St Barthelemy is the Monte Carlo of the Caribbean, without the traffic jams but with the added advantage of flawless beaches. Shortened to Saint Barth in French and St Barts in English it is an exclusive eight square mile (21 sq km) embodiment of 24-carat French chic. It attracts millionaires on luxury yachts, movie stars and French expatriates fleeing the European winter. If you’re looking for a Caribbean island where relaxation and Gallic style under a tropical sun have been refined to perfection, you’ve found it.

Most of the residents are French speaking descendants and French is the official language, but just about everyone can converse in English. Gustavia is the main town, with a harbor full of impressive yachts.

THINGS TO DO

Sight Seeing: Take a stroll through the town of Gustavia, it’s French and Swedish history are everywhere to be seen. Be sure to visit Rue de la Republique to admire the variety of boats in the harbor. The Municipal Museum has a lovely collection of art pieces and displays of local plant and marine life. Many of the shops close from 12-2pm, so you may want to plan lunch accordingly. Corossol is a tiny two- street French fishing village. Visit the Inter Oceans Museum to view 9,000 seashell collection and sand samples from all around the world.

Boating: Full day outings offers are always available on a variety of different vessels, most common is the catamaran. Most of these outing will bring you to spots where you can swim, snorkel, eat lunch and enjoy a few drinks.

Submarine: rides take you out to the coral reef for an up close look thru a porthole. Once a week they generally offer a night trip!

Diving: Scuba divers and snorkels will have plenty to see at any of the three main dive spots. There are also ship wrecks to explore.

• Pain de Sucre
• Coco Island
• Saba

Fishing: Most common catches are tuna, marlin, wahoo and barracuda. There is an annual Open Fishing Tournament in mid- July. Deep sea fishing expeditions, bareboat and other boat charters are always being offered.

Windsurfing: the trade winds provide the ideal conditions for this sport. Board rentals are available at most beaches, some even offer lessons!

Water Skiing: Towboats that know where the water is best for this exhilarating sport are available as well.

Horseback Riding: Tours are available by horseback and generally last about 2 hours.

Shopping: St Barths is a duty free port, and shoppers will be delighted with the range and number of shops. From a small table by the side of the road, to the elegant displays reminiscent of Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré in Paris.space The highest concentration of shops is in Gustavia, followed by St-Jean, with its several shopping centers.

CUISINE

Most of the restaurants are centered in the main town of Gustavia, and as you can well imagine French Cuisine is on par with the best of the best. 

MARRIAGE REQUIREMENTS

While it is impossible for anyone other than St. Barths residents to have a civil marriage ceremony in St. Barths, a lot of people of many nationalities with a close connection to St. Barths do decide to have their Christian marriage or wedding blessing on the island. 
St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church is willing to discuss the possibility of holding wedding services, but sufficient notice must be given in time for the necessary preparations. The Anglican Church undertakes weddings in both English and French but does not provide for wedding services outside of the Church. The priest, Revd Charles Vere Nicoll, lives on the island and can help with enquiries - Tel: (59) 05 90 29 74 63.