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St Barthélemy / Real Estate

By James Henderson, Judith Baker

Tiny St. Barth – just eight square miles - is the jewel of the Caribbean’s French West Indies and is very French with all the sophistication that implies, combined with simple Gallic charm. Since the days of early jet setters the island has catered to the well-heeled and well watered and today’s  “A” list of world celebrities still come – for the islands, gorgeous beaches, world-class cuisine – and to see and be seen. They love that atmosphere where celebrity is taken in stride. 

With an estimated 500 foreign-owned homes on island, there is plenty of opportunity to buy on St Barths. And there are plenty of desirable houses too. The settings are spectacular to begin with. Although not that many villas are on the beach, the island’s terrain is so rough and steep that there is a different spectacular location, with another magnificent view, every hundred yards. As you would expect, with all the wealthy home-owners, there are some truly fantastic houses, many of them up to the minute in terms of design and specification.

St Barths was first ‘discovered’ in the 1950s, when its extremely well-heeled early visitors and land-owners included Rockefellers and Rothschilds. Villas began to appear in numbers in the 1970s and then really picked up in the early 1980s. Building, and rebuilding, has continued steadily to this day. The island has kept its cachet and sees a long string of celebrity homeowners.

The most fashionable area to live has always been around St Jean, because of its restaurants and activities, and because of its excellent beach. Other areas tend to have their own specific reasons for their popularity. Gustavia is liked for its proximity to the shops and the very pretty harbour, Colombier also for spectacular views of Gustavia and Lurin is popular for its isolation near the lovely Gouverneur beach. Pointe Milou, on the north coast beyond Lorient, has many homes because that is where land first became available.

With the island as built up as it is, undeveloped land is extremely hard to come by and only a few parcels come available each year. There is very little land left with potential for building permission - there are also certain green zones where building is not permitted, for instance above Gouverneur and Salines on the south coast.  Also, the St Barthians themselves are quite canny and do not let their land go for sale easily. Practically speaking therefore, most purchases in St Barths are resales, which the new owners then radically redevelop or knock down and completely rebuild. All of this said, purchasing a house on the island can be a slightly capricious business. Houses can go on and off the market seemingly inexplicably.

But if you’re lucky a home here provides the owner with the casually elegant villa lifestyle and significant rental income.

See below for recommendations and listings of St Barths Real Estate agents.

Browse Real Estate Agents on St Barthélemy

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Looking for inspiration?

  1. Head to St Jean beach where the hip, beautiful people go to see and be seen
  2. Indulge yourself in some designer retail therapy
  3. Sample the delights of fine French wines and dining
  4. Get pampered at one of the many island spas
  5. Experience a night of cinema under the stars during the annual St Barth Film Festival

St Barthélemy Events

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