St Barts is open for business and is looking more beautiful than ever. The island is delighted to be welcoming guests after suffering damage caused during Hurricane Irma earlier this year. However, the island has recovered magnificently and welcomed their first guests in mid-November.

The island is starting to get back to normal with most restaurants and shops now open, and all beaches available to guests. The majority of our St Barts villas are ready to welcome guests and those hotels that have closed plan to be open by Summer 2018 at the latest. We are ready to book our guests into any of their favourite St Barts Villas this festive and Winter season.

st barts after irma is as green and pleasant as it was before Irma

We want to let all our clients know that after hurricane Irma St Barts is open for business and our St Barth Villa rentals are ready to book.

Flights to the island from San Juan and St Martin are back in operation, making it very easy to get here. St Barth Commuter is operating daily scheduled flights from St Martin and Guadeloupe, while Winair has in operation 3-4 flights daily.

St Barts is accessible from anywhere in the world.

Current and Future Reservations

A lot of my clients are getting in contact with me and trying to find out which restaurants are open and if it is a good idea to travel to the island?

Well, the answer is YES, it is a great time to travel, and you will get to experience an even better St Barts than before. The island is greener than ever, its lush landscape and perfect weather makes it the ideal choice for a sun destination with a chic twist. Plus, with your help, the island will get back on its feet that bit faster.

St Barts has come a long way in such a short few weeks with regular clients coming back to support the island. This support has brought back the buzz and atmosphere needed to revive the St Barts spark we all know and love.  It is heartening to see, that for some guests when the villas they had booked would not be ready in time for their arrival these guests have still decided to travel and stay in another villa instead.

There are endless options of Villas in St Barts, and each owner is so delighted to have guests come rather than cancelling their trip so that they could give their support to their favourite island.

Read our Ultimate Travel Guide to St Barts

Are all the beaches on the island accessible?

Yes! Concerning the St Barts beaches, we are delighted to confirm that they are all open to visitors and are just as sandy as they were before the hurricane. The only section that is not open is the Western side of St Jean Beach, but guests can swim and go to any beach they wish.

Even better news is Nikki Beach will reopen in March so that you can enjoy one of the best Sunday brunches on the island very soon.

A sands-eye-view across Grand Cul De Sac Beach

Some of our St Barts Villas come with exclusive VIP access to Eden Rock. Since the hotel has closed, the Eden Rock team have come up with a fantastic solution to ensure our guests can still have beach access and receive the VIP treatment which they so truly deserve.

From December 15th, guests who have booked a villa in St Barts with Eden Rock Access with Exceptional Villas will have access to a private serviced section on the beach at Lorient once booked with your concierge in advance. This arrangement will replace the previous service at St Jean Beach until further notice.

The famous Eden Rock Hotel is due to reopen early this Summer, and we expect to have a date for this in early 2018.

Shopping in St Barts

Fashion in St Barts could not be affected by any storm. St Barts is, of course, famous for its designer shopping and we are delighted that so many of the shops are open and ready to welcome. Of those that are open, I have included a list of my favourites below, so you can visit and shop for all your favourite brands like you always have while on vacation.  To view a full list of St Barts shops now open, click here.

Our Favourite Shops Now Open

Free in St Barth
Hermès
Lacoste Gustavia
Le Cellier du Gouverneur
Ligne St Barth

Restaurants in St Barts

There are so many restaurants, shops and bars now open and ready to welcome visitors. I have included the list of my favourite restaurants, bakeries and bars below that are now officially open, so there is a great selection available and you are sure to find a St Barts restaurant to suit your taste. To view all restaurants open in St Barts click here

Le Ti St Barth
Isola
Eddy’s
Maya’s to Go
Black Ginger
Tamarin
Esprit de Jean Claude
Yo Sushi Mania
Local bakeries open include La Petite Colombe and Boulangerie Choisy bakery.

 

We are also so delighted to say that the following restaurants will also be open by 23rd December just in time for the festive season.

La Plage
Shellona
Bagatelle
Le Village St. Jean
La Guerite
Orega
The Hideaway

If your favourite restaurant is not open, don’t worry we can arrange a personal chef to come and prepare your meals for you in the comfort of your private villa. There is a wide selection of excellent gourmet chefs available in St Barts who look forward to preparing you a delicious meal whether it be French or international cuisine there is a chef for every taste bud.

 

Shell Beach in St barts

Shell Beach just in front of Shellona restaurant which is opening for the festive season (photo credit St Barth pour les Intimes)

Upcoming Events

St Barts Music Festival

The St Barts Music Festival will take place on January 2018 as planned and will be an exciting and fantastic time to visit. This year’s music festival offers an exciting program with some of the best music and dance performances from around the world. The festival commences on the 5th and 6th January and the main part of the event will follow from 14th -24th January with piano recitals, chamber music, jazz and opera. The performances will take place in quaint churches and community halls across St Barts. During the festival is an excellent time to visit as it provides visitors with lots of entertainment to enjoy during their trip.e

Bucket Regatta

St Barts Bucket Regatta will also take place in March as planned. The St Barts Bucket Regatta is a three-day event that has taken place every year since 2005. This year they are expecting to welcome more than 40 superyachts for the race. It is taking place from the 15-18th March and is one of the busiest weekends of the year. There is so much going on with social activities organised throughout the event; from race viewing parties at the beachside establishments and Bucket parties at private villas and local restaurants. We have guests who come back every year for this year, and it is one of the most talked-about events of the year.

Villas during these events are booking up fast so please do get in contact with us if you would like to make a reservation. We have some beautiful villas still available in all ranges to suit everyone, but they do get booked up quickly, so it is essential to reserve early, so you have the best options.

Need help booking your villa?

At Exceptional Villas, we are experts in St Barts, we know and love this island so very much. We want to encourage our clients to travel to this chic French Island which has some of the finest beaches, people and cuisine imaginable.

We feature all of the very best St Barts Villas that the island has to offer, there are so many wonderful options for you to choose from, please feel free to email or call me, and I will be delighted to help you find the perfect villa.

I am personally familiar with all the best villas in St Barts and having stayed at most them; I know them all exceptionally well.

When you book a villa with Exceptional Villas, we also include complimentary concierge service in the rate, so our guest specialist is more than happy to help plan your entire trip from booking restaurants, car rental, chef hire, groceries pre-stock, finding for you the best things to do in St Barts, and it makes planning your trip seamless.

Contact me at [email protected] to book your St Barth villa rental today.

 

About Niamh McCarthy

Niamh is our Caribbean Travel Specialist and has an in-depth knowledge of all of the islands in the Caribbean. Niamh's qualifications are in the area of Business Management and Marketing with a Bachelor degree in Business Management and a Masters degree in Public Relations. Niamh has worked for over 10 years in the travel industry and has also spent time working in the United States.