Island in the Caribbean, French Overseas Territory: Saint Barth Island
Saint Barth or completely Saint Barthelemy| Saint Barthelemy - who mocks French like: Saint Barthelemy
Saint Barth Island in the Caribbean.
Beaches in Saint Barth.
Photographs of St. Barth.
St. Barth's review is highlighted from the topic
Small island 28 km south of the island saint martin(Saint Martin) which is the gateway to this Paradise Island as a small airport Gustavia(the capital of St. Barth) accepts only light propeller-driven aircraft.
Another way to get to St. Barts is by ferry from Marigot, the capital of the French part of the island of St. Martin. The capital of the French part of St. Martin is Marigot.
The visiting card of the city: the fountain "sticky birds"
This is a view of Marigot from the embankment.
At the bottom shopping center everything is very beautiful in style.
Tickets to Saint Barth
A ticket from St. Maarten to St. Barths round-trip costs $80 when booked in advance by phone with Voyager: http://www.voy12.com
Travel time 1 hour 15 minutes.
Ferry: a brand new catamaran with two air-conditioned saloons and two open decks (upper and lower).
The ferry makes several trips a day. The schedule is on the website.
Saint Barth In the morning, the first flight from St. Maarten is at 9:15
In the evening, the last one from St. Barts is at 17:00 From Philipsburg there are also ferries, but smaller, older and not catamarans.
The sea will rock harder.
Saint Barth There is another carrier company from Marigot: West Indian Co., but the ship is old and will be chatted at sea - I'm sure.
Getting to St. Barts is easy:
— we booked two tickets the day before the trip by phone.
- In the morning we arrived in Marigot and left the car in a free parking lot in the Marina Fort Louis area - there are several of them and there are always places.
- Bought tickets: paid $ 80 in dollars for a round-trip ticket (all taxes included)
– After we passed passport control (the same overseas French visa is valid for St. Barth as for St. Martin) and boarded the catamaran.
The ferry departs from the shore and goes around the entire western part of the island, then goes in a straight line for 28 km and here we are - in the marina of the capital of Saint Barth, the city Gustavia. Small and pretty town.
Very similar to any town Cote d'Azur France or the northern lakes of Italy: straight streets going uphill and three avenues parallel to the marina (mooring and parking place for expensive yachts).
About Gustavia, I turned down: the island itself is miniature, like everyone else here.
Gustavia is the capital of Saint Barth
The first thing that catches your eye: the abundance of shops and boutiques of expensive brands. Electric cars and buggies, Mini convertibles and good looking people.
Very few blacks.
The bulk of the inhabitants: Americans, Europeans and they say Russians.
After Roman Abramovich built an orphan's house here on a plot of several hectares near Gouverneur Beach (more on that below) and restored the football stadium, petty oligarchs of all stripes flocked here.
They say that the percentage of American and Russian land lords is 80 to 20. We are there.
We go a little lost, because there is no information about this island except for idiotic essays by travel agencies and some ladies in search of glamor.
We go along the road along the marina where there are beautiful and expensive yachts and come across a Rent Car.
Car rental in St. Barth
It's not hard to find:
after exiting the ferry and turning right, go along Rue de la Republique and continue along Rue de General de Gaulle.
past good shops with expensive watches, suits, jewelry…
After the rue de Lafayette crosses your path, you will see parked quad bikes and buggies.
The Rent Car sign is not noticeable, but you won't miss the office.
What can be rented: ATV or our quad bike. I even see bugs, like I have in my dacha in the garage, only blue. You can take a scooter. Or maybe a car. As it starts to rain, we decide to take the car. A small Hyundai on a machine for a day costs 48 euros. Required for rent driver's license and a bank card. A deposit of 1000 euros is frozen on it, which is immediately returned to the account upon delivery of the car. We are on wheels.
We have a map of the island and the marks that the owner of the office made: what to see in St. Barth.
St Barth airport
The first point we have is the airport: the highest point from which it is visible at a glance and you can watch how planes take off and land is on the first roundabout after leaving the city to the north, towards the village of Flamands
We stop and I take a few shots: below us is a green valley with a crossed out gray line runway resting against the yellow spot of the beach, and further ... further the blue of the sea merging with the blue of the sky at that distant point, which is called the horizon ...
Very beautiful.
I recommend to visit.
