Island Saint Barthelemy- pearl Caribbean Islands. Small island Saint Barth is located 30 km from Saint Martin, and its area is only 25 square meters. km. This small island is completely focused on VIP tourism. Here you can soak up the sun and do all sorts of things aquatic species sports Saint Barthelemy has the most beautiful bays and conditions for yachting enthusiasts, as well as magnificent beaches. There are 20 snow-whites on the island sandy beaches, about 60 restaurants, the dishes of which are equated by gourmets to the masterpieces of French and New York culinary specialists. There are also about 30 hotels on the island, among which luxury villas predominate. Celebrities flock to the beaches of St. Barths in winter. The most significant social events on the island: the classical music festival in January, the world music festival musical culture in August and a film festival in April.

Location: Central America, Small Antilles, between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. The island of volcanic origin is located 24 km southeast of the island. Saint Martin and 225 km north of the island. Guadeloupe.

Story- the island was discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus, who named it in honor of his brother Bartolomeo. The island's indigenous inhabitants, Caribbean Indians, successfully prevented European settlements from appearing on St. Barth for many years. However, already in 1673 the French took possession of the island, annexing Saint Barts to their possessions under the name Guadeloupe.

Gustavia - main city islands. The city was founded on the shores of a picturesque bay, in the harbor of which today there are exquisite yachts. Gustavia is famous for its first-class restaurants, which offer wonderful panoramic views; boozy bars right on the seashore and duty-free shops where you can buy Havana cigars, French perfumes, Italian designer clothes and fine wines. On the beaches and in restaurants of Gustavia you can meet Hollywood celebrities who invariably spend their holidays in St. Barths. Here it is Historical Museum(documents and photographs, exposition of flora and fauna), an ancient church with a bell tower made of stone and wood. Morne du Vit - similarity observation deck, where from a height of 300 meters you can view the entire island.

Climate Tropical marine, with a rainy season from July to October. average temperature air - 26 C, from January to May the temperature rises to 32 C. Water temperature is about 25 C practically all year round. Precipitation ranges from 600 to 2000 mm per year. From February to April are the driest months, when it rains on average no more than seven days a month and air humidity is 77%. July and November are the wettest months, with rain often continuing for 10-14 days and humidity averaging 85%.

Official language- French.

Population- about 5 thousand people.

Currency: Euro.

Timezone minus 8 hours.

Flight to Saint Martin 1 hour.

Visa- Russian citizens require a visa.

Entertainment- snorkeling, boat trips and luxury yachts, fishing, scuba diving, horse riding, golf.

We continue our series of Caribbean reports.

So, you find yourself in Saint Martin, and not on cruise ship, for a period of daylight, and in an honest way - by arriving by plane. Most likely, you have at least a week left that you need to spend properly, agree. An option - lying on Maho Beach all week is welcome, but it is much more interesting to visit the surrounding islands. In the surrounding area you can find three fairly large and inhabited islands- Saba (territory of the Netherlands), Angila (Great Britain) and St. Barths (France). And here it all depends on what visa you have in your passport. People usually fly to Saint Martin with a French or Dutch visa overseas territories, I recommend immediately applying for the French one, because with this visa you can visit the most interesting island of the above is the islet of Saint Barthélemy, as it is officially called. A piece of France in the Caribbean. Dream Island.


2. So, let's go. There are two ways to get to St. Barths - a short flight on a small plane, or an hour-long flight Boat trip on a modern catamaran shuttle. If you decide to fly by plane, especially during the high season, take tickets in advance; it’s difficult to get them a day before, they sell out. For this reason, we decided to go to the island by sea. Ferries operate from Marigot and Phillipsburg, with new catamarans operated by Voyager (www.voy12.com) operating from the former capital. The first flight is at 9.15 am, the return flight is at 17.15, which is of course a bit early, here it is better to fly back by plane, the last evening flight. The cost of a round-trip ticket is 67 euros, the flight duration is an hour - an hour fifteen. You will get serious motion sickness along the way, if sea crossings are not your thing, be sure to buy an anti-motion sickness remedy at the pharmacy, as an option - the French Hepatoum Mercalm, tested - it helps a lot.

