The Field Guide
Practical, independent advice for planning a trip to Saint-Barthélemy, organized into six sections. Search for a topic, or browse the section that answers your question.
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All fourteen of them, and which to choose for swimming, snorkeling, families or a quiet afternoon.
Colombier is the beach at the north-west tip of St Barts with no road: a twenty-five minute coastal walk from Flamands, or a boat anchoring off the sand. Clear, calm water, some of the best beach snorkeling on the island, turtles, and nothing for sale. The trail, the boat, the timing, and the villas on the hills above.
Toiny is the rugged south-east coast of St Barts: beautiful, almost always empty, and no place for a casual swim. Real surf and current, the coast walk when the swell is up, the Natural Pool at Grand Fond nearby, one hotel alone on the hillside, and why people choose this side for total seclusion.
Anse du Gouverneur is the most dramatic beach on St Barts: a steep road, a wide view, a perfect curve of sand with nothing built behind it. Parking, shade, the sea, sargassum, when to come, and the secluded villas on the hills above.
Corossol is a working fishing village on the west coast of St Barts with a small, sheltered beach: pulled-up boats, local life, an easy snorkel on a calm day, and none of the polish of St Jean. Why it is worth the short drive, when to come, and where to eat.
Anse de Grande Saline is the beach people picture when they picture St Barts: a wide curve of pale sand behind a dune, with no buildings, no shade and nothing for sale. The car park, the walk over the dune, the sea, Le Tamarin for lunch, and the villas nearby.
The St Barth beaches that stay calm and uncrowded, led by Corossol, the underrated local favorite most visitors never reach.
St Barth has around 14 beaches, and all of them are public and free. This guide covers which one to pick for snorkeling, sunsets, families, seclusion or a proper swim.
How sargassum works in St Barts, when it arrives, why leeward beaches stay clearer, and how to check conditions the day before you go.
Shell Beach is the one St Barth beach you can walk to. Here is the easiest beach day on the island, plus the best spots in Gustavia for sunset.
Where to snorkel straight from the beach in St Barth: a local guide to Shell Beach, St Jean, Corossol and Gouverneur, and when a boat is worth it.
Which St Barth beaches really work with young children: calm, shallow water, easy access and some shade, plus the ones to skip with toddlers.
Villas, hotels and the neighborhoods that suit how you travel.
Where to stay in St Barts, neighborhood by neighborhood: Gustavia, St Jean, Flamands, Grand Cul-de-Sac, Lorient and the hillsides, matched to your trip by people who live here.
Flamands has the longest beach on St Barts, a handful of hotels from the island’s only Palace to simple auberges, and a quiet, out-of-the-way feel. What to know about the sea, the drive to dinner, the Colombier trail and the villas above the bay.
Gustavia is the harbour capital of St Barts and the only place on the island where you can walk out to dinner, a drink and a beach. What staying here is really like, where to park, what happens on Sundays, and the villas on the slopes above the town.
Villa or hotel for a first trip to St Barts? An honest, non-salesy take: why a hotel often wins the maiden visit, and when a villa becomes the better call.
Grand Cul-de-Sac is the calm lagoon end of St Barts: shallow, reef-protected water, turtles under the surface, kitesurfers at the far end and a cluster of hotels on the sand. What staying here is like, when the lagoon catches sargassum, and the villas around the bay.
Lorient is where a lot of residents go: a calmer beach with a little shade, a surf spot when the swell is up, a couple of shops, a petrol station that never closes, and a quieter, more local feel than St Jean. What staying here is like, and the villas above the village.
Pointe Milou is the hillside point on the north-east of St Barts where people go for views and privacy: one hotel with a genuinely good table, the island’s cabaret institution, and villas facing the sunrise or the sunset. What to ask before you book.
An honest resident’s look at what makes a St Barts trip cost what it does, from villas and season to the car and dining, and how to get real value.
St Jean is the central, practical base of St Barts: a calm, social beach under the airport approach, the beach clubs, shops and the island’s busiest bay. What staying here is like, what to know about parking and noise, and the villas on the slopes around the bay.
How feeding a villa in St Barts really works: where to shop, what it costs, how a provisioning service stocks the kitchen before you land, and when a private chef is worth it.
An independent guide to the best hotels in St Barts, from the island’s only Palace to the design-led five-stars and the smaller places that are better value than they look.
When to book, how deposits work, what to check before you sign, and how to avoid the mistakes and scams. A practical guide to renting a villa in St Barts safely.
A resident’s guide to a romantic St Barts trip: villa or boutique hotel, quiet beaches for two, a private boat day, sunsets, and when to book.
What a St Barts villa really comes with, what a concierge actually does, and when the full-service route is worth it. An honest look from a company that runs both.
Is St Barts good with a baby? The calm lagoons for little ones, why a villa beats a hotel, getting around with a car seat, and how a concierge sources the gear.