Hotel in St. Barth
Then we go down, past a tiny airport, the road turns right and there will be a parking lot on the right, where you can park your car and then walk along the fence that encloses the runway to go to the beach. But we drive on and park in the parking lot of the hotel-restaurant eden rock
Well, just a very beautiful restaurant and hotel.
While I'm digging, opening the car door with things to take with me to the beach, a guy comes up:
- Have you come to eat?
- No, just look
- Then please do not lock the car and leave the keys in the ignition
We leave along the path made of deck flooring to the beach: beauty. White sand, shallow azure sea and sections of villas facing the sea. Sections are not limited by anything, just rattan chairs of different colors.
People are resting.
A little.
Europeans.
It immediately catches the eye: well-groomed, taut, not old-homoly.
We pass along the beach towards the airfield runway. It is limited symbolically: by buoys on the water, so that kiters do not wrap their kites around the aircraft propeller and a sign on the shore.
After the runway section on the beach, its wild part begins, where you can wallow on a towel.
The place is good and beautiful: there are two islands opposite. The sea is clean but Northern part it was windy that day, so there was some grass on the shore. Small waves. I recommend to visit.
Airplanes fly propeller-driven.
They take off somewhere 300 meters from the beach. This is not on St. Martin, but there is also some kind of buzz: there are not that many tourists running around with cameras after each plane, everything is smooth and lazy. Like in the village.
I was the only one running around with a camera.
Beaches on St. Barth
Didn't mention that the first beach is called Baie de St Jean. The beach is good.
Long, but somehow cozy at home.
You hardly understand that this is the center of the island - the airport, the football field, which was restored by Abramovich (his house is nearby) ...
By the way, the second point of our stay on the island of St. Barth is just the same football field: the Frenchman who rented a car in Gustavia spoke a lot about Roman Abramovich.
In the end, he offered to come to visit him and knock on the gate ...
We did not find the house, but the football field is here:
Once again I will mention the very pleasant Edem Rock Hotel - very beautiful. The staff is trained.
There are not many hotels on the island of St. Barth. Mostly there are cottages, villas and long-term leased real estate.
The property is beautiful and adapted to the mountainous terrain. During a trip around the island, I had a feeling that I was in the area of Lake Como in Italy - the style of the roads and the relief, as well as the estates, are very similar
We drive further east along the roads of the island.
Good quality roads. The movement is vigorous, as are the people inhabiting this island. We didn’t meet negrils on wrecked houses, like on St. Martin, who like to stand in the middle of the road and chat with homies from the window. There is no public transport or minibuses. Everyone drives smoothly and quickly. Small sedans, convertible minis, small SUVs, ATVs and buggies.
The quality of the roads is excellent, the absence of speed bumps is very pleasing - a stupid invention, some of which are abundantly presented in neighboring St. Martin.
The next beach Anse de Grand Cul de Sac I did not like. Although it was recommended by the French. It is possible that the surf was to blame, as it was blowing today North wind and a lot of grass washed up on the shore, so that the water turned brown.
But the restaurant on the beach was not bad, as was the maha-maha tartare. Strange, I thought it was Tahitian fennel, or it is exported from other French territories or it is found in the Caribbean Sea, but the fish was not frozen. Fresh.
The top of my favorite beaches begins. After a trip to St. Barts, the beach on San Blas (Panama) faded. But first we arrive at a place that is incomprehensible at first sight by the name Anse de Grande Saline. Saline - this is how estuaries are called in French Provence. There are a couple of salt lakes in this place. Next to parking. I don’t understand humor and I want to turn around and leave.
But.
Path and sign "to be afraid." We walk along the path, climb up the stones and think aloud: what if there is homo and bare-assed like on Saint Martin?
What to do, let's go back ...
A piece of a picture with a turquoise sea is shown. People. There are people on the beach.
- Look, there are naked asses?
- Hooray! On the beach, ordinary sunbathers
The beach is good.
It is wild: everyone brings what they can: umbrellas, armchairs...
But the bulk is lying on towels. The beach is wide and there is enough space for everyone to enjoy the sea and the sun.
The sand is clean. Water… Water is so… Something special. She wraps around your body. She caresses. It is so soft that it is just pleasant to lie in it. The water is clear and turquoise. Rare and solid waves.
