If you have been to Gouverneur, you know that the beach is located in a beautiful private cove, owned by software-genius-turned-St-Barts-musician Jeet. The beach remains beautiful. Yet, over the years, it was getting harder and harder to get into the water from the beach : big rocks (called "cailles" in local parlance) were showing and hurting feet quite a bit when getting in or out of the water.

The high seas hit the beach in Gouverneur just like everywhere else. The result was that sand was pulled down from the beach and covered the cailles. Hence, I was able yesterday to get into the water from any point of the beach. This is just great.

As usual, some people were naked, at the farthest end of the beach. There were at most 20 of us on the beach at 3pm. Gouverneur is a small Salines to me, beautiful, free. Just more houses overlooking the bay … and the naked sun seekers 

The always gorgeous Ivanka Trump has also been seen with her friends here….and she is looking svelte and beautiful as always!  I love the outfit she has on in these pictures.

Let’s see, who else has been around? Ah yes! Canadian supermodel Linda Evangelista hit the beach with her 14-month-old son, Augustin  on New Year’s and Billy Joel and his wife were seen crusing the waters aboard a gorgeous yacht.  All three attended the big bash aboard Paul Allen’s yacht as well.

Other visitors over the Christmas/New Year holiday included funny-man Steve Martin, and actress Nicolette Sheridan with fiance Michael Bolton.

So, what is it about St Barts that the celebrities love so much? Besides the beautiful scenery, the warm beaches, and the friendly people?  The fact that they can relax here with little intrusion from the paparazzi.  It’s hard to relax when you’ve got cameras in your face all the time.  As the weather remains cool stateside, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more visitors here to the island! Stay tuned for updates!

LaLangosta creates high-end, one-of-a-kind swimwear that is intended for a discerning audience.  Each suit is hand-beaded, and therefore, it can be said that "no two are alike."

It was by chance that the CEO and founder ran in to Zeta-Jones’ publicist in 2006 and, much to her delight, found herself sending a few of the suits over for Zeta-Jones’ to try out.  Catherine loved them and soon she was walking around St Barts in them.  Next thing you know, she in every tabloid, and so are these beautiful suits; talk about a great way to increase your visibility!

St Barts beaches are some of the cleanest in the Carribean!  But, just like every town, we do have a few pieces of  trash that need to be picked up – which is exactly what American John McGinn and his seven friends did.

Being regular visitors of the island, they noticed trash washing up on the shore of Grand Fond Beach while they were visiting last Thanksgiving; they vowed to come back and clean it up.  And so they did.  For two hours of November 22nd, the eight friends filled four large trashbags that they had brought from the states.

To me, I appreciate that these guys care enough about the island to do such a thing and show the initiative to put a plan in action.  On the other hand, I find it absolutely shameful that they actually had to do it. 

Now, there have been some St Barts residents that have been known to leave bags filled with trash along side the road, but we have a St Barts Clean Up Day every year, in which the local kids go out and clean up with the help of adult volunteers. The fact that, in addition to an entire day devoted to cleaning-up, there was still trash to be found on our beaches!!

So, to John McGinn and his seven friends, thank you for your help in cleaning up Grand Fond Beach. For the residents of the island, let’s keep our island clean!!!

After two major hurricanes, Luis and Lenny, hit the St Barts Beaches, there is one side of St Jeans Beach that has never fully recovered.  The problem has been exasperated by hotel owners along the beach that have built stone walls along the shore; these are designed to retain the sand that is behind them, but it ends up accelerating the sand loss on the beach because when the waves crash in to them, the recede harder and faster, which carries more sand back to the water.  Even after an attempt in 2000 to add sand back to the beach, it remains less than desireable.

Now, the beach is finally getting some sand back.

A project launched in October by the hotel association in collaboration with the local government, who see it as the first step in a much larger plan to protect the bay of Saint Jean.  The plan requires that the volume of sand dredged could not be less than 30,000 cubic meters.  The goal of this new plan is to return the sand to the beach AND to remove excess sand from the coral reef.  The who operation should be completed by the end of this month.

If necessary, a second dredging operating may be planned for the spring, in order to bring in another 30,000 cubic meters of sand to the beach, as the total volume of the sand that is missing is estimaged to be between 60,000 and 80,000 cubic meters.

Although the governement is involved in this project, it did not receive public funding, so the hotel association is continuing to try and procure funding as the project goes along.  Each cubic meter of sand costs 9 Euros; bringing the total cost of the project to 270,000 euros.  If you want to check out a description of the project, along with photos, can be found here. Small disclaimer…..the site is in French.

