Getting to St. Barts
St.
Barths is not the easiest place to get to (which is generally considered
a good thing).
Here are a few tips and companies that will make planning the trip easier.
Tradewind Aviation -
Fly directly from San Juan to St. Barths
with Tradewind Aviation - Daily flights in executive configured Cessna Grand Caravan’s direct from San Juan,
Puerto Rico to St. Barthelemy. Private charters are available in Pilatus
PC-12s or Cessna Grand Caravans from Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Travel in style and luxury to St. Barthelemy with Tradewind Aviation.
More detailed information >>
Rapid
Explorer High Speed Ferry* -
New high speed ferry to/from St. Maarten to St. Barts. A pleasant, comfortable
way to get to St. Barts.
Click here for more information, schedule and fares-->
Wimco - A St. Barts Vacation Planning Specialist
A complete trip planning service for the island of St. Barths. Wimco will
handle your villa or hotel reservation, charter or commercial flight arrangements
from any destination, car rentals, boat trip/transfers, and set up local
services like villa provisioning, restaurant reservations, babysitters,
private chef service and more
More detailed information >>
Sun Destinations* -
A complete reservation center for the island of St. Barths. Sun Destinations
will take care of every detail of your vacation planning including flight
arrangements, car rentals, boat trip/transfers, and villa and hotel rentals,.
More detailed information >>
First: Getting to St. Maarten or San JuanHistorically, the most common way to get to St. Barths (SBH) is to fly first to the Dutch side of St. Maarten (SXM) and then take a prop plane for the short, ten minute flight to St. Barths. US Airways and American Airways are major carriers from the U.S. (although US Airways reduces its weekday schedule significantly in the off-season (generally June - October). Delta and Continental also make the trip and there is a daily flight from Paris on Air France.
A new option is to fly to San Juan and take a one hour charter flight directly to St. Barths whichs eliminates the St. Maarten airport (and its many hassles). Tradewind Aviation offers a scheduled charter service which leaves San Juan (SJU) at 3:00 p.m. every day. The return flight leaves St. Barths at 12:00 p.m.
For flights from anywhere to St. Maarten (and "door to door" complete flight arrangements to St. Barts) contact Sun Destinations or you can make your own arrangements through Travelocity.com**One thing to remember -- planes do not fly to St. Barths at night (no lights at the airport!) so you have to arrive on St. Maarten in time to catch the last flight of the day at 4:50 p.m. or take the ferry.
St. Maarten to St. Barths:St. Maarten is a fairly unpopular airport and visitors to St. Barths like to spend as little time there as possible. If at all possible, bring only carry-on luggage to St. Barths. (As mentioned above, you can now also avoid St. Maarten entirely if you fly directly from SJU to SBH on Tradewinds Aviation).
It is generally advisable to have paper tickets in hand before you arrive in St. Maarten. Winair and Air Caribes tickets can be obtained online through Sun Destinations or Travelocity.com (SXM to SXH) or US Airways (Winair only) via phone. Here are a list of airlines that make the SXM to SBH flight:
• WinAir: The frequently used airline for the short hop from SXM to SBH is WinAir. You can expect to pay around $200 in the high season and a bit less during the off season. To reach Winair directly dial 011-599-545-4237 from the US.
• Air Caribes - Another small airline that makes the short flight from SXM to SBH
• St. Barths Commuter - A great deal (around $90 roundtrip/$50 one way) if they fit your schedule. They fly one flight a day -- a3:30 p.m. flight to St. Barths and a 12:00 a.m. flight from St. Barths to St. Maarten. Telephone : (011 590) 590 27 54 54 - Fax : (011 590) 590 27 54 58
•Charter Flights - Both Winair and St. Barths Commuter offer a charter service which is good for large groups or those with money to spare. A Winair charter is around $1500 roundtrip and can accommodate about 14 passengers. Also check out the Charter Flights forum before you book to see if anyone chartered a flight and still has extra room for your dates. Winair Phone: (599) 545-4273
Additional Advice:
The In Transit Gate:
The rules and regulations regarding the In Transit gate change constantly so be sure to check what is being said in the discussion forums before you go. Both Sun Destinations and Premium IV offer VIP transit services to speed you through the process.The Ferry:
In May of 2004 the new Rapid Explorer ferry was launched making the boat trip to St. Barts a much more enjoyable experience. It is about a 15 minute cab ride from the St. Maarten airport. Please check with them directly to make sure of their schedule.•The Voyager- the largest ferry leaves from the French side of the island (you fly into the Dutch side) which is about a 20 minute cab ride from the airport. Phone: + (590) 87 10 68 Fax: + (590) 29 34 79
•The Edge - a high speed ferry that leaves from the Pelican hotel 599/544-2640
Arriving in St. Barths by private boat:
You'll arrive at the lovely Gustavia Harbor. You should alert the port authorities at least an hour before your arrival on VHF channel 16. The Harbor office telephone number is 05 90 27 66 97.
Flying through Guadeloupe is an option to flying through St. Maarten but some recent travelers have had less than enjoyable experiences: Flying Through Guadeloupe Report
If you are traveling from Toronto you'll have to get to Montreal (about a 45 minute flight), then fly from Montreal direct to Guadeloupe (about 4 1/2 hour flight).
You'll fly on Air Caribles for the Guadeloupe (PTP) to St. Barths flight. It is about 50 minutes on a Dornier 228 aircraft which seats around 18. The fare in high season is about $250 U.S. each including taxes.
Another possibility when flying from Toronto is Westjet which occasionally offers a direct flight (charter) to St. Maarten.
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