Bryce and I started out 2021 with a beautiful trip to St. Barths with his entire family. It was our first time traveling there and we couldn’t have been more excited to experience a new place and some warmer winter weather! We spent one week there and it flew by! Somehow time always flies when we are on vacation and we were wishing for just a few more days in paradise. The island blends the sophistication of St. Tropez with the relaxed Caribbean lifestyle and it is perfection.
Well there are no direct flights to St. Barths, and if you are coming from California like we were you can expect to take 3 flights to get there. We flew to Miami, FL and spent the night there and then flew out the next morning to the Princess Juliana International airport on St. Maarten. Upon landing, there are two options, a 45 minute ferry or a 15 minute small plane ride to St. Barths. We opted to fly there and fun fact, the St. Barths runway is one of the shortest in commercial aviation and definitely not for the faint of heart. It seems like a little bit of a trek to get there but once you are there it makes it all worth it! Trust me. We already can’t wait to go back!
I also had a lot of questions about traveling right now and if I felt safe so I wanted to address that here. Yes I felt very safe traveling. Before you can get on an airplane to travel internationally, you have to have a negative Covid test within 72 hours. Then on the last day of our trip, we had someone come to our villa and test us all for Covid before we boarded our flight home (which is required by the US now). On all of our flights we wore a mask and sanitized constantly. The airplane seats are also wiped down after each flight before new passengers board so for a germaphobe like me this is probably the cleanest an airplane has ever been for traveling. I also have a travel rule that anytime I fly I shower immediately after getting off of an airplane to get any and all germs off of me. 🙂
Where to Stay?
We stayed in a beautiful villa at Cheval Blanc and it was absolutely perfect. We were steps from the beach, had a private plunge pool, an amazing butler that assisted with anything needed, plus we were all able to stay together (all 10 of us) and have plenty of space and be comfortable so this was perfect for a group. The resort itself has a beautifully elegant and romantic feel to it. The color scheme is pastel whites and pinks and the beach is expansive. We walked along it every day of our trip collecting heart shaped rocks which is something B and I do on every trip together.
There are a few other options to stay at as well- Eden Rock is really fun but a more sceney option, Le Sereno is hip and trendy yet private and designed by Christian Liaigre, and Hotel Le Toiny is a great option if you like complete seclusion.
Lunches are pretty low key, think Hawaii but elevated. Several restaurants are in the sand so sandals are a must. Most days we wore our swimsuits with nice coverups over them, big sunnies, and maybe a hat.
Our first day, we had lunch at our resort at La Cabane. It is the same restaurant that we had breakfast at every morning and just a few steps away from the sea. They have a great menu with a lot of variety (my favorite was the club sandwich with French fries).
Lil Rock Beach Club was another spot we tried. It’s also located on the beach in the sand and they had a ton of fresh seafood on the menu. I had the mahi mahi which was locally caught and delicious. It was packed with people and had a really fun vibe.
Sand Bar at Eden Rock was probably one of my favorite lunch spots. It had a buzz about it and I loved the eclectic vibe. The truffle pizza is amazing and cheeseburger as well. It also has beautiful views of the beach and clear blue ocean that never get old. They have a great boutique to shop at after lunch as well.
Gyp Sea was also really great. Almost everything is cooked on the barbecue here and they have tons of fresh fish. I had a lobster salad that was incredible. This is also on the beach and in the sand. (are you sensing a pattern yet?) They also have a cute boutique to shop at before or after lunch.
The last place we went was actually my favorite spot called Shellona. The restaurant had a really fun vibe to it and great food to match. I had a mahi mahi sandwich that was great. It was overlooking the beach and had a cute little shop down below to shop at as well.
Dinners are definitely dressier than lunch. I wore dresses every evening with a nice flat sandal. Some women around town wore heels though (good for them). LOL I also forgot to mention that the weather is very warm! No need for a sweater or shawl because it is humid. I am freezing cold all of the time and was perfectly fine every evening in a sleeveless dress.
L’Isola was our first dinner of the trip and it was so nice to eat indoors again! I honestly can’t remember that last time that I had a meal inside of a restaurant. It is a beautiful upscale Italian restaurant with a sexy interior vibe and I had a delicious bolognese dish.
Bagatelle was probably the most “fun” spot that we went to, although it is more mellow than usual due to Covid-19 this year. If you haven’t been to Bagatelle in LA, Miami, or NYC it is a restaurant/lounge/club hybrid that has loud music and French food. I can’t remember what I ate here to be honest but I believe it was a fish dish.
Bonito was probably one of my top two favorite dinner spots. It had the feel of dining in a chic beach house and I loved that vibe. The food was also great. Our butler at the resort recommended trying their famous drink “Sex in the Bath” and it was hilarious. Complete with bathtub, rubber ducky, and foam.
Tamarin was a gorgeous indoor outdoor restaurant. The property has beautiful gardens and trees and tables lining different walkways in the most beautiful way. It feels like you are sitting in nature eating dinner. I had a steak here because I needed a break from fish.
La Guerite has a fun party-ish vibe and fresh mediterranean cuisine. This was our last dinner of the trip and I was truly trying to savor every last minute of it. I had a sea bass dish here and it was amazing, as all of our meals were.
What to Do?
Eat, Drink, Lounge by the beach, and Shop in town.
A few additional fun snapshots from our trip below:
Beautiful photos! I visited St. Barths over twenty years ago. It was beautiful but we made the mistake of going in May. The humidity was so overwhelming, it sapped all of our energy. Looks like you had a wonderful trip! ❤️