I call waves solid when they don't flicker and hit you in the face when you swim breaststroke from the shore. They allow you to climb on yourself and slide down. They cradle and rock so that you can just fall asleep in their arms
It reminds me of early in Thailand, until I wrote about it and this information was published in Lonely Planet and after that a massive invasion of the Chinese began and, accordingly, all the hippie-savage charm of this place disappeared ...
Very a good place. Highly recommend to visit.
Beach number 2 in my rating
Following in a clockwise direction in the direction of travel on the island of St. Barts, Gouverneur beach
This is some kind of special beach. Small, homely, surrounded by mountains on all sides. There are about 10 villas on the slopes of the mountains, including Abramovich's estate, and that's it.
The water is so pure that I can safely compare it to the water in the pool. Entry into the water is pleasant, immediately deep. The bottom is visible to the naked eye: the water is so clear that when swimming you see fish below, about 7 meters below you. There are almost no waves.
People rest on towels or sun loungers brought with them. Very calm and quiet. There are no screaming babies with mothers, no crowds taking pictures. Very similar to earlier Koh Lipe, again. People read, sunbathe, swim
The beach is clean. Perhaps the reason for this is the call at the entrance to the beaches of the southern part of the island of St. Barts not to shit at home. Empty soda cans hang on a plaque below the call. They are used as ashtrays on the beach, and when they leave, they are hung up in place. This is the first time I see it and I really like it. People here understand that they have to rest here for more than one year, as well as their children and grandchildren, so everything is in order with cleanliness here.
The result of seven hours spent on St. Barth: during this time, it’s really possible to explore the island and find your places on this beautiful and calm piece of land, which seems to be nothing special: bushes and cacti on the slopes of the mountains.
To do this, you will need a vehicle because you can’t do anything on foot, although a taxi is possible, but I’m used to steer myself:
The rental is located at the end of the marina, on the second street from it. Near the car disassembly, you can't go wrong. The island is small, everything is close and very compact. During the trip, 5 liters of gasoline were used up, which was calculated at 1 euro. The total cost of the trip was 53 euros. I consider it a normal payment for the pleasure of an explorer of new lands and beaches.
I'm starting to think that - not such a bad option for independent travelers explore new lands.
General
Saint Barthélemy, or simply Saint Barth Island in the Caribbean, belongs to the Overseas Territories of France. The island of millionaires, even billionaires, accomplished individuals. The low percentage of natives to newcomers, as well as the high standard of living, makes living on this island comfortable. But on one condition - if you are ready to pay fabulous money to maintain your possessions, yachts and sometimes even personal aircraft.
How to get there.
First you need to fly to the island of Saint-Martin. They fly there from Paris, Amsterdam and from a bunch of American cities.
Make sure you have a visa overseas territories France.
Popular two modes of transport for mere mortals from Saint Martin to Saint Barth by sea and air travel.
On the water cheap and fast on the catamaran Voyager 3 Dreamliner: http://www.voy12.com/en/bateaux.php
Departs from Marigot on the Island of Saint Martin at 09.15, arrives in the port of Guadeloupe (Saint Barth) at 10.30 This pleasure costs 72 Euros in both directions. Return departs at 17.45 arrival after 45 minutes. You can buy tickets online or simply book by phone and pay in 2 directions upon arrival at the port.
Photo from their website
By air, on WinAir DHC-6 Twin otter aircraft, it costs $215 round trip.
Take off from St. Gustav airport
Departure from Princess Julianne Airport (Saint Martin), arrival at Saint Gustav Airport. I do not know the schedule, you can look at the website.
Arrival
From a distance, the island is just a mountain, though surrounded by beautiful palm trees, white sand, turquoise water and dotted with red roofs of elite households.
When arriving on the island, you must pre-book a car. Otherwise, at the rental office seaport cars may not be available.
We got stuck in such a story: right in front of our noses, the tourists took the last car. 
Embankment view
We caught a taxi, and having previously found out where another car rental office was located, we moved aside local airport Saint Gustav.
Across the road from the terminal is Hertz, the choice is not great, but we found a BMW 1 series for 90 euros with insurance. 
Our convertible
Spotting
First of all, we found the end of the airport and began to shoot the planes taking off. From the far end of the airport, overlooking the sea, a beautiful view of the airport. Attention: the territory of the airport is not fenced and there is not even a zone that you can go beyond. The only sign says that planes take off here and everything is at your own peril and risk. 
