t The pictureque skyline of Gustavia harbor, beginning to light up as dusk falls
t The pictureque skyline of Gustavia harbor, beginning to light up as dusk falls
Experience St. Barthelemy
Christopher Columbus named St. Barthelemy after his brother, Bartolomé, although the island was first settled by French colonists from St. Kitts. Their first attempt to settle there, in 1648, ended when they were massacred by the indigenous Caribs. But other countrymen returned, and the island became a base for buccaneers. France sold St. Barthélemy to Sweden in 1784. Its capital, Gustavia – named after the then Swedish king, Gustav III – became a prosperous free port. Sweden returned the island to France in 1878 after a referendum.
In recent times, St. Barths, as it’s casually known, was a commune within the overseas département of Guadeloupe. But in 2007 it became a stand-alone French Overseas Collectivity, giving it more autonomy. Covering an area of just nine sq miles (23 sq km), St. Barths is hilly and ringed with fine beaches. Because its rocky and arid soil never supported slave plantations, the population is mostly of European descent (Swedish as well as French). Upscale tourism is the driving force of the economy on this chic and exclusive bolt hole.