St. Barth’s (or St. Bart's), the famed playground of the well-heeled and carefree, certainly lives up to its reputation of being a cosmopolitan oasis in the Caribbean. Chic and decidedly European in flavor, you can easily walk from the upscale, luxury boutiques downtown to the lovely Shell Beach, which is completely covered in seashells. There are many great landmarks on the islands, which are only second to the lush vegetation. St. Barth’s currency is the Euro, against which the USD is not doing very well these days. Still, if you want to pay, you can certainly play to your heart’s content. While St. Barth’s is located in the Caribbean, it is a French-speaking island so it’s nice (though not required) if you know a few basic phrases (I had a charming exchange with a handsome waiter who tried his BEST to figure out ‘french fries’). If you don't speak French, the people are warm and friendly so no worries.
Getting there: You can fly directly to St. Barth’s or you can take one of several ferries from St. Maarten. The ride to St. Barth’s is smoothe as well, though quite a bit longer at approximately 45 minutes. The hotel concierge on St. Maarten will be more than happy to assist you with making ferry reservations, and they usually offer discounts as well.
I stayed at the Westin Hotel on St. Maarten, and their concierge made hassle-free rerservations for me to make my jaunts to St. Barth's and Anguilla. Many people travel between the islands so expect the ferry rides to be a nice mix of locals, tourists and you. One thing about the ferries: they tend to only run once in the morning and once in the afternoon so be sure you want to spend the entire day there. There's definitely enough to do... Also, there's very little public transportation on St. Barth's so I definitely recommend renting a car, even if you're just planning a day trip. Want to go? Find out more information on Tripadvisor, including information about where to stay and dining if you want to spend more time on the island. .