Takeoff and landing of planes directly overhead, this is not Saint Martin, but there is a buzz: 
Beach
The beaches on Saint Barth are very beautiful, clean. Directly take pictures and on the desktop: 
Dinner
Having googled before the Departure about the Eden's Rock restaurant, we went to it. The restaurant is chic, I think the prices for the island are adequate, and the taste is just, as they say, "awesome". 
At the end, with a full flight, a waiter with a senior comes up to the people and asks if they liked everything.
Waiters are well trained and polite. Dinner for 4 for 200 Euro is justified!
Further trip, some spotting
The view from the top of the hill is magnificent
Cost of living
Luckily, we didn't have to spend the night there, as accommodation prices are probably among the highest in the world.
For example, I will give prices from another site:
http://forbes.kz/travels/sen-bartelmi
Return trip
We returned back in the same way - a catamaran.
The pharmacy previously acquired pills for sea rolling.
I have never seen such a sunset in my life! 
Elite Islands there are not many on the planet, and one of them is Saint Barthélemy. The powers that be have chosen paradise for overseas residences, exotic pastimes, luxurious holiday. Why? Elementary: divine caribbean island- this is really the embodiment of Eden on Earth.
Saint Barthélemy on the map
Saint Barthélemy on a world map or detailed map islands can be viewed using the navigation buttons (+/-).
Often the name St. Barthélemy is shortened to St. Barts or St. Barths. There is an extraordinary curl of the West Indies in the northern region of the Windward Islands, belongs to France. Guadeloupe is located 200 km to the south, and another Caribbean neighbor is less than 20 km away.
Rocky coastline with stripes of beaches washes the Caribbean Sea. The maximum level above the water surface is 286 meters, the territory of the privileged site of the Caribbean is only 21 km², the administrative center is locality Gustavia.
Speaking about any type of recreation in St. Barts, you can safely add the prefix super, as vacationers here are special. However, some celebrities cannot be called guests - they are the owners of private property. For a simple tourist, the path to St. Barthélemy is thorny. First of all, because of the crazy prices for everything and everything. Plus, it’s not so easy to decide on accommodation, since the booking process is complex, costly both in terms of money (well, there are no budget hotels, no) and in time. So the "unfortunate" moneybags have to acquire overseas square meters of exotic things in order to materialize on the coveted island at the first "I want".
How do the chosen ones rest? It depends only on their desires. In theory, the whole mix is a la Caribbean: golf, horseback riding on thoroughbred trotters, weekends on multi-meter beautiful yachts, underwater fishing or diving with equipment that costs more than the price of a car, topless sunbathing, bliss in gentle waves. Of course, top-class service: if restaurants, then gourmet, if boutiques, then branded, if service staff, then well-trained.
Modern millionaires know a lot about relaxation, and therefore strive for virgin nature. In an ecologically clean region there are no industrial plants, the Caribbean Sea is the cleanest, vegetation is rich, there are a lot of untouched corners.
No one on their own initiative has the right to build up, the potential owner receives permission only after long, sometimes dragging on for years, negotiations. But the result is worth it: a unique ecosystem intact. Yes and appearance Saint Barthelemy only benefits from prudent exactingness - the beaches are not fenced, even if they approach the very gates of the residences, none of the chic mansions rises above the palm trees, the island is literally buried in bright greenery.
Although there are no fresh water bodies, the vegetation is diverse: from the original cacti and flowering shrubs to spreading giant palm trees, fruit groves, lush forests.
A voyage to St. Barts is not to listen to an operatic tenor or go to a museum - this land is just for relaxation. Therefore, there are no special sights on it, unless, of course, the owners of the mansions and their guests are considered as such. Here are just a few:
- rockefeller. A sort of pioneer who rebuilt a mini-kingdom in the northwestern part of the coast. Actually, in honor of him since then the place has been called Rockefeller.
- Rothschild. He designed the residence a little later than his predecessor, and on the opposite coast.
- fords. Yes, yes, the very ones. From billionaires.
- Rudolf Nureyev. The first defector from the USSR, who settled on the fabulous shore. At home, he was enrolled in the shameful "defectors", but this, as they say, is a different story. By the way, the great dancer is no longer alive, and the estate has changed owners, but is still proudly called "La maison de Noureev".
