Eden Rock Hotel - Island Information
St. Barts, short for Saint-Barthelemy, has 8-square miles of lush volcanic hillsides and 32 splendid white sandy beaches, most of which are protected by both cliff and reef. St. Barts 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. St. Barts has become a very posh vacation spot. The Rockefellers, Fords, and Rothschilds own property on the island, while many other rich, royal and famous visitors stay in the luxury villas around the coast of the island. Gustavia is the island's port and offers rental equipment for windsurfing, snorkeling, water-skiing and sailing. Several catamarans offer sailing and snorkeling cruises. Toiny is the windsurfers' favorite beach and snorkeling is best at Marigot. The port is also home to several well-known French shops, such as Cartier. The small crowd of locals is mostly young, chic, and French. Petite Anse de Galet, also known as Shell Beach because it is covered in shells not sand, is in Gustavia as well. Swimming is safe and searching for exotic shells is popular. Other beaches not to be missed include Gouverneur. You must take a dirt road leading down to the beach. The road offers lovely panoramic views of the neighboring islands and the beach itself is a private getaway with white sand and palm trees for shade. It is also a very good spot for snorkeling. Most of St. Barts' nightlife starts around the bars at Bay Saint Jean. Several nightclubs are open for dancing and drinks. The hotels also sponsor Cabaret performances throughout the week in the wintertime. A music festival is held annually in January with two weeks of classical, folk, jazz music and ballet performed by local school children, guest artists and musicians from abroad. Musicians usually come out at night to showcase their talents at the local hot spots. On the last weekend in April, the St. Bart Festival of Caribbean Cinema, a small, informal festival for filmmakers throughout the Caribbean, shows films in their original language with French subtitles. In St. Barts, August proves to be the month of festivity. The Festival of Gustavia is August 20 and features dragnet fishing contests, dances and parties. On August 24, the island rejoices over their patron. There are regattas, fireworks and a public ball. On August 25, the Feast of St. Louis is celebrated in the village of Corossol, with a fishing festival, dancing and fireworks. All of which come with the inevitable late night celebrations.
