Saint Barthélemy (aka St. Barths) has long been a playground for celebrities, models and “it girls.” While that might immediately make you think St. Barth’s is uber exclusive (it is), it’s also totally unpretentious. A French overseas territory, the island blends the best of laid-back Caribbean flair with the French sophistication of the Côte d’Azur. Another island paradise so close to Sint Maarten with beautiful beaches, excellent snorkeling and diving and home to the cheeseburger Jimmy Buffet sang about, a day trip to St. Barth’s is simply a must.
There are no regularly scheduled flights to the island of Saint Barthélemy, unless you charter a plane to the tiny Gustaf III Airport. And it’s definitely not for the faint of heart – the airstrip is so small that pilots are required to complete special training to land there. Since most of us don’t have our own private jets and probably don’t go around chartering them very often, most visitors to St. Barth’s arrive via Princess Juliana Airport on the nearby island of St. Maarten and then hire a boat or take the 45-minute ferry ride over. There’s also a variety of companies offering day trips from Sint Maarten, like this St. Barths day trip where you tour the island in a Mini Cooper with a local guide.
If you only have a day to explore, take a taxi tour of the island. A 45-minute tour goes from the picture-perfect capital of Gustavia through Colombier, the dramatic vistas of Flamands, Corossol and Public, before returning to Gustavia.
St. Barth’s also has 16 beautiful beaches to explore, each one unique. Most of the beaches are pretty bare bones without any tikki huts or services, and that’s not a bad thing. Just be sure to bring your own water, snacks and towels to nearly all of the beaches.
If you’re looking for a more vibrant beach scene with a restaurant, plush loungers and interesting people watching, you’ll want to head to the posh Nikki Beach. Even Beyoncé has partied at Nikki Beach. Just be sure to make a reservation at least 24 hours in advance.
Visit Le Select, an iconic dive bar, in Gustavia for lunch. It is not just any snack bar; it is THE snack bar with its burgers and the famous Marius Special, named after its owner and local celebrity Marius Stakelborough. Everybody on the island comes here for a cool beer and a burger. Jimmy Buffet, a regular customer, has made it famous by finding inspiration here for his song “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. Literally served with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french fried potato, and a big kosher pickle all on a paper plate. Though Parrotheads do make the pilgrimage to Le Select, it’s the farthest thing from a a tourist trap.
Take time to visit the shops of Gustavia before heading back to Sint Maarten on the ferry. Everything from perfumes to liquor and designer duds are duty-free on the island. You’ll find famous French designers such as Hèrmes, Louis Vuitton, Chopard, Bulgari and Cartier lining the little backstreets of Gustavia. Mind the European hours: stores generally close between noon and 2pm on weekdays and after noon on Wednesdays and weekends.
If you can, charter a boat and head out for snorkeling and swimming at Ile Fourche, a deserted island that was once inhabited by goats. It’s part of St. Barth’s marine reserve and located halfway between St. Maarten and St. Barth’s. The island offers boats a nice, calm place to moor and you only have to jump overboard to see colorful reef fish, turtles, rays and sometimes even some barracuda. It’s also a popular spot to watch a panoramic view of sunset from atop one of Ile Fourche’s five hills.
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Steph and Zach Dorworth says
Wow, love the red roofs on all the buildings! Looks like a good place for a quick visit. Especially love the blue water. Hope to go someday!
Tamara Elliott says
Oh my gosh the water is so blue! I love the idea of visiting as a day trip, since I”m not sure my wallet could handle staying there much longer 😉
Nace Sapundjiev says
St. Barth’s looks like a great day trip from St. Maarten. Thanks for the tips, the dive bar looks like a must taste place 🙂
Jenn and Ed Coleman says
We would be a fan of the bare bone beaches and would have to have a cheeseburger in paradise but I think the marine park would be the cherry on top. The water looks so warm and so beautiful and I love swimming with turtles.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
We’ve always loved snorkeling in the Caribbean. The water is nice and warm, and usually has good visibility too. Now we’re dive certified, we’d love to go back to do some diving!
Kirstie says
I was wondering how much would it be to rent a yacht there, do you have any idea? That place is beautiful and is that sand actually white? It’s beautiful. I think I’d enjoy it with “the” burger.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
That’s really difficult to answer. There are all different kinds of yachts – crewed motor yachts, sailing yachts or even catamarans and speedboats. So it would really depend on what type of boat, the size and how long you were renting it for. It could really be anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars for a day to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a week or more.
Skye Class says
Wow, I\’d never even heard of St. Barths, and I thought I was familiar with all the Caribbean islands. I\’d love to visit, especially now in the wake of the hurricane to help with the economy and any other way I can. I\’m particularly interested in those beaches devoid of tourism. That\’s my kind of place!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Yes, St. Barts also had some resorts destroyed but the island didn’t have nearly as much damage as nearby St. Maarten. The new season will start in November and the majority of businesses have worked very hard over the weeks since Hurricane Irma and most are reporting they will re-open for the November tourism season. Princess Juliana Airport reopened accepting commercial flights since October 10 and the airport on St. Bart’s is also open with some flights available from within the Caribbean. These islands definitely need tourists to return to help the economy after much or all was destroyed.
Elaine J Masters says
I had a chance to visit the island long ago and it was intensely romantic. Very pretty people and wonderful snorkeling. We came over via Catamaran and that was wonderful as well.
Jenna says
St. Barths has always been on my list of islands I want to visit, and a day trip from Sint Maarten sounds like a fun way to see the island! I like that a lot of the beaches are more bare bones—we always like those better, but Nikki Beach would be fun to check out for a bit too. Snorkeling and swimming at Ile Fourche sounds like a really great adventure, as well!
Nancy says
I have wanted to visit St. Barths for years. I didn’t realize the airport was so sketchy – yikes! Even if I had a private jet, I would vote for St. Maarten and a boat hire. Thanks for the suggestions. Nikki Beach seems to be in all of the popular (and post spots). We spend a few nights next to Nikki Beach on Ibiza – fun times!
Kim says
Wow, I must have been living under a rock because surprising I never heard of St. Barths before your post! 16 unique beaches? Count me in! Will definitely have to look into this stunning island some more, I’ve been meaning to head to the Caribbean.