ST. BARTHELEMY

ST. BARTHELEMY 2028

St. Barthelemy is located east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and lies southeast of St. Martin and Anguilla. France first claimed St. Barth in 1648 but later given to Sweden in exchange for trade rights in Gothenburg. Later, the eight square mile island was sold back to France in 1878. Present day St. Barth’s is considered a playground for the rich and famous. The island is known for beautiful beaches, chic gourmet bistros, and high-end shopping. St. Barth’s is home to twenty-five luxury hotels with most establishments only having 15 rooms or less along with 21 pristine beaches. The largest hotels on the distinctive island offer fifty-eight rooms or villas. The villa vacations are extremely popular with around four hundred terraced suites ranging from one bedroom to large luxurious homes.

St. Barth’s is best known for the fishing industry and tourism with a population of 8,823 and over 200,000 visitors per year. The best time to travel is between April to June, and December to March being the high season. Bookings during the high season normally require six months advance confirmation with a ten day stay minimum. In December of 2018, six luxury hotels reopened after Hurricane Irma devastated the island with officials forecasting to have a record number of visitors. Celebrities and members of the British Royal Family are known to vacation on St. Barths: Kate Middleton, Prince William, Pippa Middleton, Beyonce and Jay Z, Derek Jeter and Victoria Secret models such as Miranda Kerr and Kendall Jenner.

GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITIES The Caribbean was chosen as the top travel destination for 2019. St. Barth’s is a hot spot for heritage travel, be-seen beaches, and experiential travel. The growth in tourism and the rise in affluent leisure travel along with a number of international events hosted on the island, make St. Barth’s the top growing Caribbean island. Localization is a key growth opportunity for Bulgari Resorts and Spas, with more Europeans buying homes or villas on the island for possible second homes or adding to the share economy trend.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE Cheval Blanc St. Barth Cheval Blanc St. Barth Isle de France, located in Flamands Bay is often considered the pristine beach on the island. Cheval Blanc St. Barth recently was acquired by LVMH (Lois Vuitton Moet Hennessey), the French luxury conglomerate, making it their third acquisition. Chevel Blanc St. Barth consists of forty spacious villas, suites, and rooms decorated with clean lines, classic furnishings, and natural bespoke linens. Each room is individually designed with the shared elegant whitewashed decor with touches of taupe and signature pink accents. All rooms have airy marble bathrooms with freestanding tubs, a rarity for the island, furnished with lux Guerlain products and amenities. Cheval Blanc St. Barth pays attention to the smallest details - including a signature tropical Guerlain fragrance by Thierry Wasser, floating through the entire resort. The resorts experienced “alchemists” provides guests with customization at every point of their stay, from packing lunches for a deserted island excursion or arranging a sunset cruise around the island. The resort includes a stateof-art fitness center with private trainers and Technogym machines. Cheval Blanc is home to an idyllic spa with personalized Guerlain created treatments and hosts two world-class yacht racing events, Bucket Regatta in March and Les Voiles de St. Barth in April. The resort offers three restaurants for guests to enjoy the taste of France. La Case de L’Isle is located on a lovely verandah and features sophisticated plates like sea scallop Carpaccio perfumed with green apple and pomegranate-lime vinaigrette, and a house-made ravioli stuffed with sheep’s milk cheese and sage butter. At the more casual La Cabane de L’Isle, diners relax during a feet-in-the-sand lunch of lobster risotto, local fish and fresh salads. Poolside, the White Bar serves up refreshing cocktails and tasty snacks all day long. Once a month, a notable Champagne brand (Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon) hosts a glamorous pop-up lounge on the edge of the magnificent freshwater swimming pool.

Hotel Le Toiny Hotel Le Toiny is a French family-owned operation located on 42 acres and offers a private sanctuary for guests. Originally owned by Michael Chen and Raymond Balsen of France, Hotel Le Toiny is now owned by Charlie and Mandi Vere Nicoll. The small, hands-on hotel offers 22 residential-style villas with fine linens, handmade furnishings, and a neutral color palette with pops of blue. London based designer, Lady Bee Obsurn re-modeled the hotel after Hurricane Irma - from a traditional French retreat into a chic coastal property. The 22 residential villas have bleached wood floors, mother of pearl and sun-bleached teak accents. The hotel is located on the undeveloped south side of the island - preserving the landscape of cacti and rare Gaiac trees. The location provides a refuge for people wanting to skip the party life known in St. Barths, often referred to as the most romantic place on the island. Hotel Le Toiny offers a small private gym, private yoga and pilates classes, and a Serenity Spa Cottage. The new Hotel Le Toiny beach club is structured around two cottages that dates back to the 1700’s. The property offers, Le Toiny Restaurant, concocting innovative French cuisines such as the signature spaghetti with black truffles and parmesan and lobster with curry and coconut.

Eden Rock Eden Rock - St. Barths legendary resort was the first hotel on the island. The ultra-luxe resort is located in the middle of St. Barth’s de St. Jean - attracting the international in-crowd with 34 villas nestled upon a rock overlooking a coral reef. Eden Rock is located near the island’s best shopping, dining, nightlife, and water sports activities. Each villa is designed with traditional elegant four-poster beds to sleek contemporary sofas accented with antiques, original fine art, European linens, and technological playthings. Management is careful of cosseting high profile guests, which is a significant draw for Eden Rock. Eden Rock offers a variety of water sports, yachting and fishing excursions, along with personal fitness training and yoga. The spa offers a variety of personalized massages in your villa or private beach overlooking the aqua blue ocean. Guests can enjoy international cuisine with an island flair by Jean-Georges Vongerichten at Sand Bar and soon-to-be Remy Bar. Guests can also savor expertly prepared cocktails and flavorful international bites at Rémy Bar, where a casual British-colonial vibe invites you to unwind in style. A lavish daily buffet breakfast is included in the room rate and available only to hotel guests.