This St Barts Beach is by far my favorite on the entire island.  It is virtually unspoiled and it’s long white beach seems to stretch endlessly.  There is no building on this beach, so when you go there, you can expect a feeling of total privacy. 

To get to Gouverneur Beach, you must drive a bit, but your travel is well worth it.  Go up to the top of Lurin Hill and then head straight down for about a mile to arrive at your destination.  The road is very narrow, so please drive with care. When you come to a stop, you will be above the beach, overlooking Gouveneur Bay.  This view is one of the most beautiful sights on all the island.  Relax for just a few moments and soak in the crystalline water – the colors of the water are like no other that you’ll ever see; trust me on this one.  In fact, there is a company on the island, Saint Barth Tours and Travel that gives tours, and they make it a point to stop at Gouveneur’s Beach, they put it on their agenda.

If you continue on down to the small public parking lot,  you can leave your car and then head to the beach for the day.  What is so interesting about Gouverneur’s Beach is that it is actually owned by an individual.  Yep, the whole piece of land, including the beach.  But, according to French law, no beach may be private, so there is public access to this beach.  The owner has been gracious enough to establish a very nice parking lot.  Please remember this when using this area, and respect the tranquility and cleanliness of the area.

After you get out of the car, you will need to walk through a small area of trees and soon you will come to the southern tip of the beach.  I find that this area is typically where families will set up camp for the day because there is an area of shallow water there right by the rocks, plus there is a bit of shade, which can be really nice when you have small children with you.  If you’re by yourself, you can walk a bit further because the entry in to the water is easier from the trail.  Even further down the path, you will find some stones that have been uncovered by the waves, so be careful because it can get slippery.  At the other end of the beach, total nudity is tolerated.

On the off season, I have been lucky enough to have this beach entirely to myself – at least before 9am.  But even year-round, this typically is one of the least crowded beaches.  Here on St Barts, a beach is crowded if there is someone less than 30 feet between you and your beach neighbors. 

If you love to snorkel, head to the left hand side of the beach as it is great right by the coast.  If you are a strong and confident swimmer, you can easily enjoy an hour of good snorkeling.  The snorkeling isn’t dangerous by any means, but you will drift a bit while you’re out there so you’ll need to swim you way back to the beach.

Legend is that one of the most famous French pirates, Monbars, had hidden his treasure in one of the caves by Gouveneur Beach.  Imagine the vacation tales you could bring home if you opened your eyes wide when you were snorkeling and you spotted a golden Louis at the bottom!!

Recently, there has been some construction going on on the upper flank of the hill, right above the bay.  The villa owner has chosen to paint his home orange, which is not very discreet, and frankly, I don’t like it much.  At least not the color.  The house itself is beautiful and pristine. 

One final note, this beach is much like Saline in that it does not offer much shade.  And since there is no building on the beach, there is also nowhere to grab a bottle of water or a snack, so come prepared.  This is especially crucial if you’re traveling with children!!!  Enjoy Gouveneur Beach – maybe I’ll see you there!!

St Barts Beach :: Gouveneur Beach :: Photo Courtesy of utilityman252004

I discussed this before in a previous post, and you’ll see in the video why I recommended that you not wear high heels or flip-flops when making the trek to the beach.  In reality, it is about an 8-minute hike to the beach, but his video captures about 2 1/2 minutes……you’ll see how, even after you do all that walking, when you get to the crest of the hill and start heading down, you still can only see a very small part of the beach.  It is not until you make your way to the bottom, that you can actually get a full view of the entire shoreline.  At the end of the video, he also makes a comment about not using a video camera on Saline Beach, as it is a clothing optional beach, which is totally true, but I had never really thought of it that way. 

If you go to his website, you can see a video diary of their trip to St Barts – get a perspective from an everyday vacationer as opposed to someone that lives here part-time. 

All day long, especially during the high season, cars make the trek down the down the hill above the St Jean airport strip, called La Tourmente, to make it in to our capital city, Gustavia.  Between St Jean and Gustavia, cars have to cross a part of the island known to us locals as "Public."  This is where the Beach of Public is located.

When you think of a vacation on St Barts, you don’t typically think of the area of Public, as it’s not publicized in any travel brochure; it is the industrial section of St Barts.  Yes, I know, it’s hard to imagine that an island this small has space for a large industrial section, but without this part of the island, there’s no way we could survive.  Public is where the power plant, the wholesalers, the water plant, and the garbage and waste collector are located. Not really the image of St Barts you want to retain, but really, most towns have some area of their city that is dedicated to this.

