This Is One of the Best Places to Stay on St. Barts — Here's Why

St. Barts is synonymous with luxury. The small island teems with private yachts, name-brand stores, and luxury hotels, but not all luxury here is created equal.

While there are loads of pristine, museum-like hotel lobbies that feel untouched and lively locations with blaring DJs and dance floors, there are also places like Le Barthélemy, a beautiful hotel that’s sophisticated yet unstuffy, with a staff that provides unmatched service — set on one of the best beaches on the entire island.

Designer Sybille de Margerie wanted the resort to complement the island and found ways to incorporate the surrounding nature into the hotel. Styled in light blue and white, mirroring the ocean and the sky, guest rooms have wallpaper that mimics the texture of palm trees, and silicone coral of differing shapes and sizes is placed in the rooms and around the resort. The restaurant, Amis, merges into the beach with lunch tables in the sand, and you’ll find sand dollar and seashell details scattered throughout in the form of plates or pool tiles.

While the resort is beautiful, the service is what stuck with me. Le Barthélemy calls it “Couture Hospitality,” pointing to a “human-centered approach” that empowers the staff to problem-solve for guests. While these might sound like buzzwords, I experienced firsthand how helpful Couture Hospitality is.

There are some trips where everything falls into place, and then there are the ones that don’t. Unfortunately for me, St. Barts was not a smooth ride. Some issues were out of Le Barthélemy’s control, from flight troubles to ear infections, but it didn’t stop the resort staff from helping me.

A few months back, I developed an ear infection that I couldn’t quite shake. After swimming one day in St. Barts, I noticed some irritation. I had no luck finding medication after visiting two different pharmacies on the island, but with just one text to the concierge team, they had four bottles waiting for me in my room by the time I had finished lunch.

Then, just before my departure, I received an error message upon checking in to my return flight. When I could not reach the airline, I asked the concierge team for help. Within a couple of hours, I was seamlessly rebooked on an earlier flight.

Finding somewhere beautiful in St. Barts is easy — but it’s an entirely different experience to stay somewhere that genuinely cares for you.