WHERE I WAS: SAINT BARTHS
From the moment your pilot clears the jagged mountainside and lines up his descent with only a 2,000-foot landing strip below - and everyone whips out their iPhones giddy with anticipation and fear- you know this is no ordinary Caribbean island, much less destination.
Suddenly the other hallmarks come into view:
There’s the busy roundabout at the hill’s peak, which you’ll soon be navigating in your Moke to dash to dinner in Gustavia…there are the sunbathers lolling on St Jean’s beach. You’ll soon join them too, when you’re not exploring this verdant, undulating island’s 14 other extraordinary, unspoiled beaches.
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As we dive down to touch down, I always remember reading somewhere how, on one man’s maiden first voyage here, he spotted a couple making love in the sand seemingly just below the plane’s wings, oblivious- or perhaps not. Regardless, they were a perfect harbinger of St Barth’s lusty and zestful vibe.
If you love ordering your morning cappuccino in French from someone you’d happily have that cappuccino with, on your way to swim in pristine waters so warm your toes don’t even flinch when you enter, or to shop for Japanese chef knives or a Pucci bikini, then Saint Barths is for you.
WHILE I WAS THERE
Our “home” and hearts will always remain chez Hotel Eden Roc, a place so special it defies explanation. Our breakfasts there make us swoon. At the very least, promise me you’ll treat yourself to their lunch at The Sandbar, with its extraordinary views of St Jean beach, complete with Casablanca-like planes taking off over the turquoise waters so close, you feel you could pluck them out of the air.
But guests get to lounge on the red and white striped sun beds, cupping an indulgent “Frosé,” the hotel's frozen rose concoction, that swirls out of a machine into mini snow cone cups, and which tastes like black currants kissed with sun.
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We have also been lucky enough to stay at Tropical, a delightfully cheerful boutique hotel perched on the hill above Saint Jean.
Gyp Sea, another boutique hotel with stunning views and a pool tucked inside its jungle-like setting. By the way, their beach club restaurant located down on pristine St Jean beach is festive and yummy and you don’t have to stay at the hotel to feast there…
If you stay at Gyp Sea, all you have to do is turn left outside the hotel’s driveway for a dramatic ocean walk along the road to get the entrance of…
La Columbier beach
Worth the steep trek down a shaded forest trail with the occasional tortoise cheering you on, to eventually arrive at this stunning beach cove, only accessible by foot or by boat.
Here’s how you find it!
Other water activities for the active!
Usually when we scuba, it involves a lengthy drive to get to the boat, only to motor out another hour before finally diving in. Not so in Saint Barths. After we grab our coconut mango smoothies and second capus of the day in Gustavia harbor, we walk a few blocks to its edge to meet the husband and wife team Emmanuel and Isabelle of Serial Divers. We hop in their sturdy little boat and within minutes, we are pulling up to the UNESCO-protected Les Îles des Saintes: Île Fourchue, Pain de Sucre, and Petite Islette, (even the names are chic!) all known for their vibrant underwater ecosystems with coral reefs, sea turtles, and tropical fish.
There’s nothing better than hearing your instructor say “Today we will be seeing large lobsterrrrrrs” in a wonderful French thrill, knowing that later you are going to eat langoustine over pasta for lunch at Shellona. (However, as soon as I saw this magnificent creature waving to me with its tentacles from his home tucked inside bright purple coral, I vowed I would never eat another.)
Right next door to Nao Beach, this offers one stop watersports with everything from e-foiling and wing-foiling to kite-surfing and sailing. Fun, safe instructors to boot.
By the way, our favorite instructor Bee, left to start her own island Concierge business. And her husband is a chef and will come to our rental to cook: perfect for large gatherings!
