Half day
The boat day from St Martin
Private speedboat from Oyster Pond at 9am, Gustavia by 10, one long lunch, an afternoon on Shell Beach, back by sunset. The most common way our guests do St Barth for the first time.
The full guide
St Barth
The chic island, on your terms.
St Barth is small, expensive and famous. We plan the version you actually want. A half day for a boat lunch. A night for the scene. A full week in a villa on a headland. All of it starts with your dates.
Three shapes
Half day, one night, or a full week.
The mistake first-time visitors make is treating St Barth like Anguilla or St Martin. It is not built for a week of doing nothing. It is built for one long, well-set day, or for a stay you plan in detail.
Overnight
One night for the scene
A boat over Friday afternoon, a room at Eden Rock or Le Toiny, dinner at Bonito, morning at Shell Beach, boat back Saturday lunchtime. Good for a birthday, an anniversary, or the middle of a longer stay.
Ask about a nightFull stay
A week in a villa
Villa on a hillside above Colombier or Toiny, chef nights on the terrace, private boat days out to Colombier and Anse des Cayes, a table held at Nikki Beach for the last night. Staff and driver on standby throughout.
Plan the weekA day in Gustavia
What the day looks like, roughly.
- 09:00
Boat pulls into Gustavia
Skippered speedboat from Oyster Pond or Sandy Ground. 45 minutes across, driver waiting at the dock.
- 10:00
Harbour walk
A slow loop of the port, rue du Roi Oscar for the shops, rue de la France for the boutiques.
- 12:30
Long lunch, feet in sand
Nikki Beach for the scene, Bonito for the terrace, or Shellona if you prefer Shell Beach without the walk back.
- 15:00
The beach you prefer
Shell Beach if you stayed in town, Saline if you have a driver, Gouverneur if the swell is small.
- 17:30
Sunset over Saba
From Shell Beach or from the harbour edge above Gustavia. Twenty minutes of theatre before boarding.
- 18:15
Boat back
Home dock by 19:00. Enough time to change for dinner in Grand Case or Marigot.
A rough template. The real day is built around your dates, your party, and the table you actually want to sit at. Full write-up on our St Martin to St Barth day trip page.
We are the ones you call.
On Shell Beach and Shellona is fully booked tonight? WhatsApp.
Boat back at 6pm and you want to leave at 4 instead? WhatsApp.
Villa fell through and you are landing at SBH in three hours? WhatsApp.
Where to stay
The famous names, and the villas above.
Most first-time visitors land at Eden Rock, Le Toiny or Cheval Blanc. Repeat guests move up the hillside into private villas with a chef and a view. We know both scenes.
Iconic hotels
Eden Rock on Baie de Saint Jean, Le Toiny far east, Cheval Blanc on Flamands, Le Barthélemy on Grand Cul de Sac, Rosewood Le Guanahani after its rebuild. Rooms, staff, restaurant on site.
Private villas
Hillside villas above Colombier, Toiny, Petit Cul de Sac. Chef, housekeeper, pool, view. What most families and groups choose after their first hotel stay. We work with the owners directly.
Small guesthouses
A handful exist, mostly around Lorient and Corossol. Cheaper, smaller, less service, and often the right call for a two-night visit that is really about the tables and the beaches.
Which beach for what
Small island, very different beaches.
St Barth is eight square miles with roughly a dozen beaches, and no two feel the same. Where you go depends on the wind, the crowd you want, and how far you feel like driving.
Shell Beach
In town
Walking distance from Gustavia harbour, protected, small. Where day-trippers land for the afternoon. Shellona sits at one end, sand under the table.
Saline
Wild and long
Long undeveloped beach on the south side, no beach club, no service, just sand and sea. Bring water. The walk from the parking is short but hot at noon.
Gouverneur
Dramatic and quieter
Dramatic cliffs, deeper water, less crowded than Saline. Locals' choice for a Sunday morning. Steep drive down, tight parking, worth it.
Colombier
The one you have to earn
Reachable by boat or by a 20-minute cliff hike. No road access, no lounger, no bar. The water is calm, the crowd is nonexistent. We arrange the boat.
Grand Cul de Sac
Family lagoon
Reef-protected lagoon on the east coast, shallow and calm, good for kids and paddleboards. Le Barthélemy sits on it, and there are kite schools when the wind is up.
Anse des Cayes
For the swell
North coast bay that catches the winter swell. Where the surfers go. Not for lounging. Worth a look on the drive to Colombier.