A practical guide to renting a villa in St Barts: what a villa gives you, what it costs across the seasons, how far ahead to book, and how to choose the right one.
How to do St Barts as a big group or several families: why one villa beats separate hotel rooms, choosing the right house, and the logistics to plan first.
From beach shacks to the tables worth booking weeks ahead.
How the St Barts low season really works: what closes from September into October, what stays open, and why we confirm every address close to the date.
The reopening dates of St Barts restaurants and hotel tables for the 2026-2027 season, from the island’s restaurateurs’ association: what is open now, what reopens in October and November, and what is still to be confirmed.
Do you tip in St Barts? What currency to bring, whether cards are accepted, and how tipping really works on a French island where service is already included.
An independent guide to the best restaurants in St Barts: the destination tables, the Italian favorites, the sunset spots, and the local places visitors miss.
A local’s guide to the best restaurants in Gustavia, St Barts: the harbour dining rooms, the Italian tables and the lunch spot most visitors walk past.
Where to eat with your feet in the sand in St Barts. A guide to the best beach restaurants, the beach clubs and the calm garden tables, beach by beach.
Boat days, hikes and the experiences that earn a place in your week.
St Barts was Swedish for nearly a century. How that happened, why the capital is called Gustavia, why the island is duty-free, and the Swedish traces you can still see.
New Year in St Barts is the Caribbean’s biggest party: superyachts, villas booked a year ahead and tables reserved weeks out. How the 2026 edition really works, and how to plan it, by people who live here.
How weddings work in St Barts: villa and beach settings, why most couples celebrate here and marry legally at home, and how to plan an intimate island wedding.
Which islands you can visit on a day trip from St Barts, how to get to Anguilla and beyond by boat, why you need your passport, and when to just stay put.
How to spend a day on the water in St Barts: where to go by boat, what a boat day involves, choosing a private charter or a shared trip, and island hopping.
St Barts is a duty-free island known for luxury shopping. Where to shop, street by street, what is really cheaper, what is not, and how the island’s opening hours work.
What diving in St Barts is really like: the marine reserve, easy reef dives, dive centres in Gustavia, trying it as a beginner, and when to add a day trip to Saba.
A St Barts resident’s guide to a family trip: villa vs hotel, cars and car seats, calm reef lagoons, easy days, and when to come with children.
Where to find the best views and photos in St Barts: the airport plane-watching hill, the forts above Gustavia, the sunset spots, and the island’s high point.
How to stay well in St Barts: hotel spas, a massage therapist to your villa, yoga and gyms, and why the island itself does much of the wellness work.
An honest guide to the best things to do in St Barts: the beaches, a day on the water, the Colombier hike, Gustavia and the Sunday market, plus what to skip.
A guide to hiking in St Barts: the beautiful coastal walk to Colombier beach, the Natural Pool at Grand Fond, the viewpoint walks, and what to bring.
Flights, the St Maarten connection and that famous landing.
How to get to St Barts: there is no long-haul airport, so you connect through St Maarten, then take a fifteen-minute flight or a ferry. The trip as people who live here do it.
How to stay online in St Barts: villa and hotel wifi, whether your phone will roam, the roaming trap most visitors miss, and when an eSIM makes sense.
What to pack for St Barts and what to wear: the chic-but-casual dress code, smart resort wear for dinner, the small-plane luggage limits, and what people always forget.
A St Barts resident’s candid list of the mistakes first-timers make, from taxis to timing to the SXM connection, with the fix for every one.
How the St Barts ferry works: where it leaves from on St Maarten, how long the crossing takes, what it costs, and when the ferry beats the small-plane flight.
What to expect at St Barts airport and on the island’s famous landing: the steep approach, whether it is safe, and how the small Gustaf III airport works.
When to visit St Barts, season by season, by people who live here: high and low season, the quiet weeks, weather, hurricanes and sargassum, crowds and prices.
A resident’s honest take on how long to stay in St Barts, with ranges by trip type and why the Saint-Martin connection eats your first and last day.
A resident’s honest comparison of St Barts and Saint-Martin, how the two islands connect by plane or ferry, and which one to base your trip in.
Why you need a car, what to rent, and how to drive the island.
You will want a car in St Barth. This guide covers how rentals work, what to expect on price, where to pick one up, and how the island’s narrow roads really drive.
Is St Barts safe, is there a hospital, do you need vaccinations, and can you drink the water? An honest, practical guide to staying healthy and safe on the island.
Can you visit St Barts without renting a car? A straight guide to taxis, private drivers, hotel shuttles, scooters and walking, and when you really do need your own wheels.
Do you need a car in St Barts? The honest answer depends on where you sleep. A resident’s take on walkable bases, the areas that demand wheels, and the no-drive options.
What driving in St Barts is really like: the steep narrow roads, the blind corners, where to park in Gustavia and St Jean, the fuel stations, and the local habits that keep it easy.