples or more. It was fun to have our own place and then be able to venture to see other hotels, etc. If you are celebrating a special milestone, I came across this cute party store, Happy days design and party store, which is a balloon designer on St Barths that I saw and looked like they did a fabulous job if you are celebrating something special and want to enjoy some fun swag.

I hope this is helpful and answers any question. I felt like there was a lot of unknown when I was planning my trip and it was helpful to be able to read reviews and recommendations from other people. Best of luck and don’t hesitate to reach out and ask a question if you need any help!

“Annie’s saying Au Revoir to her Thirties, Bonjour to her forties in St. Barths.”