Further down from the main drag, Public has also kept a little more of a local feel to it, and so visitors often make the trek to check this part of the island out.  Here you will find a local cemetery with historic tombstones, Maya’s To Go serving its famous creole dishes, and a very small beach.  Well, maybe not a beach so much, more like a with a combination of sand and pebbles; it is often times used as a launching pad for small fishing boats. 

My advice would be this: if you area looking for somewhere to swim, check out one of the other amazing beaches that grace this island.  You have plenty to choose from, so why bother trying to find a good place to lay a towel on Public Beach?  Scope it out from the water, perhaps when you’re sailing from Gustavia to Colombier, or go there at night, but to enjoy the food at Maya’s…….speaking of which, my mouth is watering at the moment, just thinking about their creations.  I can’t believe I dared write about her creole-thai-fusion cuisine as I’m starving to death on a train that is supposed to be high-speed; argh, French technology and service…..don’t even get me started!!

To got there, drive along the "Salines," which is the spot where islanders would harvest sea salt, one of the sole natural riches of our island. Park and walk up the hill for about 5 minutes.  Be aware that there are some rocks as you go up the hill, although it is not treacherous, you should be paying extra-close attention if you’re wearing flip-flops or other open back sandals.

When you come to the crest of the hill, you will see the path that goes down, delivering you straight into hot, yellow sand. As you slowly make your way down the hill and look in both directions, you will see what I mean about the beach being so long. Now it’s time to pick which side you’ll settle in to. But, just so you know, there are subtles codes about sides on Salines.

First, like every beach on St Barts, a lot of women go topless; but Salines is known for allowing total nudity, which is not a big deal in St Barts. If you want to be nude, you should just go a bit farther down on the left or right side of the beach. Also, gay couples tend to gravitate to the right hand side, but rules are very loose and everybody goes to one side or the other, regardless of nudity / sexual preference. This is St Barts, after all!

Personally, I sit on the right hand side, but not at the farthest point. I have chosen this spot specifically because it allows me to swim all the way from the right to the left of the beach. I do this so the currents are against me on the first lap to the left hand site, but are in back and helping me when I return. Swim it a couple of times and you’ll see what I mean; you’ll want the current at your back on the return lap. Try swimming to the rocks that break the surface on the left hand side, about 300 feet away from the shore. It is a great place to see fish and even turtles. The Salines have nice snorkeling, but not as good as either Colombier or Anse Maréchal. If you like it calm, here is a great tip for you: walk to the farthest point on the left hand side, go up some rocks, get down , and voilà you’ve reached Saline beach’s little sister, right on the same bay, but less crowded.

Saline is very protected by the municipality and from the shore, you can see no buildings, which is great for the serenity of the beach But on the flip side, it also means that you have to bring a bottle of water and any snacks that you think you may need, as there is nothing to buy on the beach itself. When you pack up for the day and head back to the parking lot, you will find a restaurant there called L’Esprit Salines, with amazing food; you can also get a good drink or two there.

I remember watching the US movie, "Along Came Polly," with Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston. You may remember that in the movie, Ben Stiller loses his wife on his honeymoon to a French divemaster they meet in St Barts. The divemaster is in the nude and it is supposed to be located on Saline Beach. It is actually NOT located on Saline Beach as the actual beach looks very different, which you will see when you visit. But is is certainly a testament to the fame of Salines beach among the Hollywood crowd – or at least the writers of Hollywood.

Saline Beach is one beach that you must experience when you visit St Barts.

Here, you will have a long glimpse of renowned female models such as Gisele Bundchen and Alessandra Ambrosio being photographed in St Barts. The shooting was made for Victoria’s Secret Swim 2007 collection.

In the video, you can see the girls getting ready for the shooting, being shot, and then looking at the pics.

The main location used in the video is the natural pools of Grand Fond. These pools are surrounded by rocks, have transparent water, and are linked to the sea. It is a 15-minute walk from the Grand Fond road. I admire the models, because I know that the hike to the pools is sometimes hazardous, along the cliff. And there are some sea urchins in the bottom of the pools, so I  wonder whether the girls were wearing sandals in the water.

Other places in the video are: the pool of Le Sereno hotel, Gouverneur Beach, Saline Beach, and Gustavia.

Video: Victoria’s Secret models in St Barts