The tables
Held before you land.
Nikki Beach for a party of eight and a bottle of rosé. Bonito for the terrace at sunset. Shellona for the party of the season. Le Tamarin for the garden lunch you tell friends about for years. Bagatelle for the Sunday scene.
All of them book out in high season and prioritise hotel guests. We hold tables in advance so you sit where you actually want to sit. If we cannot get the right one, we tell you and offer alternatives.
Would rather stay in one night? Private chef at the villa, produce sourced that morning, staff for service. Which of our guests choose more often than they expected.
Deep dive on the shortlist for a half-day visit: Best St Barth restaurants for a half-day.
Getting here
Fly into SXM. We handle the rest.
Almost every visitor lands at SXM in St Martin, then crosses to St Barth. Private speedboat is 45 minutes from Oyster Pond. Helicopter is 8 minutes airport to airport. Inter-island flights from SXM to SBH take 15 minutes and land on the famous short runway.
Coming by private jet? Direct into SBH is possible with the right operator. We coordinate with FBOs on both sides.
Detail and pricing: our St Martin to St Barth crossing guide.
Everything on St Barth
Chef, table, villa, boat, car, dive.
One message, all of it.
You do not need five contacts on the island. You need one that knows everyone. Whatever the stay needs, we set it up and stay on WhatsApp the whole time.
-
Private chef
Jen the Chef at the villa. Menu set over WhatsApp, produce from that morning, staff for service.
-
Restaurant tables
Nikki Beach, Bonito, Shellona, Le Tamarin, Bagatelle. Held before you land.
-
Hotel or villa
Eden Rock, Le Toiny, Cheval Blanc, or a hillside villa above Colombier. Owners we know.
-
Private boat
Speedboat from St Martin, day cruise to Colombier and Anse des Cayes, sunset on the water.
-
Car or driver
Mini or Jimny delivered to the villa. Or a driver on standby who knows every road.
-
Jetski and kite
Kite at Grand Cul de Sac when the trades blow. Jetski from the lagoon.
-
Dive and snorkel
The marine reserve, calm and rich. Discover dives for first-timers, guided for licensed divers.
-
Helicopter
Eight minutes from SXM, direct into SBH. For tight connections and weather days.
-
Airport VIP
Greeting on the tarmac at SBH, bags in the car, no queue.
Tell us what you need
WhatsApp
Not on the list? Ask anyway. If it can be done on the islands, we know who does it.
Questions we get a lot
Short answers.
Should we do St Barth as a day trip or a full stay?
Depends on the trip. Most first-time visitors do a single day trip from St Martin and it lands beautifully: the boat, one lunch, one beach, back by sunset. Full write-up in our St Martin to St Barth day trip guide. If you want the villa lifestyle or plan a birthday, book at least three nights, otherwise you spend more time unpacking than living there.
How do we get to St Barth from Anguilla?
Longer than from St Martin: two hours by boat each way. Doable in a day if you leave early, but most guests who want St Barth from an Anguilla-based stay build it into a St Martin leg. We plan the whole shape.
Are the restaurants really that hard to book?
Yes, in high season. The places on every list book out weeks ahead and give priority to hotel guests. We hold tables in advance so you sit where you actually want to sit. If we cannot get the right table, we tell you and offer alternatives, not a random second choice.
What time of year is best?
December through April is high season: dry, warm, the trades keep the sea flat and the scene alive. May to July and October to November are quieter and lovely. August and September are hurricane season, most days perfect, some not, we plan flexibly and reschedule around storms.
Do we need to rent a car?
For a day trip, no. Taxis at Gustavia, drivers we book, jeeps if you insist. For a stay of two nights or more, a jeep is useful, the island is only eight square miles and driving is a big part of it. We arrange the rental with delivery to your hotel or villa.
Is St Barth good for a stay with kids?
Yes, with the right base. Grand Cul de Sac lagoon is shallow, reef-protected and easy. Le Barthélemy and Rosewood Le Guanahani have kids clubs. The village of Lorient is more relaxed than Gustavia for a family week. Tell us ages and we shape the stay around them.
More questions? See the full FAQ, or message us on WhatsApp.
Read next: the day trip from St Martin, our shortlist of St Barth restaurants for a half-day, or Anguilla from the inside.
Plan our visit.
Tell us your dates and the shape of the trip: day, night, or full stay. We reply within 2 hours with a proposal.