Of course, the French island has been feeling the pinch from the weakened economy and a decline in American tourists, but recession-proof visitors overdosing on luxury would never know it. From new restaurants to five-star renovations, St. Barts is as glitzy and glamorous as ever.
INN STYLE
St. Barts' mode is best expressed with an oxymoron: sumptuous simplicity. Take Le Sereno hotel – its 37 renovated rooms along Grand Cul-de-Sac beach are a sophisticated pairing of white linen and russet wood. The hotel is also offering a trio of new four-bedroom villas for sale this winter, decorated by trendy French designer Christian Liaigre.
Hotel Le Toiny's new managers have spiffed up the secluded villa escape for the season, adding new beach access from its 15 redecorated cottages (which now have Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs and Frette linens), a fitness center, spa and seaside walking trail.
Villa Triagoz is a minimalist combination of metallic railings, white columns and wooden decks, nestled in the hills above sweeping Flamands Beach. The three-bedroom property has a plunge pool suspended precipitously over a lush hillside, offering breathtaking views of the ocean and neighboring Anguilla.
Meanwhile, in Gustavia, the capital, the ever-elegant Hotel Carl Gustaf reopens with a newly designed restaurant, reception area and a four-bedroom Royale Suite.
NO RESERVATIONS
Scoring a table at a fashionable St. Barts restaurant in high season can be like getting seats on the 50-yard line for the Super Bowl. Rise to the challenge with the help of St. Barth Properties, a concierge service that handles travel needs large and small, from dinner reservations to hotel and villa bookings.
RECESSION? WHAT RECESSION?
Two vodka tonics at chic Gustavia nightspot The Yacht Club: $45. A generous serving of beluga at Gustavia lounge Caviar Island: $1,105. A one-week Christmastime stay at St. Barts' most opulent villa, the lavishly appointed, seven-bedroom La Grand Maison des Etoiles: $281,671. Experiencing just how egregiously expensive St. Barts is: priceless.
ARTFUL ANTIDOTE
On an island where "highbrow" is a strenuous understatement, Zaza Noah's studio at Anse des Cailles' Hotel Manapany is a refreshingly bohemian oasis where the dreadlocked artist with color-splattered hands uses acrylic house paint to create canvases bursting with life. Born to a French mother and a West African father, the 43-year-old free spirit honed her self-taught craft in locales that included France, Cameroon and the U.S., but St. Barts is her home and primary inspiration. Noah's international exhibition schedule is posted on her website, and she welcomes visitors to her studio. But the artist suggests an even simpler way of finding her work on island: "Just look for Zaza."
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