Nearby Café Home > Food & Travel > > Motion: A Travel Journal > Issue 1


Sexy St. Barts
Text and photos by Rose Hartman

A magical setting, fabulous beaches, fine food, and high style make St. Barts the perfect escape.

Shaped like a soprano sax, St. Barts covers only 9-1/2 square miles, yet is internationally known among island connoisseurs as the prized jewel of the French West Indies: a sleek, chic hideaway that lies between Antigua and St. Thomas.

 

photo by Rose Hartman

photo by Rose Hartman
Typical beach, St. Barts

After a 10-minute flight from St. Martin, a wispy little STOL aircraft makes a stomach-churning landing on the island's postage-stamp airstrip.

Driving around in a rental jeep or mini-moke, there is nothing anywhere to jolt one's aesthetic sense. Everything from the seascape to the landscape is so perfect, like the stage sets of a happy '50s movie.

In spite of an occasional British invasion, a brief takeover by the Knights of Malta, and a near-century of Swedish rule, St. Barts has remained firm in its Frenchness throughout its history.

While English is widely spoken, the island's specialness is definitely French. From the early-morning fragrance of fresh croissants and café au lait to duty-free boutiques full of designer playclothes, from its incredible array of three-star restaurants to its markets stocked with an impeccable array of French cheeses, wines, mineral waters, and chocolates, from the Gauloise-puffing motorbikers revving around hairpin curves to the bronzed monokinied beauties decorating its pristine beaches, St. Barts is Gallic through and through - a pastel-colored slice of serene Normandy, Brittany and the Riveria transplanted to the turquoise waters of the Caribbean.

 

The romantic streets of the harbour town of Gustavia offer a mix of French, Colonial Creole, and Swedish style. In addition to its cafés, art galleries, wine shops, and designer boutiques, tiny St. Barts has room for several fully equipped gyms, presumably for the use of European princesses and the visiting models (Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell) and movie stars (Uma Thurman, Brad Pitt, Demi Moore, Harrison Ford) whose livelihoods depend on their not missing a daily workout.

Outside of Gustavia, the island resembles a Garden of Eden, with a profusion of poincianas, ginger flowers, baby orchids and frangipani everywhere. On the eastern side of the island, known as Grand Frond, one lone house - once owned by Rudolph Nureyev - perches on the rocks at the ocean's edge. At Lorient, local fishermen work as they always have.

photo by Rose Hartman
Gustavia, capitol of St. Barts

The larger Grand Cul-de-Sac is a tourist enclave of million-dollar villas. To find the last threads of traditional life, visit the fishing village of Corossol on the southwestern coast, where old St. Bartian women still weave Panama hats and other handicrafts from latanier palms. (There are no street numbers on the island; instead, road signs point to a particular district).

Most of the hotels are small and atmospheric, and among the most expensive in the Caribbean. Many people return to the same inn or villa year after year. That's why reservations for the most desirable properties should be made a year in advance. Some favorites include the 40-room Christopher Hotel with high-quality furnishings, the island's largest swimming pool, and a full-service fitness center; overlooking Gustavia harbor, the Hotel Carl Gustaf's red-tiled, gleaming suites have huge decks, plunge pools, TVs, faxes, stereos, and kitchens. The poolside bar is a must at sunset, and the elegant open-air restaurant is one of the most spectacular on the island.

Set on a remote hillside, Le Toiny's dozen cottages, each with small pool, colonial-style mahogany furniture including four-poster beds, modern kitchen, and TV/VCR is a favorite jet-set haunt; there's a French restaurant and a large communal pool as well. Located on St. Jean, one of the island's better beaches, Filao Beach Hotel boasts 30 air-conditioned bungalows, perfumed gardens, large pool, windsurfing and snorkeling.

photo by Rose Hartman
Gustavia harbor, St. Barts

Nearby, Eden Rock sits on a craggy rock jutting into the sea, a tropical country house highlighted by eighteenth-century furniture and presided over by a parrot whose party piece is a wolf whistle. Even if you don't stay in any of its five rooms, book a table for a dinner of avocado-and-tuna mousse, Veuve Clicquot, fish in ginger sauce, marbled chocolate cake, and cognac.

Text and photos copyright ©1998 by Rose Hartman, T/F (212) 242-2933
All rights reserved.