So, early morning, the first of February 2013. Our path lies to the other end of the island, to the town of Marigot, the capital of the French part of the island. This is where the ferries we have chosen depart from. An hour - and we are at the company office. It's easy to find - if you enter Marigot from the north, then immediately after the yacht pier, on the right, on the corner there is a small office, you won't get lost.

3. It is better to book tickets in advance via the Internet or by phone. Or, if you're lucky, buy it on the spot before sailing. We were lucky:)

4. We took beer and ice cream, loaded on board, having previously passed passport control. Strange, but true - they put a stamp in the passport, and in the territory of Guadeloupe.
The catamaran, turning its stern, turned around and rushed into the sea. in the Caribbean, yeah.

5. The ferry is quite comfortable, there are two open decks and two halls. There is a business class cabin.

6. It’s more fun on the open deck; splashes in the face keep you from getting bored :)

7. Along the way, the stewards offer light drinks, and when the ferry goes out to the open sea and the main fun begins, they smear some menthol thing on the wrists of everyone who wants it - it helps against motion sickness, slightly. For those who don't help, use the bags :) full service. but we held up well, as the next photo demonstrates - Estai and Togzhan enjoying the sea views.

8. Boats and yachts are frolicking around, like a mosquito fleet! But one of these villas on the hill is ours for the week :)

10. Along the way you come across many uninhabited islets and reefs

11. The distance to Saint Barth is 30 kilometers, and now we are approaching Gustavia, the capital of the island. There is an ancient fort on the mountain.

12. here is the port of Gustavia

13. We unloaded onto solid ground, hugged her, my dear, and began reconnaissance of the area. We immediately made the mistake of looking for a car rental office elsewhere. Public transport? We haven’t heard of it, millionaires don’t ride minibuses. There are taxis, but the prices are exorbitant in Paris. So, do you see the guy on the left wearing a T-shirt with the Hertz logo? Catch him, he’s the one in charge of skeet here. It was only later that I saw him in the photo. While we were clicking our beaks, all the cars were snapped up and we were offered to walk to the airport, there is another rental office there.

14. They didn’t deceive me. At the box office, the lonely Frenchman was bored and perked up at the sight of such wonderful clients. At first there was an idea to take such a crazy stool.

15. But they decided that this hybrid of a motor scooter and a Lamborghini looked too suspicious, and the bolivar could not bear four, and it was unreasonable to take two. Therefore, we settled on a beat-up BMW convertible - as the most appropriate for the moment.

The rental company surprised me - it didn’t even block the funds on the card, everything was based on trust. Moreover, he took out a map and told in detail where it was better to go and where it was more interesting to swim. As for lunch, having learned that we wanted to visit Eden Rock, I just rolled my eyes and said with a breath that we were unlikely to find a table there. As the flood showed, I was wrong.

16. Oh well. Go explore the island! The main driver was the self-appointed Alimzhan (although I later drove along the serpentines a little)

17. So, actually the whole island. There is only a small population - about 9,000 rich people. Well, perhaps a third are service personnel, but in any case, the level of millionaires per unit of area is off the charts. The island is a resort just for them. The Internet is great for googling various glamorous reports about stars on the island. Well, for understanding - a map.

18. First of all - airplanes, as usual. And here the airport is nearby

19. We go down to the beach, Baie de St. Jean

20. The strip is not fenced on this side, smoothly rolls down to the beach and dives into the sea

21. Amazing trust in vacationers!

23. It’s very convenient to shoot airplanes. This is, of course, not neighboring Saint Martin, there is no large airliners, but there is its own charm here too. Pilots are not spoiled by attention here :)

24. However, it’s a bit extreme to photograph airplanes taking off from the end - there’s a complete feeling that your belly is about to touch the lens :) In this photo, the board took off normally, and after it the pilot probably deliberately pulled it to the end of the runway :)

25. The beach itself is also worthy of attention - white, clean, like the rest of the beaches here. That day the windsurfing championship was held.

