Being so close to St. Maarten, it was a must for us to visit St. Barts (St. Barthelemy) for a day. This is one of the Caribbean’s most pristine and exclusive islands, known as the playground for celebrities and the rich to flock to in the high season.
There are a few different options to get there, either take a ferry, which cost about 67EU per person, or you can hire a boat and explore on your own.
Our preferred option was to hire a private yacht, which picked us up from St. Maarten and took us around the island at our own pace. The ride over was only 30 minutes, which meant we were able to leave early in the morning and have a full day to explore. The ride over was quite rough, however once we were near St. Barts, the water had calmed right down. Keep in mind you do need to bring your passport with you as you need to present it to the officials before heading off to explore.
Once we made it to St. Barts, we thought it would be best to check out the island and explore before it got to hot. The island is absolutely breathtaking and reminds me of a small quaint village, something you only see in the movies.
It’s easy to get lost through all the small cobblestone streets on Quai de la République that lead to many high end boutiques and cafes in every direction. Our boat captain guided us around town to show us some of the main attractions and some of the best cafes.
We bought a few baked goods from one of the local bakeries and headed back to the boat to start making our way around the Island. The sun was shining and it was definitely time to check out some of the 22 secluded beaches we’ve heard so much about.
Powder white beaches and calm aqua blue water could be seen for miles ahead. With so many beaches to choose from, we decided to go with our captains pick and stop at the famous Nikki Beach.
This was a small quiet beach with only a few top end beach club restaurants. It was nice because the beach wasn’t overcrowded and you could really sit back and enjoy the afternoon. Our boat was too big to dock anywhere so we had to get a smaller transfer from the restaurants boat to get on shore.
The water here was unbelievably clear and warm. Sun chairs filled the beach and music was pumping from the restaurant. The Nikki Beach Restaurant is a popular oceanfront hot spot that many of the locals head to. I was surprised the food wasn’t as good as I expected, since it was rated one of the better beach front restaurants the island had to offer.
High season on the Island is the same to the rest of the Caribbean, from December to mid-April. This is when prices will sky rocket, beaches will be crowded and restaurants will pack out. However we visited in July (which is their low season) and the temperature was still amazing, and the prices were quite low. There are some restaurants that do close during the low season, but if you’re okay with not having the largest selection to choose from, it’s definitely worth checking out the island during the summer.
TIPS
- Beautiful white beaches & crystal clear water
- High end shopping
- Most things are overpriced
- Low season offers fantastic prices
- Little crime on the island
- Little humidity
- Off season is very rainy
- Boat ride from St. Maarten can be quite rough on the water
