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"Affordable" and "St. Barts" are not two words that you say in one sentence too often - but the NY Times has some ideas:
St. Barts on the cheap? Easy. Just attach yourself to Jay-Z's entourage, score an invitation aboard a megayacht, and sip Champagne all night in the V.V.I.P. section at Nikki Beach. If that fails, a seven-room villa at the celebrity-filled Carl Gustaf Hotel goes for 48,000 euros a night during the peak season. Luckily, for those who would rather splurge on a lobster dinner, this chic Caribbean Riviera still has a smattering of affordable options — relatively speaking, of course.
The article is full of good tips, and lots of links to check out.
Villa Le Manoir de Lurin is now under new ownership, and this amazing estate is now available to rent for the first time! This five-bedroom seven-and-a-half bath luxury estate is perfect for guests seeking total privacy. The main plantation house is comprised of a huge upstairs Master Suite with king bed and lovely view, a sitting area as well as his and her baths. Downstairs features a sprawling living room with billiard table, a huge gourmet kitchen, an outdoor dining area on the large covered deck and a fantastic media room. Three independent cottages are located along the perimeter. The Alexia Bungalow which lies on the front of the property features a king bedroom, a separate sitting room that could be used by a child, two bathrooms a kitchenette and a lovely view. A fitness room is located underneath. The Philippe Bungalow which is located in the middle, boasts two queen four poster beds a bath ensuite and full kitchen. The Helen Bungalow, which is located near the entrance of the property, features a king bedroom and bath, kitchen and a small second bedroom with bath ensuite and that would be suitable for a young child or Nanny. The large yard is very unusual for St. Barth, offers a gazebo, and is a perfect place for children to play. The large natural heated swimming pool which lies on the front of the property, offers music, a wet bar and a guest bath. Guests really enjoy the sensational views from here. US Satellite TV and Wi-Fi can be found throughout the residence. Le Manoir is a child-friendly estate which offers Wii and other games to delight the children.
The property of the month at St Barth Properties is Villa Princess X. This new and very contemporary 2-bedroom, 3-bathroom villa is beautifully decorated using a sleek design and offers a lovely view. The two king bedrooms with baths ensuite look out to the view and are located on either side of the Great Room, which features the living room, dining area and beautiful gourmet kitchen. An office lies next to one of the bedrooms. A wooden deck overlooks the large pool, which is perfect for staying in shape while swimming laps. The guest bath is located by the rear deck. A private path winds through the garden to the gazebo that features a barbecue area and continues on, directly to Petit Cul de Sac beach.
"What could possibly carry that kind of soul-sucking price tag? Ahhhh, the two new luxury villas - a k a Eden Rock Estates - coming soon to St. Barts' Eden Rock Hotel. Now it's all starting to make sense. Villa Nina, the first of the two, opens in early November. So, just pretend to be Leona's dog for a minute and take booking it seriously: that price (which bumps up to $91,568 in high season, and $110,838 over the holidays) includes an in-room art gallery, Jacuzzi, a dedicated butler, access to a Mini Cooper, and a pool overlooking the beautiful sands of St. Jean beach. Arf, arf!"
NEWPORT, RI, June 2007 – To meet a growing demand for villas on St. Barts, Wimco, the leading marketer of exclusive and sophisticated villa rentals in sun-splashed places, has added five villas to its available-only-through Wimco inventory.
“These new additions to our exclusive portfolio allow us to meet the growing demand for villa vacations on St Barts. The sophistication and amenities in these villas makes them very attractive to today’s discerning traveler,” says Stiles Bennet, Wimco’s Director of Marketing.
For the upcoming season, Wimco represents 265 St. Barts villas, most of them on an exclusive basis Wimco’s villas range from 1 bedroom retreats starting at $3,000/week in peak season to six bedroom compounds costing up to $40,000 a week in peak season.
Demand for St. Barts villa rentals is up 30% percent over this time last year. Wimco attributes this to the fact that this eight-square-mile island is increasingly popular because of its quaint French culture, family-friendly environment, uncrowded beaches, fine cuisine and world class shopping.
“This increased demand is especially true for the sought-after Holiday and Spring Break seasons,” says Bennet, who notes that there are still choice villas available for those two windows. “But they’re going fast.”
"The fund will seek to achieve absolute returns by creating a stream of development projects to be sold on completion. “Some of the investments will be in the development of rural land while others will be renovations or rebuilding existing properties,” said Tim de Rosen, the fund’s director. Targeted locations include St. Barts, Harbour Island in the Bahamas, St. Tropez, Cap d’Antibes, Cap Ferrat and similar resorts."
You can read the whole thing here. Sounds a bit speculative in nature - "projects to be sold on completion" - to me for the Caribbean market.
We are very happy to welcome Wimco Villas as a sponsor of the St. Barts Travel & News Blog:
Luxury Villa Rentals with Wimco.com, est in 1983. Wimco is the pioneer in the Caribbean luxury villa rental industry. Visit Wimco.com to browse its selection of 1,200 private luxury villas. They have 24 years of experience and have been praised by the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Forbes and Fortune. You can trust them to put you in the right villa for whatever kind of vacation experience you want. The villa specialists at Wimco will also handle your flight and car reservations, and their concierge department will arrange for babysitters, restaurant reservations, and activities. Get started.