26. Dozens of bright sails filled the lagoon

27. We weren’t the only ones filming here anymore

28. While we were splashing in the waves Caribbean Sea, it was time for lunch. Well, let's check out Eden Rock? They say that world-famous stars will dine here. A certain Abramovich, no, no, comes here from his villa

29. This is not just a restaurant, it is a six-star bungalow complex. In principle, there are very few hotels in St. Barths; mostly villas are rented here, and for the long term. In Eden Rock the price tag starts from 480 euros, other hotels are a little cheaper. Now you understand that it makes sense to come here just for the day, or take a tent with you :) Although, again, it all depends on you

30. View from the hotel balcony

31. The restaurant itself. Haute French cuisine at its best. In fact, everything is very tasty! The prices, surprisingly, were not put into a trance, everything was within reason. The service is at the highest level, as indicated in the glamorous report on the above link - this is not Paris, they are not rude here :)

32. Celebrities (as a matter of fact!) were not noticed. Although, who knows, maybe a Hollywood actor was sitting at the next table, and an heiress of millions was sunbathing on the beach... I still don’t know them by sight :)

33. Having dined, we went further to conquer highest peak islands. The roads are quite good, and, as Vinsky correctly noted in his report, there are no black horsemen here who like to stand in the middle of the road on their rydvan and have a nice conversation with a friend. Let us note that there are practically no blacks here, it’s expensive, sir. Also, accordingly, there are no black villages that so surprised me on Marten. Everything here is about the same level - expensive and cool, there is no poverty at all. But the roads are a bit narrow :)

34. Climbed up, observation deck

35. We go up and the beauty takes our breath away!

36. Rocks are interspersed with small and very cozy beaches

37. The parapet is painted - what rises above sea level and on which side

38. Yachts rest in a quiet lagoon. Modest and tasteful :)

39. Boats glide between the islands every now and then

40. What is not a postcard from exotic countries? :)

41. The beaches, by the way, are very different. From large and equipped with all the benefits of civilization

42. to small, domestic ones

43. But with nature here everything is the same as in Saint-Martin, the main plant is various types of cacti

45. Pyalzh Gouverner. Is it clear why this collection of cans hangs at the entrance?

46. ​​Not equipped with anything, only sea, sand, rocks around the edges. But all this is of the highest quality

47. There are very few people on the beach, I don’t want to relax! Clean, mind you! There are no janitors, no lifeguards, there are only decorous French and surprisingly civilized Americans

48. There are also nudist beaches here, but we didn’t go there. We also had enough experience in Saint-Martin, from where we ran faster than a deer :) But here, too, French customs reign. Pourquoi pas?

49. We also appreciated this beach, good! and what waves there are here! But time flies, the sun has long passed midday, and there is still so much to do! We rush on. I am the navigator, I guide our crew using a paper map (GPS on the hundred square meters decided to temporarily refuse). We drove into the very heart of the island, admired the valley and the pond named after Comrade Saint Jacques, and even stood in a mini-traffic jam

50. and suddenly left again for the airport. well, how suddenly, we are spotters or not spotters :) this time - the upper part of it. Everything is strict here!

51. The airport is at your fingertips!

52. Planes come in directly overhead and dive sharply down towards the runway! This photo, for some time now, has been displayed in quick search St. Barts is among the first images on Google upon request :) Hello Vox!

53. Landings are not always successful, sometimes this happens (video not mine)

54. and here is the view from the pilot’s side (again, video from the network)

55. We’re filming airplane stuff; French and Creole women are rushing past on motor scooters.

Travel notes, day 20
This time the report included as many as 60 photographs, don’t swear, I know I should have split it into 2 parts.

There was once an island in the ocean, Saint Barthélemy. An ordinary small volcanic island, the ass of the world, there was nothing on it. But the island was lucky: in 1957, David Rockefeller (grandson of that same Rockefeller) acquired two plots of land on Saint Barthélemy. Following the banker, the Rothschilds, Fords and other famous rich people flocked to the island. So the island became a vacation spot for millionaires. Good restaurants, expensive shops, clubs, luxury hotels, security, what else do you need? Recently the island was chosen by the Russians. It all started when Roman Abramovich bought David Rockefeller’s house in 2009. Well, then all the friends came along.