- Sylvester Stallone. Cool Rambo owns several plots of land.
- Roman Abramovich. That's right, why fuss every time with a reservation, since you can have your own "scrap", which cost 90 million US rubles, on which there was a place for swimming pools, tennis courts, dining and dancing areas. And eminent guests were noticed at the hospitable Roman: Milner, Pozner, Yumashev with Dyachenko, Shvidler, and others.
Cape Eden Rock Show business stars, politicians, actors-actresses, titled athletes, bankers, businessmen, offspring of royal blood... And yet there are a few classic sights: churches, a dilapidated fort, the village of Korossol, Cape Eden Rock, the most delicate shell beach shell beach, an airport with a mega-short runway.
When is the best time to go to Saint Barthélemy?
The temperature fluctuates little throughout the year, averaging around 26˚. The sea is tenderly warm both in summer and Caribbean winter. The most visited period is from December to April.
All the very best - nature, service, recreation, entertainment. Dream? Perhaps, however, for some it has already become a West Indian reality called St. Barthélemy. Albeit with a bit of snobbery...
We continue the series of Caribbean reports.
So, you ended up in Saint Martin, and not on cruise ship, for a period of daylight hours, and in an honest way - by arriving by plane. Most likely you have at least a week left to spend correctly, agree. The option - to lie all week on Maho Beach is welcome, but it is much more interesting to visit the surrounding islands. In the vicinity you can find three fairly large and inhabited islands - Saba (territory of the Netherlands), Anguila (Great Britain) and St. Barth (France). And here it all depends - what kind of visa you have in your passport. They usually fly to Saint-Martin with a French or Dutch overseas territories visa, I recommend that you immediately apply for a French one, because with this visa you can visit the most interesting island of the above - the island of St. Barthélemy, as it is called officially. A piece of France in the Caribbean. Dream Island.
2. So, on the road. There are two ways to get to St. Barts - a short flight on a small plane, or an hour Boat trip on a modern shuttle catamaran. If you decide to fly by plane, especially during the season, take tickets in advance, it’s difficult to take a day, they sort it out. For this reason, we decided to go to the island by sea. Ferries run from Marigot and from Phillipsburg, with new catamarans running from the first capital, the Voyager company (www.voy12.com). The first flight is at 9.15 am, back - at 17.15, which of course is a little early, it is better to fly back here by plane, on the last evening flight. The cost of a round-trip ticket is 67 euros, the duration of the flight is an hour - an hour and fifteen. It will seriously rock on the way, if sea crossings are not your strong point, be sure to buy a remedy for motion sickness in a pharmacy, as an option - French Hepatoum Mercalm, checked - it helps a lot.
So, early morning, February 1, 2013. Our path lies on the other end of the island, in the town of Marigot, the capital of the French part of the island. It is from there that the ferries of our choice leave. An hour - and we are at the company's office. Easy to find - if you enter Marigot from the north, then immediately after the marina, on the right, on the corner there is a small office, do not get lost.
3. It is better to book tickets in advance via the Internet or by phone. Well, or, if you're lucky, buy on the spot before sailing. We were lucky:)
4. We took ice-cream beer, loaded on board, having previously passed through passport control. Strange, but true - they put a stamp in the passport, moreover, the territory of Guadeloupe.
The catamaran, turning its stern, turned around on a patch and rushed into the sea. in the Caribbean, yes.
5. The ferry is quite comfortable, there are two open decks, two halls. There is a business class lounge.
6. It's more fun on the open deck, splashes in the face do not let you get bored :)
7. On the way, the stewards offer light drinks, and when the ferry goes out to the open sea and the main fun begins - they smear some kind of menthol on the wrists of everyone who wants it - it helps from motion sickness, slightly. who does not help - those sachets :) full swervis. but we did our best, as the next picture shows - Estai and Togzhan enjoy the sea views.
8. Boats and yachts frolic around, just a mosquito fleet! But one of these villas on the hill is ours for a week :)
10. There are many uninhabited islands and reefs along the way.
11. The distance to St. Barth is 30 kilometers, and now we are approaching Gustavia, the capital of the island. On the mountain is an old fort.
