April 23 Conference on the Flora and Fauna of St Barth at the Capitainerie on the quai in Gustavia at 6:00 pm.

April 22, May 20 Future races of the traditional sailboats for the 2007 season

April 29 Race around the island for catamarans and kite-surfers. Organized by Le Centre Nautique of St Barth. Departs from St Jean Bay at 10:00 am. Barbecue, bar and music by BRH (Blues, Rock and Harmony) on the beach beginning at noon.

May 4-21 St Barth Theater Festival

Posted on April 24, 2007 12:02 PM| Permanent Link: On the Horizon| Comments (0)

One of the most anticipated events on the island is the annual Film Festival, which takes place this year April 25-30. As always, this year’s line-up of films is sure to captivate the audience. Four feature films, two shorts in 35 mm and several video screenings make up this year’s program. Ellen Lampert-Gréaux, co-founder of the festival, has also invited many of the films’ directors to present their films and answer questions from the audience. The films are projected on the large white wall at the A.J.O.E. tennis courts in Lorient, where non-alcoholic drinks, popcorn, T-shirts and baseball caps can be purchased. Admission is 5 € per night or five nights for 25 €. All films are either in French or have French subtitles. All films are shown at A.J.O.E. in Lorient unless otherwise noted.

Posted on April 24, 2007 11:53 AM| Permanent Link: Twelfth St. Barth Film Festival Starts April 25| Comments (0)

New nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale and St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles starts today

Celebratory Fares Starting at $99 Each Way*

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (April 20, 2007) – Spirit Airlines today inaugurated nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale and St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles. Service will be offered three times weekly on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

In addition to nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale, Spirit also offers connecting service from its domestic network. Spirit serves all routes with its fleet of Airbus aircraft, the youngest in the Americas.

To celebrate the new service, Spirit Airlines dedicated one of its A319 aircraft to the region by naming it “The Spirit of St. Maarten/St. Martin”. The aircraft arrived on the island today to highlight the celebration.

“This is a very exciting day for us as St. Maarten marks our 14th Caribbean destination served,” said Mark Kopczak, Senior Director of Network Planning for Spirit Airlines. “We proudly dedicated one of our new Airbus aircraft to this island paradise to show our commitment to providing ultra low fares and reliable service to the region.”

“It is said that air service is a lifeline to tourism growth for emerging islands like St. Maarten/St. Martin, and we are elated that Spirit Airlines is now operating three weekly year-round direct flights from Fort Lauderdale to St. Maarten,” said St. Maarten Tourism Director, Regina LaBega.

Fares:

To celebrate the new service, Spirit is offering sale fares starting at $99 each way* for nonstop flights between Fort Lauderdale and St. Maarten. Fares must be purchased at spiritair.com by April 30, 2007 for travel on select days.

To St. Maarten from: Fares from Dates Available
Fort Lauderdale $99* For travel Sundays through November 16, 2007

From St. Maarten to: Fares from Dates Available
Fort Lauderdale $99* For travel Fridays through November 16, 2007


Schedule for nonstop service effective April 20, 2007:

To St. Maarten from: Depart Arrive Flight Number Stops Frequency
Fort Lauderdale 11:00 am 1:50 pm 100 0 Fri/Sat/Sun

From St. Maarten to: Depart Arrive Flight Number Stops Frequency
Fort Lauderdale 2:40 pm 5:55 pm 777 0 Fri/Sat/Sun


About Spirit Airlines

Fort Lauderdale-based Spirit Airlines is the largest Ultra Low Cost Carrier (ULCC) serving the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States with 34 destinations. For the 411 on fares, schedules and reservations go to spiritair.com or call 1-800-772-7117 (en Español, 1-800-756-7117).

* Fares must be booked by 11:59 PM ET on April 30, 2007 for travel from Fort Lauderdale to St. Maarten on Sundays only and from St. Maarten to Fort Lauderdale on Fridays only between April 27, 2007 and November 16, 2007. Fares are for coach class travel and reflect the spiritair.com discount. Fares are each way based on roundtrip purchase, and roundtrip travel is required, but these fares may be combined with other valid and applicable Spirit Airlines fares on other days of the week. A 3-day advanced purchase is required on all fares. All fares listed on spiritair.com are per customer for each way of travel and include the base fare plus a federal excise tax. Fares do not include (a) a segment tax of $3.40 per U.S. domestic flight segment (a flight segment is defined as one takeoff and landing) of a passenger’s itinerary; (b) up to $18 per round trip in local airport charges; or (c) a September 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per enplanement originating at a U.S. airport. International itineraries do not include governmental taxes and fees (including U.S. government excise tax) of up to $125 per round trip. Additionally, if sold in, or travel originates in a country outside of the U.S., additional taxes may apply (up to 22% of the fare value per country). Fares are subject to availability and may not be available on all flights or on all days, and will be highly restricted around certain holiday periods. Previously purchased tickets may not be exchanged for these new sale fares. Certain restrictions apply. For best results, please book early.

Posted on April 20, 2007 10:59 AM| Permanent Link: The Spirit of St. Maarten/St. Martin Arrives at Princess Juliana International Airport!| Comments (0)

We have new page on the St. Barts Travel & News blog highlighting ten of Wimco's villas:

Luxury Villa Rentals from Wimco

Here is a sample of a 2 bedroom villa:

SIB CHL - A private beachfront villa w/ separate bungalows set back from the road; each bungalow has a kitchenette (and main kitchen too). The location affords great breezes and there is lots of pool furniture and a gas grill. Very convenient for families. The bedrooms are similar in size and accommodation. The living room is in a separate bungalow, and opens to a terrace on each side; one in front of the beach and the other on the deck around the pool.

Posted on April 12, 2007 8:35 AM| Permanent Link: Wimco Luxury St. Barts Villas| Comments (0)

More here.

Posted on April 12, 2007 8:21 AM| Permanent Link: Act rich, live well| Comments (0)

This northeastern beach, located on a calm, shallow, reef-protected lagoon, is perfect for swimming and water sports. You can rent kayaks and windsurfing boards next to the restaurants La Gloriette and Le Rivage (now closed!). Several fine resorts and restaurants border the beach, making it a delightful place to pass a tranquil afternoon.

Posted on April 4, 2007 10:37 AM| Permanent Link: Grand Cul de Sac| Comments (0)

From "The World In Photos" website:

Posted on April 2, 2007 4:13 AM| Permanent Link: Some nice pictures of St. Barts| Comments (0)

Spectacular, majestic, breathtaking, elegant…..words don’t do justice to the sight of the world’s largest and most beautiful sailing yachts as they depart Gustavia harbor and raise their sails to race around the island. The 12th annual St Barth Bucket started yesterday, March 30, and will conclude on Sunday, April 1 with an awards ceremony and cocktail reception on the quay in Gustavia at 6:00 pm. During the three days of races, the St Barth Yacht Club will be hosting a bar and a stand selling T-shirts and baseball hats on the quay. An anticipated 28 yachts will compete this year with the smallest, Metolius, measuring 83 feet, and the largest, the Maltese Falcon, measuring a grand 286 feet. The Maltese Falcon, which made its maiden voyage in July 2006, is a true study in technology with its three unrigged, rotating carbon-fiber masts, each of which supports five independent square sails that can be synchronized for angle and wind by controls from the deck. Good spots to view the races are at the lighthouse in Gustavia, the heights of Lurin and Pointe Milou and the end of the road at Colombier.

Posted on April 1, 2007 7:10 AM| Permanent Link: St Barth Bucket 2007 Sets Sail March 30| Comments (0)