At the St. Barths airport, there are stacks of glossy magazines at the exit. Magazine in Russian. It is published in St. Petersburg, the editor-in-chief is a certain Yana Tolstikhina. The magazine oozes glamor and my hands are still sticky. As it is written in the presentation, it is for those “who know a lot about exclusive holidays.” In general, “a solid vacation for wealthy gentlemen.” The magazine says that on the island you need to swim, go to expensive restaurants, buy jewelry and clothes, go for spa treatments and be sure to attend all Russian parties in the most expensive clubs. The magazine has several funny interviews in the style of girls' profiles in the fifth grade: "What is your favorite restaurant for dinner, what is your favorite hotel, what is your favorite spa." In general, it’s immediately clear that there is something to do on the island.

“The island is shaped like a heart, and the atmosphere, in my personal perception, is imbued with love, harmony and happiness.”- writes Yana. It’s not for nothing that this magazine is lying at the exit from the Airport. It gives the traveler the best idea that this is the most glamorous island in the Caribbean. Better than any guidebook.

01. When approaching the island, huge yachts immediately catch your eye.

02. In general, I don’t really understand about yachts, why do we need 2 helipads? Probably, if you yourself have a helicopter, and then your friend Maxim Katz wants to fly to you in his helicopter? By the way, I have never seen a helicopter at all these sites. In general, yachts remain a mystery to me for now.

03. Simpler yachts

04. The island itself is rocky, there are not many beaches.

05. There are no reefs around the island, so the waves on the beaches can be big.

06. Pay attention to the houses. You can't build whatever you want here. All houses must be coordinated. The color of the roof is either red, light green, or brown. That's it, there are no more options. They say there is a law here that prohibits building houses higher than a palm tree. But I heard this story both about Marrakech and Bali. Not sure if that's true.

07. But in general, orderly architecture is very good for such an island. Everything is in order, everything is very neat and nice. Especially considering the kind of people who build houses here. Otherwise, give free rein, they will set up gypsy villages here, like in Romania.

08. Another beach.

09. The airport in Saint Barthélemy is small and only accepts “corn makers”, so the oligarchs leave all their business jets at the airport in Saint Martin.

10. There they change to such a cornfield and go to the island! The flight is 15 minutes.

11. De Haviland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter) It is excellent for the short runway of St. Barthélemy.

12. Airport

13. The plane comes from behind a hill directly above the road.

I took a video of the landing:

14.

15. At the same time, the plane is still being shaken by the wind)

16. When landing, the plane flies directly towards the spectators)

17. And this is the view from the other end of the runway. In the background is a hill from where you can watch the landing.

19. The end of the runway is right on the beach, there are no fences, sit down and shoot. Just a paradise for spotters.

20. Tourists are unloaded.

21. Main street of the capital Gustavia. Only 2,000 people live in the capital. On main street boutiques and restaurants.

22. There is also a central yacht berth here.

23. City Hall

24. As throughout the island, all buildings in the capital are built to strict standards.

25. Yachts

26. Another yacht mooring. Surely experienced readers will recognize the yacht of some oligarch here.

27. And more yachts

28. And one more thing. Here we must take into account that there is not enough parking space for everyone. So there are a lot of yachts at sea.

29. Commoners who didn’t have enough space.

30.

31. Views of the island

32.

33. Contrary to my expectations, the island is quite deserted. This is why many people love him.

34. There really are no houses higher than palm trees) Maybe this is really the law.

35. Villa. Renting a good house can reach up to 100,000 euros per week. Not like this one, of course. It's quite small ;)

36. It’s very rare to see construction on an island. Construction permits are almost never issued. From the purchase of land to the start of construction, it can take 5 long years of approvals. Here everything is very strict with this, and money does not solve anything.

37. Parking near one of the restaurants. Mini Cooper is the most popular car on the island. It's all because of the very narrow mountain roads. Local rich people may be happy to ride in limousines or drive Ferraris, but there are no roads. 2 small cars have difficulty moving apart.

38. Electric cars and scooters like these are very popular.

39. In Russia, the island became famous in 2009, when Roman Abramovich bought 70 acres of land behind Gouverneur beach with bungalows with ocean views, tennis courts, swimming pools, dance and dining pavilions. The transaction cost was almost $90 million. Here is Abramovich's site. The buildings are all small and everything is surrounded by greenery, nothing is visible from the road.

