Checking in to St. Barths!
My unfiltered thoughts on the Rosewood Le Guanahani, the villa we stayed in, where we ate + more
For years, people told me I would love St. Barths. It seemed like a dreamy little island of champagne and private jets and caviar. The type of place Alix Earle and Tom Brady end up at the same chic party. The kind of island you bump into Leo Dicaprio, or at the very least spot him on his yacht. The type of destination you accidentally spend $20K at lunch. A place you go to to be seen, and be a part of a certain scene.
And, as alluring as all of the above was, there was something about St. Barths that just seemed… unapproachable.
While I HAVE been ranked on Substack’s top rising travel writers (twice), I am no Alix Earle. And while I do love champagne, AND caviar, I do not have a private jet, and do not want to spend $20K at lunch. Alas, St. Barths took a back seat on my travel bucket list, filed away as the type of place billionaires go, somewhere maybe one day I’d end up on a yacht.
Then, I visited.
And realized I was completely wrong about this island all along.
Isn’t that the beauty of travel? We can have an idea of a place in our mind. Maybe we’ve seen it on instagram a thousand times, a friend has told us her stories, or we’ve watched it on TV or in a movie. And we assume through all of these outside sources we know what a place is like, and yet, we don’t know it at all. Until we go.
Until we feel it for ourselves.
Notice how I didn’t say see it? A trip to me isn’t about where I go, it’s about how I feel when I’m there.
So, let me describe to you how St. Barth feels when you’re there.
It feels chic! but chill.
It feels upscale. But beautifully, elegantly understated.
It feels like you’re in on a secret. You know the gem that is St. Barths. You got here, to this little luxurious island in the middle of the Caribbean that you have to either yacht or take a teeny tiny plane to. It’s not easy to get there. and that’s exactly how people like it.
It feels French. And Caribbean. All at once.
Think: the beauty and glam of a European beach club, mixed with the chill reggae vibe of a Caribbean beach bar.
It feels charming. Quaint.
It feels expensive. But not exaggeratingly so.
It feels surprisingly family friendly.
It feels lowkey and luxe.
And special. Really, really special.
We started our trip in St. Barths in a villa, and spent the second half of the week in the Rosewood Le Guanahani. Throughout the week, we also checked out a ton of the other hotels on the island (there are a lot of beautiful ones, but they are all boutique and small! The largest is the Rosewood at 66 rooms! Crazy!) and I’m excited to share all of our thoughts with you.
Sometimes, with check-in’s like these, I like to keep it to paid subscribers only so I can get really honest and unfiltered with you guys, so let’s get into it!!!!!
WHERE WE STAYED IN ST. BARTHS (and what we thought!)