Take a luxury holiday to St Barths with Elegant Resorts and you’ll find an island charmingly under-developed. A tiny island, measuring just eight square miles, St Barths is one of the oldest volcanic islands in the Lesser Antilles with a fairly rugged shoreline surrounded by wonderfully warm waters and glorious sparkling white-sand beaches. Discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus during his second voyage to the New World, he re-named the island (then known as Ouanalao) in honour of his brother, Bartholoméo.
Preserving the natural beauty of the island has been a major priority on St Barths so you'll find restored buildings that hark back to its days as free port under Swedish rule and traditional Caribbean colonial-style houses, some brightly painted others white and cool behind their slatted shutters. St Barths also boasts a diverse range of animals and birds, including iguanas, turtles, pelicans - the island's mascot - and the little hummingbirds, as well as quaint fishing villages, lagoons, forts and picturesque churches. When you tire of the beautiful beaches and warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, head to the duty free jewellery stores and designer boutiques which can be found in the island's capital, Gustavia, and in nearby St Jean, or visit one of the excellent restaurants for a gourmet dining experience.