40. Here is the view from a helicopter. Here you can see that there are few buildings, nothing particularly luxurious. This land once belonged to David Rockefeller. By law, all beaches are public. That is, even Abramovich cannot carve out even a meter of public beach for himself. This is not Tkachev or Yakunin, who illegally seized access to the water with their dacha fences; here in Saint Barthélemy everyone is equal before the law. Wild people ;)

41. Gate to Abramovich's estate

42. And here public beach straightaway.

43. The beach is just a beach, nothing special. Abramovich's house behind the bushes

44. Ordinary people come to swim. There are not even umbrellas and sun loungers on the beach.

45. It was made here last year famous photograph"Abramovich and his guests: Dyachenko with Yumashev, Posner, Shvidler, Milner (in the foreground)."

46. ​​In Saint Barthélemy it is customary to sunbathe topless.

47.

48. In general, all beaches are approximately the same. I can’t say that they are particularly heavenly. We've seen better beaches.

49. In front of the entrance to the beach there are aluminum cans, these are ashtrays, so that cigarette butts are not thrown into the sand. I took the jar for myself, then hung it on the hook. Very interesting idea. I haven't seen this before.

50. Another beach

51. I also liked the idea with the fence. Such weaving is made with ordinary boards. You immediately get an interesting and beautiful fence. I haven't seen this before.

52. Another beach

53.

54. Five star hotel.

55.

56. The Russians have arrived. You can always see Russians by their dissatisfied face. The American walks - he has a smile from ear to ear, the French walk - their eyes sparkle, chatting about something. The Russians arrived, and their faces immediately said: “What kind of shit is this around?!” Well, another distinctive feature of Russian women: everyone should see the brand of clothing you are wearing. The larger and brighter the logo, the better.

57. In general, I haven’t seen so many Russians in one place for a long time. I went to the restaurant for lunch - all the tables were filled with compatriots. All homesickness immediately passes. How I returned to Moscow. Met Kudrin.

58. Ladies

59. We, ordinary people, have nothing to do in Saint Barthélemy. It's time to move on from this glamor.

Entire trip:
Day 1:



//estay.livejournal.com


General

Saint Barthelemy, or simply Saint Barth's Island Caribbean region, belongs to the Overseas Territories of France. The island of millionaires, even billionaires, accomplished individuals. The low percentage of indigenous people to newly settled residents, as well as the high standard of living, makes living on this island comfortable. But on one condition - if you are willing to pay exorbitant amounts of money to maintain your properties, yachts and sometimes even personal aircraft.

How to get there.

First you need to fly to the island of Saint Martin. They fly there from Paris, Amsterdam and from a bunch of American cities. Make sure you have a French Overseas Territories Visa.

The two popular modes of transport for mere mortals from Saint Martin to Saint Barths are by sea and by air. By water cheaply and quickly on the Voyager 3 Dreamliner catamaran: http://www.voy12.com/en/bate aux.php

Departs from Marigot on the Island of Saint Martin at 09.15, arrives at the port of Guadeloupe (Saint Barth) at 10.30 This pleasure costs 72 Euros in both directions. Departures back at 17.45, arriving in 45 minutes. You can buy tickets online or simply book by phone and pay both ways upon arrival at the port.

Photo from their website // www.voy12.com


By air, on DHC-6 Twin otter aircraft of WinAir, it costs 215 dollars round trip.

Takeoff from St. Gustav Airport // estay.livejournal.com


Departure from Princess Julianne Airport (Saint Martin), arrival at St. Gustav Airport. I don’t know the schedule, you can look on the website.

Arrival

From a distance, the island is just a mountain, although surrounded by beautiful palm trees, white sand, turquoise water and dotted with red roofs of elite households. When arriving on the island, you must reserve a car in advance. Otherwise, at the rental office seaport There may be no cars. This is the story we got ourselves into: the tourists took the last car right in front of our noses.

View of the embankment // estay.livejournal.com


We caught a taxi, and after finding out where another car rental office was located, we headed towards the local St. Gustav airport. Across the road from the terminal is Hertz, there isn't much choice, but we found a BMW 1 Series for 90 euros with insurance.

