Best hotels to stay in St. Barts

If you are looking for serenity, shimmering white sand beaches, peaceful sapphire waters, fabulous luxury accommodation and amazing gourmet restaurants all in place, then St. Bart’s is the place you are looking for! Perhaps the most exquisite and elegant among all Caribbean islands, St. Bart’s is a perfect blend of luxury, style and extremely beautiful beaches, mixed with a distinctly French flavor. It is also a favorite home away from home for millionaires and celebrities with the taste to match its prices in high season.

If you are ever in St. Barts and require a great Hotel to stay in, the following are some of the best choices available.

Eden Rock

Eden Rock along with Hotel Saint-Barth Isle de France is one of the finest accommodations on the island, perhaps in the entire Caribbean. The hotel is a perfect place to stay for art lovers, with its exciting, eye-catching art pieces that ignite curiosity or laughter.

This hotel is completely covered in color and texture. With every room offering a different array of colors to enjoy.Though all the rooms are unique, however, the fabulous thirties styled Garbo Suite is a fascinating sight to behold. The hotel has two different bars, the Sandbar which is designed for lunch while dinner is served at On the Rocks bar.

Hotel Guanahani &Spa

Hotel Guanahani & Spa is an astounding resort on the east of the St Barts, tucked away into serenity away from the hustle bustle on other parts of the island.

Hotel Le Toiny

Hotel Le Toiny is undoubtedly one of the most luxurious hotels in the world, while its restaurant is one of the best on the island. The hotel’s 14 extremely fabulous one-bedroom cottages and one three bedrooms suite make it obvious that getting reservations in this beautiful hotel is not a piece of cake. At Hotel Le Toiny, privacy is everything. This is perhaps why it is located on the not so popular east coast of the island where the beaches are rather dangerous and not frequently visited by tourists, hence the serenity of its environment.

Hotel Saint-Barth Isle De France

The Hotel Saint-Barth De France is a super chic hotel with a fabulous colonial mansion look. Its inner and outer parts are covered in spotless and sparkling white.Its public spaces are decorated with comfy sofas, while the rooms king size beds are finished with super comfortable and luxurious cushions.

The cherry-pink lampshades add just the right amount of color to make the hotel’s glamorous look perfect.Among all the fabulous features of this hotel, the breath-taking view of an endless sapphire ocean through the terrace doors of the rooms is the most indescribable.

History of St. Barthelemy Island

In the past, many nations fought to own and control the island of Saint Barthélemy, also referred to as St. Barths. Its natural beauty and unforgettable distinct qualities from other Caribbean islands made Saint Barthélemy an island to desire and fight for.

St. Barth’s was first named by the Arawak Indians who gave it the name “Ouanalao” which perhaps referred to the iguanas that once populated the island. Christopher Columbus discovered St. Barth’s island in 1493 and named it Saint Barthélemy after his younger brother whose name was Bartolomeo.

The French were the first to attempt to settle on the island in 1648. Their settlement was unsuccessful and barely two years later, the island was sold to the knights of Malta. The Knights made efforts to grow cotton, indigo and developed breeding practices, fishing and salt farming. This was also their efforts towards the colonization of St. Barth’s, however, their settlements were destroyed by the Carib Indians in 1656.

In 1763, the island was reclaimed by French Mariners from Normandy and Brittany. While French buccaneers helped improve the economy through provision of loots from Spanish galleons.

Stories of piracy grew in St. Barth’s, some of the stories inspired characters such as Red Rackham and Captain Hook, including a famous buccaneer named Monbars the Exterminator who had his headquarters on the Island. His treasures are believed to be hidden somewhere on the island; perhaps in sands of Saline or in the coves of Anse de Gouverneur.

As France continued to fight to regain ownership of the island, Britain took control of it in 1744, and after 20 years, the island was returned to France. However, in 1784, France lost control of the island again, after it was sold to Sweden as a trading possession by King Louis XVI.

Sweden made the port tax free which transformed the port into a trading center. The port was named Gustavia to honor King Gustave lll. Vessels came from different parts of the world to Gustavia, ships captains sold their plunder to St. Barth’s and filled up their cargos as well. Businesses flourished until the island’s economy was brought down by natural disasters.

France eventually reclaimed St. Barth’s in 1878 after buying back the island for 320,000 francs.

Though St. Barth’s Island is still loosely lead by France, parts of the island’s captivating Swedish History, such as castles and the Swedish Capital Gustavia are still present on the island till date.