How to Spend a Week on St. Barths
St. Barths, short for St. Barthélemy, has long been regarded as a glamorous, celebrity-rich retreat. With its lush terrain, fantastic dining, posh beach clubs, and luxury shopping, this 11-mile long, French-owned island has quickly become one of my favorite places to visit.
When I began researching our first trip in 2024, I felt overwhelmed by the logistics of getting there as well as how to best maximize our time while on the island. I thought it would be helpful to share my planning process as well as insightful tips I learned (and wished I had known earlier!) about St. Barths.
Bottom line…St. Barths is just as gorgeous and luxurious as you would imagine it to be! In my opinion, it’s the perfect mix of boho and bougie.
There are plenty of articles that discuss the various ways you can get to St. Barth, so I’ll focus on the path we chose, which was pretty seamless. From Boston, we took a direct JetBlue flight to Sint Maarten (under four hours). Upon landing, we took a quick 15-minute Winair flight to St. Barths. One of the unique – and helpful – add-ons that I would suggest if you connect through Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten is to pay for an airport concierge service. I initially thought this wasn’t necessary, but I actually do think it helps to both ease and speed up your transfer. We’ve used Premium IV and it is a very smooth experience. Essentially when you land in Sint Maarten, an agent will meet you at the gate with your tickets for the connecting flight in hand. They fast track you through security and customs, get any bags you checked and put them on your next flight, helping you to quickly navigate through the airport to your next gate. In the event your first flight arrives early (or later), they also work to get you on your puddle jumper flight as soon as possible. The first time we visited, we shaved off a full hour of waiting at the airport for our flight to St. Barths and I credit their service! If you want to ensure you can start your vacation quickly, it’s worth the extra money for your journey.
Once on the island, I highly suggest a rental car. You can have one delivered to your hotel or villa, or go through an operator at the airport and pick it up upon landing. The main island cars are Mokes and Mini Coopers, so we opted for a Mini Cooper convertible, which was so fun to drive! The hotels and villas are spread out across the island, and in order to truly experience the landscape, beaches, and overall essence of St. Barths, you need wheels to explore! Be careful driving, as the roads are very narrow, and if you use the car to go to dinner, bring cash for the valet (none of them are complimentary and are typically 20 euros), as street parking can be limited to nonexistent.
Hotel or villa? We’ve done both, and I actually prefer the villa. You can rent a villa through Eden Rock, the premiere hotel on the island, and have access to a personal concierge, daily breakfast + juice delivery as well as all of their on-site amenities such as the fitness center and beach. I loved having the privacy of our own pool with jaw-dropping views! A villa is also conducive to group travel, so if you visit St. Barths with friends this would also be ideal.
The first year we visited the island, we stayed at the Le Barthélemy Hotel, which is set in Grand Cul-de-Sac, a beautiful cove that’s home to sea turtles. This hotel is owned by the same hospitality group as the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa we stayed at in Champagne, France. We loved swimming and kayaking in the clear water trying to spot them! You can’t go wrong with staying at a villa or a hotel; both would be a relaxing experience!
Since St. Barths is a French Caribbean island, almost everyone who works on the Island speaks French, many of them spending the winter on St. Barths and the summer on the Basque Coast or South of France (sounds like a great life to me!). Unlike when we visit France, I don’t feel as much of an expectation to try and converse in French, as everyone automatically greets and engages you in English. I thought this was interesting and something it wasn’t something I was expecting, as I secretly – not or so secretly – love to practice my limited French when we travel. For those that don’t know any French, you won’t have a problem!
The food scene on St. Barths is fantastic! There are so many amazing restaurants with fantastic food and a stellar ambiance that it’s hard to choose where to dine. No matter where you decide, make reservations well in advance and when it comes to dinner, 9:00 p.m. and later is when things are the most lively. Many of the restaurants have their own DJ and the vibes are unmatched! Our favorites are Tamarin, Bonito, L’Isola, Le Café and newcomer Mamo.
Gustavia is home to all the major designer labels – Valentino, Louis Vuitton and Hermès to name a few – as well as a handful of independently owned clothing and accessories shops (Malol and Clic were two of my favorites). I’d suggest exploring the main drag as well as the little side streets to ensure you don’t miss any hidden gems! I also really enjoyed the boutiques near Nikki Beach, which were stocked with colorful caftans, sea-inspired jewelry, linen separates, and beach chic attire. Don’t miss Lili Belle!
The unofficial dress code on the island is that anything goes! For women, you see everything from sexy, tight ensembles to flowy beach frocks to the latest Zimmermann dresses. For men, linen shirts, button ups, khakis, and the occasional lightweight blazer. When it comes to packing, a carry-on is easiest for flight transfers as it flies with you, whereas if you check a bag, it may come before or after you via the quick connecting flight. Just beware of the baggage weight limits for the small planes!
Since it’s an island, spending the day at the beach is a must! On St. Barths, this can mean a few different things…
You can choose to head to a local beach and experience the untapped, natural beauty of the island. I recommend Saline Beach or Gouverneur Beach for gorgeous views, long stretches of sand, and stunning turquoise water for swimming. We loved exploring the different beaches and experiencing a more “local” feel of the island.
Since we rented a villa through Eden Rock, we also enjoyed spending a few days at their beach. It’s fun to watch the planes come in and out of the Island and of course, enjoy a late lunch at SandBar!
Alternatively, you can go the beach club route, which is sure to be a lively fun time. On Sunday, Nikki Beach is THE place to be. They offer two seatings and the later 3:30 p.m. one is a total party and scene. You can come for lunch to enjoy fresh sushi, copious amounts of drinks, and amazing people watching as well as rent a sunbed for the day. As the sun gets closer to setting, the party starts to rage with the DJ spinning amazing songs, people ordering bottles after bottles, and soon after, dancing on tables! Word to the wise, plan a low key dinner or do room service that night if you do the later seating, as it will be a long afternoon.
We also loved lunch at La Guérite. This reminded me of a beach club in St. Tropez — it was so fun and chic — and it offers beach chairs for those who want to spend the day there.
Shellona is another spot where you can do sun beds and/or a leisurely lunch. Located on Shell Beach, aptly named for its shell-covered coastline, Shellona is great place to spend the day if you stay in a hotel or villa without a beach. The restaurant’s menu boasts fresh seafood and light, Mediterranean-inspired dishes — and if you’re a fan of spicy margaritas, you’ll have to order Shell Spicy Dream. I adore the views and ambiance from the restaurant!
On our recent trip, we did a day on the water via a private catamaran sail. This was one of my favorite days, as it was so relaxing and beautiful. We snorkeled off Colombier Beach with sea turtles and gorgeous blue fish, and as the day came to a close, had fantastic champagne watching the sun go down. I highly recommend booking through St. Barth Sailor. Our captain, Miguel, is a 5th generation island resident and was so hospitable and knowledgeable about all things St. Barths!
Sunsets on St. Barths are absolutely stunning. During the winter months, the sun goes down around 5:45 p.m., so you can head to a spot like Beef Bar for drinks and appetizers to hold you over before a late dinner OR choose to do a scenic island drive to take in the sunset views. I highly suggest driving up to the Gustavia Lighthouse for sunset. You can park along the street and take a quick walk up to the lookout point to experience gorgeous views of the harbor. We stumbled upon this area at golden hour and were blown away by the views!
I’m already dreaming of our next trip to this beautiful island! Have you been to St. Barths? Where are your favorite places?
The A-Lyst is a Boston-based lifestyle blog curating the very best of style, beauty, food, and travel.
