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St Barths confuses you before anything else, since of the different spellings of the same identify. Have you ever wondered whether St Barths, was in truth the identical as St Barts, or for that matter St Barthelemy. Effectively in that case be reassured that all are one and 1 are all.
St Barthelemy is portion of the French West Indies just north 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 size, but like several other little things this kind of as precious stones it is highly prized and pricey which is why it has become a retreat for the rich and well-known., rock stars, pop stars, and even royalty.
This should not prevent you from going simply because it is a spectacular tiny island with lovely white sand seashores, turquoise sea, and pristine coral reefs, and nevertheless is really a lot a lot more akin to the South of France than the top caribbean resorts.
The purpose of course for this is the truth that St Barts and France have been closely connected for centuries and until finally this day it is even now element of the French overseas region of Guadeloupe. Oddly sufficient St Barths was after 1 of Sweden's couple of overseas outposts practically 3 hundred years in the past, but other than the identify of its red roofed capital Gustavia couple of reminders continue to be.
The primary factor to do on a St Barths Vacation is to chill out on the beach, and in spite of the minute dimension of the island there are much more than twenty magnificent beaches. 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 totally secluded bliss then go to Anse Colombier which can only be reached by boat or a half hour hike. You will uncover topless sunbathing, right after all this is France in the Caribbean, so if it embarrasses you, then keep away from Shell and Marechal Seashores.
The powerful French connections also implies that guests would do properly to be in a position to converse in French, and the currency is not the US dollar but the Euro. Apart from the language the most evident signal of the French influence is in the cuisine, and it is exceptional to discover it has 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 building, so no hotels can now be developed with above 12 rooms and so the greatest 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 individuals go for the quite upmarket villas.