The French Caribbean island of St Barth officially began welcoming back visitors to the island on Monday.
The reopening of the luxury hotspot comes with a number of health and safety measures, most notably the requirement that all travelers present a COVID-negative RT-PCR (swab) test performed within three days prior to arrival in St Barth.
If visitors cannot arrange a test, they must be tested within 24 hours of arrival, with a “strict quarantine” in their villa or hotel room until test results are known.
So what’s open? Many of the island’s signature villas from companies like WIMCO and St Barth Properties are open and accepting visitors, and more hotels continue to open, including the ultra-luxe Hotel Le Toiny, St Jean’s Les Ilets de la Plage and Pearl Beach.
“We see St Barth as one of the safest places in the world to vacation in right now,” Stiles Bennet, president and chief marketing officer at WIMCO. “It’s one of the few places where there are no active Covid-19 cases. Private villas are the ideal type of accommodation in this era of social distancing, and with the enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols we are rolled out to all the house keepers on the island, we think clients will see our villas as a safe oasis.”
Notably, the 14-villa Le Toiny has rebranded itself as Le Toiny “Private Club,” meaning the hotel’s beach club and eateries will not be open to the public, only to hotel guests.
And the island’s beaches, eateries, bars and lounges are open again, including the signature Rhum Room in Gustavia.
The Manapany hotel in Anse des Cayes will open in July.
A number of other hotels like Le Barthelemy, Barriere Le Carl Gustaf and others will be reopening in October, however.
While the Eden Rock St Barths is not yet open, it has reopened its famous beach club and its pool of villas.
“We are thankful for the quick action the island took in March to ensure the safety of the residents,” said Tom Smyth, Vice President & Co-Owner of St Barth Properties. “St Barth has been COVID-free for more than two months and we are thrilled to begin welcoming our clients back to the island and to see such a positive response with new reservations.”
And if you’re looking to get there, the best option is flying Tradewind Aviation out of San Juan.
— CJ