12. here is the port of Gustavia
13. We unloaded on solid ground, hugged her, my dear, and set about reconnaissance of the area. They immediately made the mistake of looking for a rental car office elsewhere. Public transport? never heard of her, millionaires don't ride minibuses. There are taxis, but the prices are breaking where Paris is. So, do you see a man on the left in a T-shirt with the emblem of Hertz? Catch him, he's the one in charge of skeet here. It was then that I saw him in the photo. While we were clicking our beaks, all the cars were snapped up and we were offered to walk to the airport, where there is another rental office.
14. They didn't cheat. At the box office, a lone Frenchman was bored, perking up at the sight of such wonderful clients. At first, there was an idea to take such a crazy stool.
15. But they decided that this hybrid of a scooter and a Lamborghini looks too suspicious, and the bolivar can’t stand four, and it’s unreasonable to take two. Therefore, we settled on a battered BMW convertible - as the most appropriate for the moment.
The distributor surprised me - he did not even block the funds on the card, everything was on trust. Moreover, he took out a map and told in detail where it is better to go and where it is more interesting to swim. As for dinner, when he found out that we wanted to visit Eden Rock, he just rolled his eyes and breathily said that we were unlikely to find a table there. as practice showed the deluge - he was mistaken.
16. Oh well. Go, explore the island! The main driver was self-appointed Alimzhan (although I then drove a little along the serpentines)
17. So, actually the whole island. The population lives just nothing - about 9,000 rich people. Well, a third, perhaps, is the attendants, but in any case, the level of millionaires per unit area is off scale. The island is a resort just for them. Various glamorous reports about the stars on the island are excellently googled on the Internet. Well, for understanding - a map.
18. First of all - planes, as usual. And here is the airport
19. We go down to the beach, Baie de St. Bay. Jean
20. The strip is not fenced on this side, smoothly rolls down to the beach and dives into the sea
21. Amazing trust in vacationers!
23. It is very convenient to shoot airplanes. This, of course, is not neighboring Saint-Martin, there is no big liners, but there is a charm here too. Pilots are not spoiled for attention here :)
24. However, taking off planes from the end is somewhat extreme to shoot - a complete feeling that now the belly will touch the lens :) In this picture, the board took off normally, and after it the pilot probably deliberately extended it to the end of the runway :)
25. The beach itself is also worthy of attention - white, clean, as, indeed, the rest of the beaches here. There was a windsurfing championship that day.
26. Dozens of bright sails filled the lagoon
27. Not only we shot here
28. While we splashed in the waves caribbean, it was time for lunch. So let's check out Eden Rock? they say that stars of world magnitude deign to dine here. A certain Abramovich no-no comes here from his villa
29. This is not just a restaurant, this is a six-star bungalow complex. In principle, there are very few hotels in St. Barth, mostly villas are rented here, and for a long time. In Eden Rock, the price tag starts from 480 euros, other hotels are slightly cheaper. Now you understand that it makes sense to come here for a day, well, or take a tent with you :) Although, again, it all depends on you
30. View from the hotel balcony
31. Actually a restaurant. Haute French cuisine at its best. In fact, everything is very tasty! Prices, surprisingly, were not introduced into the trance, everything was within reason. Service at the highest level, as indicated in the glamorous report on the above link - this is not Paris, they are not rude here :)
32. Celebrities (in a word!) Was not noticed. Although, who knows, maybe a Hollywood actor was sitting at the next table, and the heiress of millions was sunbathing on the beach .. I still don’t know them in person :)
33. After dinner, we went further to conquer the highest peak islands. The roads are quite good, and, as Vinsky rightly noted in his report, there are no black zhigits here who like to stand in the middle of the road on their sod and talk nicely with a friend. Note that there are practically no blacks here, it's expensive, sir. Also, there are no, respectively, Negro settlements, so surprising me on Marten. Here everything is about the same level - expensive and cool, there is no poverty at all. But the roads are narrow :)
34. Climbed up, observation deck
35. Climb up and take your breath away from the beauty!
36. Rocks interspersed with small and very cozy beaches
37. The parapet is painted - what and from which side rises above sea level
38. Yachts rest in a quiet lagoon. Modest and tasteful :)
39. Ships gliding between the islands
40. What is not a postcard from exotic countries? :)
41. Beaches, by the way, are very different. From large and equipped with all the benefits of civilization
42. to small, domestic
43. But with nature, everything here is the same as in Saint-Martin, the main plant is various types of cacti
45. Pyalzh Guverner. It is clear why this collection of cans hangs at the entrance?
46. Not equipped with anything, only the sea, sand, rocks around the edges. But it's all top quality.
47. There are very few people on the beach, rest - I don’t want to! Clean, mind you! There are no janitors, no lifeguards, there are only sedate French and surprisingly civilized Americans.
