Last Minute Availability - St. Barts & Caribbean!
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 Activities Books & Guides Beaches Calendar of Events Events Car Rental Food & Drink  Dining Reviews Hotels & Resorts Hotel News Special Offers Reviews Virtual Tours Hotel Map Local Stuff Maps of St. Barts Hotel Map Satellite Map News Real Estate Shopping & Art Shopping News Transportation Travel Forum Video Villa Rentals Wimco Villas Villa News Villa Reviewsthe latest • Last Minute Availability - St. Barts & Caribbean! • WIMCO Villas Summer Specials • Brummell - time for a holiday in paradise • St. Barts Hotel Specials • Windstar Cruises Unveils New 2012 Collection of Luxury Sailings • Top 10 nude beaches for summer 2011 • The worlds best beaches • Avant-garde Photographer Previews New Work • Seaworthy savings • St Barths Bucket Regatta 2011 • Wimco's Top 5 New Villas on St. Bart's for 2011 • Hurricane Earl Update • Villa Arc En Ciel • Lionfish Spotted Around St. Maarten • On the Horizon • Bits and Pieces • A Few Low-Season Hotel Specials • World's Oldest Resident Living in St Barth • Villa Nirvana • Territorial Council to Meet May 31 | St. Barts travel & news blog Welcome to the Saint Barthélemy travel & news blog. On this site you'll find an extensive and up to date guide to the island (links on the left), as well as news from and about St. Barts from Candee Duensing of "St. Barth News Bytes". You can read the articles and leave comments, and you can also ask and answer questions on our St. Bart's forum. Saint Barthélemy is a serene and special island that will remind visitors more of the south of France than the Caribbean. This tiny island has 22 beautiful beaches, as well as some of the finest accommodations (hotels and private villas) and dining in the region. The island is known for the famous faces it attracts every winter as celebrities from around the world flee the cold on this magical tropical paradise.
Recent Articles:December 1, 2011Last Minute Availability - St. Barts & Caribbean!Last minute and holiday villa specials are available from WIMCO - more here. June 7, 2011WIMCO Villas Summer SpecialsSt. Barts has become more affordable this summer thanks to the Caribbean's premier luxury villa rental company, Wimco Villas.  New this summer and fall are a range of promotional programs for Wimco's collection of villas, including 96-hour "Villa of the Week" private flash sales offering up to 50 percent off a week's rental, and their "Summer of Savings" program offering free nights, complimentary rental cars, and savings at some of St. Barts finest restaurants with Wimco's "Friend of the Island" card. These exclusive programs make St. Barts this season's most affordable luxury destination, promises Stiles Bennet, Wimco Villas president. "We've assembled an extensive list of private sales, special offers and value added programs," says Bennet, underscoring that to get full access to these programs people need to contact Wimco at info@wimco.com Examples of a few of the villas participating in these programs include Villa WV ACE, a spacious one bedroom retreat within walking distance of St Jean beach, two bedroom Villa WV CLV in fabled Point Milou, an area renowned for its sunset views, and three bedroom Villa WV ANC, a spectacular villa with a huge infinity pool, overlooking Gouverneur beach. Brummell - time for a holiday in paradiseFrom Financial News: 16 May 2011, Angela Henshall-
For those looking for the chicest of Caribbean paradises, La Banane hotel on the island of St Barthelemy would be Brummell's pick. The idyllic island of St Barts was discovered twice: first by explorer Christopher Columbus, who never set foot on it, and second by David Rockefeller who first visited at the end of the 1950s. Following in the tycoon's footsteps, others came to sample the island's delights. These included one of the world's most famous cabaret owners, Frenchman Jean-Marie Rivière. Rivière constructed an archipelago of nine bungalows to accommodate his many visitors around his own house. Nestled in the heart of a coconut grove, in a lavish tropical garden with hibiscus, frangipani and jasmine, it is the biggest homestead on the island. Today it is La Banane Hotel, which has retained the plush 1950s feel. Its nine rooms are split into two categories: Banane Extra, with a private terrace over the tropical garden, and Banane Deluxe, a larger room with a private terrace looking over the pool or facing the tropical garden. A melting pot of different periods and inspirations, the interior decoration of the hotel has been inspired by classical design icons of modernism. In order to create the feel of a real collector's home, the current owner has put together a unique and rare collection of furniture. Between the tropical surroundings and his passion for modernist lines, the art lover has incorporated references to architect Pierre Jeanneret's work created for the Punjab in India. Each of the hotel's bungalows pays homage to modernist artists, such as architects Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand, and other contemporaries from the 1950s such as lighting designer Serge Mouille. May 26, 2011May 19, 2011Windstar Cruises Unveils New 2012 Collection of Luxury SailingsNine New Itineraries and the Lowest Introductory Pricing in Years From the Digital Journal: SEATTLE, May 11, 2011, PR Newswire Windstar Cruises, which operates a three-ship fleet of luxury yachts that explore hidden harbors and secluded coves of the world's most treasured destinations, unveils its new 2012 collection of luxury sailing voyages in the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Baltic, Italy, Mediterranean, Greek Isles and Transatlantic Crossing. Windstar's new 2012 collection of luxury sailing voyages visit enchanting destinations and provide unforgettable experiences at exceptional values. In addition to receiving the lowest introductory pricing in years, guests who book by June 30, 2011, receive a $200 shipboard credit per cabin. Windstar's Foremast Members receive an additional 5% discount on all itineraries. Features a unique collection of islands highlighting diverse countries, styles, landscapes and cultures of the Caribbean. Seven-day sailings on Wind Surf from Philipsburg, St. Maarten to Philipsburg, St. Maarten visit Le Marin, Martinique; Pigeon Island, St. Lucia; Roseau, Dominica; Falmouth Harbour, Antigua; and Gustavia, St. Barts. Departures: December 31, 2011; January 14, 28; February 11, 25; and March 10, 24, 2012. Cruise fares starting from $2,299 per person, double occupancy.
