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For
luxury with minimum hassle, albeit at a high
price tag, St. Barts is rivaled only by Anguilla.
It's the ultimate in sophistication in the tropics:
chic, rich, and very Parisian. Forget historic
sites or ambitious watersports programs. You
go to St. Barts for the relaxation, the French
cuisine, the white-sand beaches, and the ultimate
in comfort.
New
friends call it "St. Barts," while
old-time visitors prefer "St. Barths."
Either way, it's short for St. Barthélemy
(San Bar-te-le-mee), named by its discoverer
Columbus in 1493. For the most part, St. Bartians
are descendants of Breton and Norman fisherfolk.
Many are of French and Swedish ancestry, the
latter evident in their fair skin, blond hair,
and blue eyes. The mostly Caucasian population
is small, about 6,500 living in some 21 sq.
km (8 1/4 sq. miles), 24km (15 miles) southeast
of St. Martin and 225km (140 miles) north of
Guadeloupe.
Occasionally
you'll see St. Bartians dressed in the provincial
costumes of Normandy and speaking Norman French.
In little Corossol, more than anywhere else,
people sometimes follow customs brought from
17th-century France. You might see elderly women
wearing the traditional starched white bonnets,
at least on special occasions. The bonnets,
known as quichenottes (a corruption of "kiss-me-not"),
served as protection from the close attentions
of English or Swedish men on the island. The
bonneted women can also be spotted at local
celebrations, particularly on August 25, St.
Louis's Day. Many of these women are camera-shy,
but they offer their homemade baskets and hats
for sale to visitors.
For
a long time, the island was a paradise for a
few millionaires, such as David Rockefeller,
who had a hideaway on the northwest shore, and
Edmond de Rothschild, who occupies some fabulous
acres at the "other end" of the island.
Nowadays, however, St. Barts is developing a
broader base of tourism as it opens more hotels.
Nevertheless, the island continues to be a favorite
of celebrities, attracting the likes of Tom
Cruise, Harrison Ford, and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
St.
Barts also attracts a lot of star-seeking paparazzi,
who stalk celebrities not only at their private
villas, but also at the beach, including Grand
Saline beach, where the late John F. Kennedy,
Jr., was photographed bathing in the nude (which
is common and legal at this beach). On another
occasion, the paparazzi caught Brad Pitt sunning
in the nude at his private villa, with then-girlfriend
Gwyneth Paltrow. In February, the island guest
list reads like a roster from Lifestyles of
the Rich and Famous.
The
island's capital is Gustavia, named after a
Swedish king. It's St. Barts's only town and
seaport. A sheltered harbor, it has the appearance
of a little dollhouse-scale port.
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