48. There are also nudist beaches here, we did not go there. We also had enough experience on Saint-Martin, from where we ran faster than a fallow deer :) But French customs reign here too. Pourquoi pas?
49. Appreciated this beach too, good! and what waves here! But time is running out, the sun has long passed past noon, and there are still so many things to do! Let's move on. I am a navigator, I take out our crew on a paper map (GPS on hundredths decided to temporarily refuse). We drove into the very heart of the island, admired the valley and the pond named after Comrade Saint Jacques, even stood in a mini traffic jam
50. and suddenly left again for the airport. well, how suddenly, we are spotters or not spotters :) this time - its upper part. everything is strict here!
51. Airport in full view!
52. Planes come right overhead and dive down sharply to the runway! This photo, for some time now, is displayed in a quick Google image search for St. Barth among the first:) Vox Hello!
53. Landings are not always successful, sometimes it happens (video is not mine)
54. but the view from the side of the pilot (again, video from the network)
55. We remove small things, French women and Creoles on motorolas rush past
Travel notes, day 20This time the report turned out as many as 60 photos, do not swear, I know, I had to break it into 2 parts.
There was once an island in the ocean, Saint Barthélemy. An ordinary small volcanic island, the ass of the world, there was nothing on it. But the island was lucky: in 1957, David Rockefeller (the grandson of that same Rockefeller) purchased two plots of land on St. Barthélemy. Following the banker, the Rothschilds, Fords and other famous rich people reached the island. So the island became a vacation spot for millionaires. good restaurants, expensive shops, clubs, luxury hotels, security, what else do you need? Recently, the island was chosen by the Russians. It all started with the fact that in 2009 Roman Abramovich bought the house of David Rockefeller. Well, then all the friends pulled up.
At the St. Barths airport, there are stacks of glossy magazines at the exit. Journal in Russian. It is printed in St. Petersburg, the editor-in-chief is a certain Yana Tolstikhina. The magazine oozes glamor, my hands are still sticky. As it is written in the presentation, it is for those "who know a lot about exclusive holidays." In general, "a solid holiday for wealthy gentlemen." The magazine says that on the island you have to swim, go to expensive restaurants, buy jewelry and clothes, go to spa treatments and be sure to visit all Russian parties in the most expensive clubs. The magazine has some funny interviews in the style of girl questionnaires in fifth grade: "What's your favorite restaurant for dinner, what's your favorite hotel, what's your favorite spa." In general, it is immediately clear that there is something to do on the island.
"The island is shaped like a heart, and the atmosphere, in my personal perception, is saturated with love, harmony and happiness."- writes Yana. This magazine is not in vain lying at the exit from the Airport. He is the best way to let the traveler understand that this is the most glamorous island in the Caribbean. Better than any guide.
01. When approaching the island, huge yachts immediately catch your eye. 
02. In general, in yachts I don’t really understand why 2 helipads are needed? Probably, if you yourself have a helicopter, and then your friend Maxim Katz wants to fly to you in his helicopter? By the way, I have never seen a helicopter on all these sites. In general, while yachts remain a mystery to me. 
03. Simpler yachts 
04. The island itself is rocky, there are not very many beaches. 
05. There are no reefs around the island, so the waves on the beaches are big. 
06. Pay attention to the houses. You can't build what you want here. All houses must be coordinated. The color of the roof is either red, or light green, or brown. That's it, there are no more options. They say there is a law here that forbids building houses higher than a palm tree. But I heard this bike about Marrakech and about Bali. Not sure if it's true. 
07. But in general, orderly architecture is very good for such an island. Everywhere is in order, everything is very neat and nice. Especially when you consider what kind of people build houses here. And then give free rein, they will set up gypsy villages here, as in Romania. 
08. Another beach. 
09. The airport on St. Barthélemy is small and accepts only “corners”, so the oligarchs leave all their business jets at St. Maarten airport. 
