St. Barths guide
We started our honeymoon with 2 nights in St. Barths, and even though getting there was more chaotic than expected, the island itself completely delivered.
St. Barths has this very cool French-meets-Caribbean feeling that makes everything feel charming, polished, and a little over the top in the best way. We loved the art, the food, the beaches, the shopping, the tiny thoughtful details, and how friendly everyone was. We met the greatest people, including the strangers we ended up sharing a boat ride with after our flight was canceled, but more on that in a minute.
Fair warning: St. Barths is wildly expensive, especially when it comes to food and drinks. It felt noticeably pricier than Anguilla and most places I’ve traveled, but it also felt incredibly special.
How we got there
Our original plan was to break up the travel day by flying from San Diego to Charlotte, spending one night there, and continuing to St. Barths the next morning. I probably would not do that again. It sounded better in theory, but in reality we used up time I would have rather spent on the island.
From Charlotte, we flew into St. Maarten, which is a common connection point for getting to St. Barths. From there, we were supposed to take the quick 15 minute flight to St. Barths. We booked Winair because we planned this trip pretty last minute and other options were limited, but our flight kept getting delayed and was eventually canceled.
We ended up meeting the nicest people at the airport who chartered a boat after all of the ferries were cancelled. We joined them for a very choppy late night boat ride to St. Barths that I wouldn’t recommend to a friend but hey, it’s all part of the adventure!
What I would do differently: I’d look into routing through San Juan, or if going through St. Maarten, I’d leave way more time than you think you need and look into St Barth Commuter for the final flight. I’d also carry on if possible and have a backup plan. The island is worth getting to, but the getting there can be a whole thing.
Once we finally made it to St. Barths, Tropical Hotel picked us up from the harbor.
Where we stayed
We stayed at Tropical Hotel St Barth in Saint-Jean, and I would absolutely stay there again.
The location was perfect for us because we could walk to the beach clubs, restaurants, boutiques, and the main Saint-Jean beach scene. For a short stay, I loved being somewhere that made it easy to wander without having to coordinate transportation every time we wanted to do something.
The hotel itself had the sweetest boutique feel. The rooms were chic, the Le Labo products told me everything I needed to know, and the thoughtful details throughout the property were honestly my favorite part. The wallpaper was hand painted, and the artist also made little notebooks that were left in the rooms as a souvenir. Even the water bottles had illustrations of the hotel.
They also had a beautiful breakfast spread included each morning, a Pilates class happening one morning, and a local swimwear and leisurewear pop-up while we were there. It was small, polished, personal, and exactly the kind of hotel I love.
Saint-Jean
Saint-Jean is where we spent most of our time, and for a short stay, I’m so glad we stayed there.
This is where you’ll find the beach clubs, cute shops, pretty hotels, warm water, and that very St. Barths daytime scene. We walked from Tropical Hotel to the beach, Eden Rock, Gyp Sea, Nao Beach, Nikki Beach, and a few little boutiques, which made everything feel easy once we were finally there.
Everything felt pristine without feeling boring. Beautiful beaches, good food, cute shops, great people watching, and little details everywhere.
Eden Rock
Eden Rock was one of my favorite stops of the trip.
We went for an early appetizer situation before our beach club reservation and had frosé (a must try there!), fries, and the crispy rice with ahi tuna. The crispy rice had mint and ponzu, and it was easily one of my favorite bites of the whole trip.
The hotel itself is stunning, and the merch was also so cute. I wish I bought something here!
Gyp Sea
We stopped at Gyp Sea for a drink before Nao, and it was adorable.
It had one of my favorite little boutiques/local shops we saw on the trip, and the whole place felt colorful, fun, and very St. Barths. All of their plates are hand painted, and the blue and white tones felt a little Grecian. I’d love to go back for a longer lunch or beach chair day if we had more time.
Nao Beach
We originally tried to get into Nikki Beach for Sunday, but ended up booking Nao Beach, and I’m so glad we did. It felt like the perfect beach club balance for us.
For a table of two, they seated us right along the water, with the larger groups behind us. It still had the full beach club energy, waiters dancing, music, people singing, but it felt fun and lively without being too much.
Afterward, we walked over to Nikki Beach for a drink, which ended up being the best of both worlds.
Nikki Beach
Nikki Beach is the classic Sunday scene, and I’m really glad we experienced it.
Even without a reservation, we were able to walk in and have a drink by the bar, listen to the music, and get a little taste of the party. For our main lunch, Nao felt more like us, but I’d still say Nikki is worth seeing if you want the iconic St. Barths beach club moment.
La Guérite
La Guérite also came recommended and looked like a good option if you have multiple beach club days and want to mix it up.
It seemed a little more casual and chill compared to the bigger party lunch energy, so I’d keep it on the list for a longer St. Barths trip.
Gustavia
Because our first travel day went sideways, we missed our original dinner in Gustavia. I was sad about that because Gustavia is the harbor area with the boats, dinner restaurants, shopping, and more of the evening scene. It has a very European feel, and I would have loved one full night there.
On our last day, we rented a scooter and went into Gustavia before flying out. If you’re comfortable on a scooter or Vespa, it was such a fun way to explore and made getting around really easy. Everything is close, but there can still be traffic because there aren’t that many roads, so the scooter made the day feel much more flexible.
We shopped, wandered, saw the harbor, and got to experience a little bit of the town before leaving.
Le Bar de L’Oubli
Le Bar de L’Oubli was casual, classic, and exactly the kind of lunch I want on vacation.
We had rosé, fries, and a pesto burrata caprese salad that was so good. I would run it all back.
Restaurants we missed but would try next time
We had a reservation at Eddy’s Ghetto our first night that we missed because of the travel delay, but we walked by it later and it looked super cool. We’ve also heard great things, so that would be high on my list for next time.
Other spots that came highly recommended were Bonito for the view and dinner scene, and Bagatelle if you want the classic St. Barths party dinner. Arawak Café, L’Isola, Black Ginger, Shellona, and Le Petite Plage were also on our list, but with such a short stay, there was only so much we could fit in.
A few practical notes
Book beach clubs and dinner reservations in advance, especially if you’re going over a weekend.
If you’re staying in Saint-Jean, it’s very easy to make a day out of walking between the beach, hotels, shops, and beach clubs.
If you want to experience Gustavia, I’d try to prioritize at least one real evening there.
Our actual St. Barths snapshot
Saturday
Travel day that kept us on our toes. We arrived much later than planned, had dinner at Tropical Hotel, and went to bed.
Sunday
Breakfast at the hotel, beach walk around Saint-Jean, Eden Rock for apps, Gypsea for a drink, Nao Beach for our main beach club reservation, Nikki Beach for a cocktail after, then an easy night back at the hotel.
Monday
Rented a scooter, explored Gustavia, shopped, had lunch at Le Bar de L’Oubli, then flew back to St. Maarten before heading to Anguilla.
Final thoughts
St. Barths was glamorous, detailed, beautiful, delicious, and a little chaotic for us in the way travel sometimes is. I wish we had one more night, mostly so we could have had a proper dinner in Gustavia, but even with the travel hiccups, I completely understood the hype. It’s also small enough that you can see so much in a short amount of time.
After half a day there, we were already plotting our next trip back!