Our convertible car // estay.livejournal.com


spotting

The first thing we did was find the end of the airport and start filming the planes taking off. From the far end of the airport, facing the sea, there is a beautiful view of the airport. Attention: the airport area is not fenced and there is not even a zone beyond which you can enter. The only sign says that planes take off here and everything is at your own peril and risk.

//estay.livejournal.com


Taking off and landing planes right above your heads, this is not Saint Martin, but it has its own thrill:

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Beach

The beaches in Saint Barth are very beautiful and clean. Take photos directly to your desktop:

//estay.livejournal.com


//estay.livejournal.com


Dinner

Having googled about the Eden's Rock restaurant before leaving, we headed to it. The restaurant is chic, I think the prices are adequate for the island, and the taste is simply, as they say, “amazing.”

//estay.livejournal.com


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At the end, when the summer camp is full of people, the waiter and the senior man come up and ask if they liked everything. The waiters are well-trained and neat. Lunch for 4 for 200 Euro is justified!

Further trip, a little spotting

The view from the top of the hill is magnificent // estay.livejournal.com


General
Saint Barthelemy, or simply Saint Barth, is an island in the Caribbean region that belongs to the Overseas Territories of France. The island of millionaires, even billionaires, accomplished individuals. The low percentage of indigenous people to newly settled residents, as well as the high standard of living, makes living on this island comfortable. But on one condition - if you are willing to pay exorbitant amounts of money to maintain your properties, yachts and sometimes even personal aircraft.

How to get there.
First you need to fly to the island of Saint Martin. They fly there from Paris, Amsterdam and from a bunch of American cities.
Make sure you have a French Overseas Territories Visa.
The two popular modes of transport for mere mortals from Saint Martin to Saint Barths are by sea and by air.
By water cheaply and quickly on the Voyager 3 Dreamliner catamaran: http://www.voy12.com/en/bateaux.php
Departs from Marigot on the Island of Saint Martin at 09.15, arrives at the port of Guadeloupe (Saint Barth) at 10.30 This pleasure costs 72 Euros in both directions. Departures back at 17.45, arriving in 45 minutes. You can buy tickets online or simply book by phone and pay both ways upon arrival at the port.

Photo from their website

By air, on DHC-6 Twin otter aircraft of WinAir, it costs 215 dollars round trip.


Take off from St. Gustav Airport

Departure from Princess Julianne Airport (Saint Martin), arrival at St. Gustav Airport. I don’t know the schedule, you can look on the website.

Arrival
From a distance, the island is just a mountain, although surrounded by beautiful palm trees, white sand, turquoise water and dotted with red roofs of elite households.
When arriving on the island, you must reserve a car in advance. Otherwise, there may not be any cars at the rental office near the seaport.
This is the story we got ourselves into: the tourists took the last car right in front of our noses.


Waterfront view

We caught a taxi, and after finding out where another car rental office was located, we headed towards the local St. Gustav airport.
Across the road from the terminal is Hertz, there isn't much choice, but we found a BMW 1 Series for 90 euros with insurance.


Our convertible

spotting
The first thing we did was find the end of the airport and start filming the planes taking off. From the far end of the airport, facing the sea, there is a beautiful view of the airport. Attention: the airport area is not fenced and there is not even a zone beyond which you can enter. The only sign says that planes take off here and everything is at your own peril and risk.


Taking off and landing planes right above your heads, this is not Saint Martin, but it has its own thrill:






Beach
The beaches in Saint Barth are very beautiful and clean. Take photos directly to your desktop:



Dinner
Having googled about the Eden's Rock restaurant before leaving, we headed to it. The restaurant is chic, I think the prices are adequate for the island, and the taste is simply, as they say, “amazing.”





At the end, when the summer camp is full of people, the waiter and the senior man come up and ask if they liked everything.
The waiters are well-trained and neat. Lunch for 4 for 200 Euro is justified!

Further trip, a little spotting


The view from the top of the hill is magnificent







Cost of living
Luckily we didn't have to spend the night there, as the prices for accommodation are probably among the highest in the world.
For example, here are prices from another site:
http://forbes.kz/travels/sen-bartelmi

Return trip
We returned back the same way - by catamaran.
The pharmacy had previously acquired tablets for sea motion.
I have never seen such a sunset in my life!