Top 10 nude beaches for summer 2011From the Toronto Sun: Thursday, May 19, 2011 With great reviews of St. Bart's on TripAdvisor, the recurring theme seems to be: Stellar beaches, amazing water and full-sun. While there are many beaches in the area, Grand Saline Beach is naturist friendly and, according to one review, idyllic: "This beach is what the Caribbean must have been like thousands of years ago."
May 10, 2011The worlds best beachesFrom Travel News: May 3, 2011 The listing as published by the National Geographic book - The 10 Best of Everything: 8. ST. BART'S Avant-garde Photographer Previews New WorkFrom Palm Desert Patch: April 19, 2011 Los Angeles-based photographer Peter Eaton Gurnz presents a sneak preview of his recent collaboration with supermodel Masha Rudenko. The dramatic collection of images is part of a show which opens on St. Barts in August at Valentine de Badereau Gallery, Tom Beach Hotel. Seaworthy savingsFrom The Calgary Herald: Herald News Services April 13, 2011
SeaDream Yacht Club is offering savings of up to 62 per cent on select 2011 sailings in the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Northern Europe. For example, pay from $2,599 per person double (plus $392 port charges and service fee) for a seven-night Caribbean cruise aboard the SeaDream II departing Nov. 12 and sailing round trip from St. Thomas. By comparison, the brochure rate is $6,900, plus taxes and fees. The cruise visits St. John, Saba, St. Barts (overnight stay), Virgin Gorda, Norman Island and Jost Van Dyke. Info:www.seadream.com
January 31, 2011St Barths Bucket Regatta 2011The annual St. Barths Bucket Regatta is scheduled for March 24 through March 27 this year. Visit their website for more information.  Photo courtesy of and copyright of the owner/photographer. January 20, 2011Wimco's Top 5 New Villas on St. Bart's for 2011NEWPORT, R.I., Jan. 12, 2011 -- Planning that perfectly chic St. Bart's vacation has never been easier with Wimco Villa's new vertically integrated agency on the island, WimcoSBH, providing above-and-beyond personalized concierge services. WimcoSBH, headed up by island expert Fabienne Le Gall, has uniquely positioned itself as the most knowledgeable and well-connected villa rental and real estate sales agency on St. Bart's. Wimco's thoroughly vetted selection of premier villas on St. Bart's includes several newly constructed villas, filled with the latest features and amenities. Here are the Top 5 New Villas from Wimco for 2011 vacation season in St Bart's. Continue reading "Wimco's Top 5 New Villas on St. Bart's for 2011" » September 17, 2010Hurricane Earl Update
August 13, 2010Villa Arc En Ciel
Lionfish Spotted Around St. Maarten
June 16, 2010On the HorizonJune 26, 2010 July 17, 2010 July 24-25, 2010 August 7-8, 2010
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Hurricane Earl, at category 3, hit St Barth on August 29 and 30 with strong winds and rough seas. The strongest wind gusts were measured at 105m/h. The south side of the island was hit the worse (Gustavia, Corossol, Public, Colombier). Five planes that had been left at the airport were damaged, two almost completely. All of the commercial planes had been flown to Guadeloupe, Martinique or Curaçao. The airport was operational again by 9:00 am Tuesday morning, August 31. The electricity was restored for the most part by the end of Monday, with the remaining outages repaired by Wednesday. The project of putting the electrical lines underground certainly paid off for many residents and visitors. Hopefully, that will be completed island-wide before too long. Desalinated water from Gustavia was cut off Sunday afternoon but available again by Wednesday. Most of the damage was to trees and beaches. The sand on most of the beaches on that side of the island has been replaced with large boulders and rocks. Three months after hurricane Omar hit St Barth, the sand had returned to Colombier, so there is hope. The Collectivity had just completed adding sand to the beach at Corossol before Earl arrived and was preparing to start a project to add sand to Shell Beach. I guess the lesson learned is that nature is more powerful than man, and we should just let it take its natural course. Hopefully, the sand will find its way back to Colombier, Corossol, Shell Beach and Public with a little time. At right is a photo of the beach at Colombier after Earl. Still beautiful, just different.
The lionfish, native to the Pacific Ocean, is a voracious predator with few natural enemies. It is also one of the venomous fish in the ocean with long, pointy spines. Although its venom is not fatal, a person being struck will have extreme pain and possibly headaches, vomiting and breathing difficulties. Recently, two young lionfish were found in the waters around St. Maarten. Thus far, none have been seen in St. Barth waters. Because the lionfish has few, if any, natural predators, it can decimate populations of other fish. In addition, it reproduces very quickly. The Nature Foundation in St. Maarten is trying to collect every lionfish that is found to try to halt this invasive species from taking over the Caribbean waters.