- St. Barts Accommodations -

   Unlike most Caribbean vacation destinations, almost half the beds available to St. Barts' visitors are in privately owned villas, cottages, and apartments.

   There is a handful of full service hotels, with all the usual amenities, but even among these, the largest has only 76 rooms. The others have half that.

   Many hotels are quite small, often family run: personal, rather than professional, in character.

   This is not an accident. Local authorities, to their credit, have long recognized that excessive development is bad for everyone, and have severely restricted the size and style of hotel construction.

   All categories range from moderate to very expensive in price, and from okay to superb in quality. All are informal, quietly chic, and intimate.

   Most of the beaches on St. Barts are still commercially undevelloped, which explains why you will have more choices among hillside accommodations. This will happily provide you with more breeze, less bugs, more privacy and, most of the time, nicer views than the beach side locations. Keep in mind that, on the beach or in the hills, you will probably want a car, and that from anywhere on the island, you can drive anywhere else in less than 20 minutes. Beach-side accommodations are the most likely to be found in St Jean, Lorient, Cul de Sac and Flamands, and, of course, you will have the advantage of being able to jump from your bed into the sea.

   Rates are highest during the "Season", from mid-December until mid-April, and drop substantially during the summer months.