Isle de St. Barthélemy is located in the northeastern corner of the Caribbean Sea, 4400 miles
from Paris, 1700 miles from New York, 125 miles east from Puerto Rico, and 15 miles southeast
from St. Maarten.
It is small, a little more than eight square miles. Steep hills divide the island into several valleys,
usually open on one side to the sea. Each valley is distinctive, with unique variations of topography,
flora, density of settlement, and character of architecture. This creates the illusion of being
in a much larger place.
The shoreline includes fourteen beaches of various sizes, all covered with gleaming white sand.
Many are protected from ocean swells by a fringing reef; all, by law, are public and free. Several
offshore areas are included in a Marine Reserve.
The climate is arid tropical maritime, which means that it rarely rains, and that year round temperatures
range from 72° to 86°F. Typically, a light easterly trade wind ruffles hair and palm fronds, and an
endless parade of puffy white clouds drifts slowly from horizon to horizon.
There is one town, and a dozen villages, distributed more or less evenly over the landscape.
One of the best things about St. Barths is the quality and variety of the food. This is true not only in
numerous local restaurants, but in many local homes and villas as well, due to the unusually wide
range of foodstuffs available at local grocery stores, and due to the quality of local catering services.
Shopping for food in St. Barths can be a delightful pastime. Local chefs, combining regional ingredients
with French and Italian traditions, have made St Barths a gastronomic showcase, unique in the region.
Unlike most Caribbean vacation destinations, almost half the beds available to St. Barths visitors are
in privately owned villas. Most hotels are quite small, often family run: personal, rather than
professional, in character.
There is a handful of full service hotels, with all the usual amenities, but even among these, the largest
has only 76 rooms. The others have half that. This is not an accident. Local authorities, to
their credit, have long recognized that excessive development is bad for everyone, and have
severely restricted the size and style of hotel construction.
If you want to learn more about the island of St. Barths, please visit the
official web site of the St. Barths Tourism Board at http://www.st-barths.com.
St. Barths