"The road that winds around St. Barthélemy offers some of the most spectacular vistas in the Caribbean as it curves up and down steep hills, snakes along windswept beaches and crosses coconut groves and salt marshes.
Too often, though, as the road bobs and weaves through the tiny island, the landscape is pocked with construction sites — building machinery, like colossal historic beasts, devouring the vegetation.
And on the decks of multimillion-euro villas, which rent for $5,000 to $50,000 a week during high season, jetsetters down their Negronis and cover their ears to muffle the sound of jackhammers."
There is more and it is actually quite good - there are several quotes from people on St. Barts and their take on the development of the island.
The luxurious Le Sereno hotel, located in the undeniably beautiful setting on the beach of Grand Cul de Sac, is adding three villas to its property. Each four-bedroom villa will have over 3500 square feet of covered space and 6500 square feet overall, including the decks and pool. Villa owners will enjoy all of the amenities of Le Sereno, from 24-hour room service, concierge services, housekeeping, maintenance and landscaping, and use of the pool and gourmet restaurant. The villas will be sold fully equipped and furnished, if desired. In addition, if the owners wish to rent the villas when they are not present, the hotel’s rental management service will handle all details. The hotel’s fee for this service is 40% of gross revenues after deducting for travel agent/broker commissions, credit card commissions and a 15% service fee used to cover marketing efforts and expenses involved in renting the villa. In addition, the hotel will provide accounting and administrative services, airport transfers, VIP reception in St Maarten, hotel-quality service for the renters, web site maintenance and will handle all reservations, sales and marketing. Owners may also opt to participate in the Maintenance Program. For a fixed amount per year, this program includes cleaning, maintenance and upkeep of the parking areas, decks, gardens, pool, roofs, irrigation, security services, satellite TV, wireless high-speed internet, trash collection, pest control and other similar miscellaneous services. Average expected rental fees per week range from 10,000 € to 25,000 €. Owners who choose the rental program are committed to participate for three years, with the option of renewing after that.
As announced in its World Wide Villa Rental Guide, Condé Nast Traveler selected St Barth Properties as the #1 villa rental agency on St Barth and as one of the top 35 villa rental agencies worldwide. Consumer News Editor Wendy Perin and her team rigorously evaluated villa rental agents, many of whom were recommended by readers and staff. Criteria included the offering of friendly, high-touch service, representation of unique properties that are personally and regularly inspected by the villa rental agency’s staff, and an in-depth knowledge of their destination with lots of insider tips to share. As Condé Nast stated, company president Peg Walsh “knows St Barth backward and forward and thinks of absolutely everything.” This award justly honors Peg and her highly knowledgeable and competent staff!
Newport, RI (PRWEB) December 1, 2006 -- Wimco, the Newport, RI, villa rental and hotel reservations company, announced today that it will sponsor the "Mode in St. Barth," fashion extravaganza on its signature island, St. Barts. The event runs from Dec. 1 to Dec. 3, 2006.
"This stylish event orchestrated by Nikki Beach of Miami Beach, Fl., is in the spirit of Dubai's extravagant shopping festivals and the fashion stock sales you find in Saint-Tropez," says Stiles Bennet, Wimco's Director of Marketing.
Informal fashion shows will be held afternoons, followed by high-fashion evening events at various hotels and at the marina. Top luxury brands and designers such as Dior and Roberto Cavalli will be featured. An evening fashion show will run daily around 6:30 p.m. along with cocktails in La Baie de St. Jean near Gustavia Harbor in St Barts.
Think St. Barts - Think VillSpa Stay Sequestered in a Wimco Villa on St. Barts With Spa Treatments at Your Fingertips
Comfort, privacy, seclusion, convenience - all attributes of staying in your own villa on St. Barts and having the spa come to you.
NEWPORT, RI (PRWEB) October 18, 2006 It may be time to coin a new phrase called “villspa,” an opportunity to remain luxuriously sequestered in a private villa while enjoying the most soul rejuvenating spa experiences.
Wimco has a new edition of their villa guide out. It is a fancy, full color, 144 page "guide of the most desirable villas, villa rentals and hotels on the Caribbean island of St. Barts." You can order one here.
The property of the month at St Barth Properties is 
As announced in its World Wide Villa Rental Guide, Condé Nast Traveler selected St Barth Properties as the #1 villa rental agency on St Barth and as one of the top 35 villa rental agencies worldwide. Consumer News Editor Wendy Perin and her team rigorously evaluated villa rental agents, many of whom were recommended by readers and staff. Criteria included the offering of friendly, high-touch service, representation of unique properties that are personally and regularly inspected by the villa rental agency’s staff, and an in-depth knowledge of their destination with lots of insider tips to share. As Condé Nast stated, company president Peg Walsh “knows St Barth backward and forward and thinks of absolutely everything.” This award justly honors Peg and her highly knowledgeable and competent staff!
