St Barths is a beautiful tropical island in the Caribbean, and to holiday here is truly to arrive in paradise. Because there are a number of excellent hotels here, including well-known ones like the fabulous Eden Rock, St Barths will provide you with a high level of comfort, beautiful surroundings and a real taste of luxury.
You may be wondering what there is to do in one of the best luxury Caribbean resorts when you go on holiday, and luckily there are plenty of things to keep you busy when you are not relaxing on the tropical beaches. Here are some of the most popular attractions.
Gustavia Harbour
Gustavia is the capital of the island, and a perfect place to start your exploration when you stay in a hotel such as Eden Rock. St Barths has much to discover but the majority of the attractions are in the city, so this is the ideal setting off point. Gustavia harbour is a picturesque u-shape with an interesting historical background. The British invaded it in 1744 leading to the destruction of many buildings, but some of the newer buildings still remain.
Churches
There are a number of churches to visit in Gustavia, including the Anglican Church and the Catholic Church. The Anglican Church was built in 1885, and is located on a quaint and pretty road called the Rue du Centenaire; the Catholic Church is slightly older and grander – listen out for the bell ringing that can be heard across the island.
Musée Territorial
To find out more about the history of the island, a trip to this historical museum should be on your itinerary when you stay in a nearby hotel like Eden Rock. St Barths has a long and fascinating history, and this is a good place to delve a little deeper into its background. The museum is located at one end of La Pointe, housed inside a refurbished stone building. Here you can discover more about the island’s British, Swedish and French rule, and there are many paintings, old maps and photographs to bring the history to life.
The Lighthouse
Gustavia Lighthouse is not as old as some of the other attractions in the town, only dating back to 1961, but it is worth a visit nonetheless. It reaches up to 64 meters above sea level, and is still in use to this day.
There is much more to this stunning island than meets the eye, and much of it can be discovered on even a short break in a conveniently located hotel like Eden Rock. St Barths has many other things to offer the visitor, including a number of historical forts, so take the time to venture a little further than the beautiful beaches on your holiday – you’ll be glad you did.
Hotels such as Eden Rock St Barths are obviously influenced by this cultural mélange, as you will see by the superb attention to detail and cuisine offered by it, and indeed other establishments on the island. So here you will find all the advantages of the Caribbean’s warmth, produce and local ambience, whilst at the same time the incomparable French traditions of knowing how to enjoy yourself.
Today, based around resorts such as Eden Rock, St Barths is regarded as one of the more exclusive and up-market holiday destinations in the Caribbean Much of the holiday accommodation on the island is based around smaller, exclusive hotels and villas, and the capital of Gustavia is well known for chic shopping and unique boutiques.
A fair proportion of the holiday experience here revolves around the magnificent beaches, isolated coves and superb water sports, but there are also very real opportunities for walking and wildlife spotting. Unlike some other areas of the Caribbean, this island has worked hard to retain a degree of quiet charm in order to protect the interests of the discerning visitor.
Once you have visited places such as Eden Rock, St Barths, you may, indeed, find it difficult to go back to other less unique Caribbean destinations.