I get asked — and often — for tips about St. Barth. So, I am going to start posting some of them here so that you can grab them when you need them. First up is Laurie and her team at Fly Deeper. If you are going to St. Barth and you want to scuba dive, learn to swim, teach your kids to swim, or have a great video and photos of a day with your friends and family, reach out to Laurie. Why? Because she's great at teaching at all levels, plans a great concierge-level excursion, and is a pleasure to be around. I should mention that Laurie might be part fish or even a mermaid because she navigates and moves within the...
There is a story that Jimmy Buffet wrote the song "Cheeseburger in Paradise" about eating a cheeseburger at Le Select in Gustavia. When he wrote the song in the late 70s, he was sailing around the Caribbean, but there are some claims that the famous burger was actually in Road Town in Tortola. So, which is true? Only Mr. Buffet knows for sure and maybe it's both islands. Maybe it's another island altogether. The important thing to remember is that in the title, the 'paradise' speaks to the island, not the cheeseburger. So when you step up to the counter at Le Select, know that this "cheeseburger in paradise" is as basic as it comes—think of a work cafeteria cheeseburger. It's not bad,...
Is it St. Barts, Saint Barth, or St. Bart's? All of those are correct...in a fashion. The official name of the island is Saint Barthélemy. It was named by Christopher Columbus for his brother Bartolomeo (Bartholomew). The locals and the francophone world refer to it as Saint Barth or St. Barth so that's what I use. In English, people will often change it to St. Barts and you will see that used in a lot of travel guides. Even specific online forums like SBHOnline.com and St. Barths Online use St. Barts and St. Barths respectively. However, the usage of St. Bart's, though seen often, really isn't correct. Think of the U.S. Virgin Islands, they aren't known as St. John's and St. Thomas's;...
