Gustavia: Luxury Yacht Harbor, Shell Beach, the Finest French Caribbean Cuisine, Saline Naturist Beach, Lorient Village, and the Most Expensive New Year in the Caribbean
Gustavia, the capital of Saint Barthelemy, is the most fashionable small island capital in the Caribbean, combining the premier luxury yacht anchorage, the social Shell Beach, the finest French Caribbean restaurant scene, the beautiful naturist Saline beach, the authentic Lorient village, and the world-record New Year hotel rates that signal the island's position as the preferred Caribbean destination of the global luxury class.
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Gustavia Harbor: The Luxury Yacht Capital
Gustavia, the capital of Saint Barthelemy on the protected west coast, is the primary luxury yacht anchorage of the eastern Caribbean, where the 40 to 80 meter superyachts of the international ownership and charter market anchor in the outer harbor and the smaller yachts fill the inner marina during the December to March high season. The Gustavia harbor-front of the Shell Beach Bar, the boutiques of the Rue de la France, and the Swedish colonial Fort Karl create the defining Saint Barthelemy arrival image.
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Shell Beach: The Urban Beach of Character
Shell Beach in Gustavia, the small sand and shell fragment beach a 5-minute walk from the harbor center, is the most social and most characterful beach in Saint Barthelemy, with the La Plage restaurant and bar serving the French Caribbean beach lunch to the mix of mega-yacht crews, fashion industry visitors, and local Gustavians who gather in the midday sun. The Shell Beach snorkeling over the rocky reef at the north end provides the marine wildlife addition to the social beach experience.
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Saint Barthelemy Cuisine: The French Caribbean Kitchen
The Saint Barthelemy culinary scene, rated by the French food press as the finest in the Caribbean for the combination of classical French technique, fresh local fish, and the French West Indian ingredient palette, is centered on the Gustavia and Lorient restaurant corridor where the chefs trained in the Parisian kitchen tradition serve the grilled whole fish with the beurre blanc, the tuna tartare with the local provisions, and the French-Caribbean desserts that define the island food culture. The Eddy's and the Do Brazil are the most beloved local institutions.
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Saline Beach: The Naturist Tradition
Anse de Saline at the south end of Saint Barthelemy, the most beautiful beach on the island for the long arc of white sand backed by the salt pond and the hilltop in a setting of complete natural tranquility, has a long-established clothing-optional tradition at the far southern end that reflects the French Caribbean cultural norms. The Saline beach walk of 10 minutes from the road parking is sufficient to ensure the non-development character that makes it the most beloved beach on the island.
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Lorient: The Local Village
Lorient on the north coast of Saint Barthelemy is the most authentically local of the island villages, with the weekly Saturday market of the local produce and the craft stalls, the Lorient beach of the local surfers, and the oldest church on the island creating the encounter with the Guadeloupean French Caribbean community that has inhabited the island since the 17th century Breton and Norman settlement that gave Saint Barthelemy its distinctively French and European character in the Caribbean setting.
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New Year in Saint Barthelemy: The Most Expensive Week
The New Year period in Saint Barthelemy, when the super-yacht anchorage fills with the 80-meter vessels of the global billionaire class, the hotel rates reach the highest levels of any Caribbean destination at USD 3,000 to USD 10,000 per night, and the Eden Rock, the Cheval Blanc, and the Le Barthemian hotels are fully occupied months in advance, creates the most exclusive and most expensive single week in the Caribbean calendar. The New Year fireworks over Gustavia harbor is the defining image of the season.