10. There they change to such a cornfield and go to the island! Fly 15 minutes. 
11. De Haviland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter) It's great for St. Barthélemy's short airstrip. 
12. Airport 
13. The plane comes from behind a hill right above the road. 
Filmed landing video:
14.
15. At the same time, the plane is still shaken by the wind) 
16. When landing, the plane flies directly at the audience) 
17. And this is the view from the other end of the runway. In the background is a hill from where you can watch the landing. 
19. The end of the runway is right on the beach, there are no fences, sit down and shoot. Just heaven for spotters. 
20. Tourists are unloaded. 
21. The main street of the capital Gustavia. Only 2,000 people live in the capital. On the main street boutiques and restaurants. 
22. Here is the central parking of yachts. 
23. City Hall 
24. As on the whole island, all buildings in the capital are built to strict standards. 
25. Yachts 
26. Another yacht parking. Surely experienced readers will recognize here the yacht of some oligarch. 
27. And more yachts 
28. And more. It must be borne in mind that there is not enough parking space for everyone. So there are a lot of yachts in the sea. 
29. Commoners who did not have enough space. 
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31. Views of the island 
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33. Contrary to my expectations, the island is quite deserted. For this, many people love him. 
34. There really are no houses higher than palm trees) Maybe there really is such a law. 
35. Villa. Rent good home can reach up to 100,000 euros per week. Not like this one, of course. It's quite small ;) 
36. A big rarity - construction on the island. Building permits are almost never issued. From the purchase of land to the start of construction, it can take 5 long years of approvals. Here everything is very strict with this, and money does not solve anything. 
37. Parking near one of the restaurants. The Mini Cooper is the most popular car on the island. It's all because of the very narrow mountain roads. The local rich may be happy to ride in limousines or drive Ferraris, but there are no roads. 2 small cars are hard to drive apart. 
38. Such electric cars and scooters are very popular. 
39. In Russia, the island became famous in 2009 when Roman Abramovich bought 70 acres of land behind the Gouverneur beach with bungalows located on it with ocean views, tennis courts, swimming pools, dance and dining pavilions. The cost of the transaction amounted to almost 90 million dollars. Here is Abramovich's plot. The buildings are all small and everything is buried in greenery, nothing is visible from the road. 
40. Here is the view from the helicopter. Here you can see that there are few buildings, nothing particularly luxurious. Once this land belonged to David Rockefeller. All beaches are public by law. That is, even Abramovich cannot carve out even a meter of a public beach. This is not Tkachev or Yakunin, who illegally seized access to the water with their country fences, here in St. Barthélemy everyone is equal before the law. wild people ;) 
41. Gate to Abramovich's estate 
42. And here public beach straightaway. 
43. The beach is like a beach, nothing special. Abramovich's house behind the bushes 
44. Ordinary people come to bathe. The beach does not even have umbrellas with sunbeds. 
45. The famous photograph "Abramovich and his guests: Dyachenko with Yumashev, Pozner, Shvidler, Milner (foreground)" was taken here last year. 
46. It is customary to sunbathe topless in Saint Barthélemy. 
47. 
48. In general, all beaches are about the same. I can not say that they are somehow especially heavenly. We have seen better beaches. 
49. Aluminum cans hang in front of the entrance to the beach, these are ashtrays so that cigarette butts are not thrown into the sand. He took a jar for himself, then hung it on a hook in its place. Very interesting idea. Haven't seen this before. 
50. Another beach 
51. I also liked the fence idea. Such weaving is made with ordinary boards. Immediately it turns out an interesting and beautiful fence. Haven't seen this before. 
52. Another beach 
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54. Five-star hotel. 
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56. The Russians have arrived. You can always see Russians by their disgruntled faces. The American is walking - he has a smile from ear to ear, the French are walking - his eyes are shining, chatting about something. The Russians arrived, and on the face immediately: "What is this shit around ?!" Well, and another distinctive feature of Russian women: everyone should see the brand of clothes that you are wearing. The bigger and brighter the logo, the better. 
57. In general, I have not seen so many Russians in one place for a long time. I went to the restaurant for lunch - all the tables are packed with compatriots. All homesickness immediately passes. How to return to Moscow. Met Kudrin. 
58. Ladies 
59. Us, ordinary people, there is nothing to do in St. Barthélemy. It's time to fly away from this glamour. 
All journey:
Day 1:
