AddThisWHY NOW For a truly hedonistic holiday, the glamour set counts on this hot-weather playground, for celeb-spotting and socializing on the sand. Half-clad Europeans join Hamptons refugees for the French isle's five-star balconies and beaches, fresh fish, and late-night hot spots determined to keep the throngs partying till dawn.
WHERE TO STAY The top hotels are usually booked a year in advance by repeat guests, sending many newcomers in search of private villas. If you're quick, though, you might stand a chance at the recently expanded Eden Rock Hotel (590-590/297-999; www.edenrockhotel.com; doubles from $905): it took over the neighboring Filao Beach Hotel, adding eight sun-filled rooms. Here, a nonchalant Noel means a bottle of Moët and a gift from Santa.
CHILL OUT For pre- or post-holiday purification, indulge in the Molton Brown Templetree treatment at the Spa at Hôtel St.-Barth Isle de France (590-590/276-181; www.isle-de-france.com; treatments from $110), which uses sand from the adjacent Baie des Flamands.
CHRISTMAS DINNER No one dishes up a four-course meal of roast lobster, foie gras, and guinea hen like Le Gaïac (Anse de Toiny; 590-590/298-888; www.letoiny.com; dinner for two $100) at the exclusive Hôtel Le Toiny. At Maya's (Public; 590-590/277-573; dinner for two $130), the faces are as famous as the fish, and landing a table is a contact sport at this time of year. A better option is picking up salmon quiche, tabbouleh, and fricassee de crevettes at Maya's to Go (Galeries du Commerce, St.-Jean; 590-590/298-370; lunch for two $30) for a picnic on the beach.
SOCIAL SCENE Nights heat up at the tried-and-true bohemian tavern Le Ti St-Bart (Pointe Milou; 590-590/279-771), a pleasure den packed with sexy trendsetters. During the day, the bronzed and beautiful hit Nikki Beach (Plage de St.-Jean; 590-590/276-464; www.nikkibeach.com) in St.-Jean, where tabletop dancing is de rigueur. Curl up on the canopied beds with a ti punch, the native nip of rum, sugar, and lime.
STOCKING STUFFERS Faby Jaca's candy-colored outpost, Lolita Jaca (Gustavia; 590-590/275-998), carries the Gypsy-chic silk caftans and kimonos that define St. Bart's style. Don't miss her new Creole beach shack in St.-Jean, selling a global kaleidoscope of home goods: tea sets from Vietnam, Indian pillows printed with Hindu deities, enamel floral thermoses from China, and African woven mats.
AFTER DARK Forget the yacht parties of P. Diddy and Pearlman; gather in Gustavia for a French-style New Year's Eve soirée, with live music, fireworks, and thousands of revelers who crowd onto the wooden docks around midnight. After the clock strikes 12, the mob heads to La Plage (St.-Jean; 590-590/275-313) at the Tom Beach hotel, where the party spills onto the sand from the open-air restaurant. —Heidi Lender
2004 Holiday Destinations:
Bocas del Toro, Panama |
Schweitzer, Idaho | Darjeeling, India | Dublin, Ireland | St. Bart's | Versailles, France | Taipei, Taiwan | Cooperstown, New York | Frankfurt, Germany | San Francisco
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