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!

Karolina started her career and the tender age of 15 and has worked with other high fashion companies like Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, and Chanel, just to name a few.  Her face has graced the covers of Vogue and Vanity Fair on more than one ocassion. 

One of the highest paid models in the world, she came home with 3.5 million dollars this year.  Not bad for being beautiful.

You can see more photos of the shoot, and Karolina’s time on the island here.

St Barts Island :: Karolina Kurkova ~ Photo credit www.thesuperficial.com

On Monday, December 17th, I got the strangest phone call from a friend – he said that there was a blockade enforced on St Barts Island. What?!?  It appears that local fisherman were more than a little upset over the news of the new fuel tax and they were protesting by using their tiny little fishing boats to block the mega yachts from coming in to port.  The blockade even made it to the New York Post Page Six because it had the potential to disrupt the honeymoon of Harvey Weinstein and Georgina Chapman; can you even imagine?!

I really just have three things to say about this: First, St Barts is almost independent and the people voted for this! It’s no wonder that the "Collectivité" (the legal body) has to find the financial resources to finance the island budget; I mean, it’s not like money is falling out of the sky to pay for everything that runs this island. Being tax-free is an illusion, and the tourists cannot finance our entire yearly operating budget. Someone has to pay for our expenses.

Second, the fact that this made the New York Post Page Six is borderline ridiculous – the only thing more so is the quote in the article that talks about GQ models having to be smuggled on and off the island in the "cover of darkness" before the fisherman’s "stranglehold" was complete. It sounds so dramatic, doesn’t it?  Which brings me to my third,and final, point. French fishermen are very prone to this behavior, they block ports every year in continental France.

Here on St Barts island, we have nex taxes to look forward to in 2008; Happy New Year to us!

The island’s territorial council met on November 13th and voted 19-1 in favor of a new financial code, amidst 100 or so people that came to hear the discussion.  So, what happened? Well, new indirect taxes were approved for starters, some surprising, others not so much.

A new tourist tax was put in place, which was expected and probably the least surprising event of the evening. If you’re coming to stay for a visit, expect to pay 5% per night in tourist tax.  Even though the hotel owners have suggested the tax for several years now, the St Barts Tourism Office is complaining that they have to collect the tax from their guests or face a fine for not doing so.  You can read an article (in French) about it here.

Import taxes were raised from 4% to 5% – the first increase in 25 years. Another new tax that will affect business owners is the annual fixed tax.  Set at 300 euros for small businesses and increased by 100 euros per employee, capped at 5000 euros.  I’m not sure what qualifies as a "small business" though.

A capital gains tax on real estate was set at 25% of the profit realized and donations of property between family members will not be taxed, on the condition that they hold on to the property for 10 years or more.  If they don’t keep it for 10 years, they will pay the 25% tax on the value of the gift.  Donations outside of the family carry a hefty tax of 40%.

What I found to be the most interesting part of the evening though was the established definition of "fiscal residence."  It is now much easier to obtain as you must only live on the island for 5 years, not 5 continuous years.  This is good for those who commute to St Barts on a regular basis.

Really, it boils down to the fact that someone has to come up with the money to pay for the island’s budget.  Being "tax-free" is really just an illusion; for every item you purchase tax-free, there is a service on the island that is being taxed instead.

When you’re ready to book a room at a St Barts hotel, it can be tempting to check out TripAdvisor and follow other travelers reviews.  I have used it, and often times, it works out really well.  But, I caution you to not follow them too closely because often times, they’re not quite as helpful as you think.

Here’s one prime example of what I’m talking about.  This information is not 100% reliable, and here’s why:

1. It’s a complete mess.  Take a good look at the list.  The list intermingles reviews about St Barts hotels and St Jean hotels…..and the St Jean hotels have their own separate list over here.  As you well know, St Barts is so small that it doesn’t even make sense to make a separate list for St Jean.  Overall, the list they provide is confusing and hard to read.
2. It’s not up-to-date.  Number 5 on the list is the Christopher Hotel, which has been closed for the last 6 months, and I’m beginning to believe that it will never re-open.
3. It’s lacking reviews. I don’t find that this list has enough review to make it trustworthy.  Some hotels, like Francois Plantation, have 9 reviews, while others have 42, like the Guanahani.  For major cities, such as New York, the first hotels on the list have hundres of reviews, so if there is a negative one here and there, it is much less likely to impact the overall score of the hotel.  Plus, with so many to choose from, there is a major difference between the first on the list and the last; this is not so in St Barts.  Because there are many fewer hotels, being last on the list is not considered shameful.
4. It’s hard to compare amenities.  Some hotels on St Barts have only 5 rooms, like at Saline Cottages; on the other hand, the Guanahani have 75.  Hotels like Eden Rock are really expensive. So, to use TripAdvisor, you have to understand that the rankings are really just a graded average.  Be sure to know what your needs are and really read reviews to see if you can relate to what the other travelers are saying.
5. Overall, the website is quite helpful, as long as you are careful.  Guanahani does not deserve to be as low on the list as it is, but I checked in to that.  There are still negative reviews from 2004 and 2005 hanging out there.  It’s time for TripAdvisor to take them down. 

When you’re traveling to St Barts island, it’s always good to check around for a hotel, see which one most closely matches your wants and needs.  Use TripAdvisor, but take their advice with a grain of salt and know that, as with most things in life, there is more to the story.

In November of 2008, the island will host "Swedish Week" to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the retrocession of St Barth to Sweden; the official date of the anniversary is March 16th, 2008, but it was decided that Swedish Week will be held in November so that it can close with the 18th annual running of the Gustavialoppet 10km race.

In a recent issue of St Barths Weekly, Swedish Week is discussed at length.  Spearheading the planning are Roger Richter, president of Sallskapet and Nils Dufau, president of the Association of Saint Barth Friends of Sweden. They came up with the idea for a celebration after they came to realize that there are many people who do not know the Swedish history of Saint Barth. Just as the people of Saint Barth created a mini-version of our island during "The Colony Project," held in Skansen, the people of Sweden hope to bring the same to our home base.

Details of the activities for the week are obviously not yet firmed up.  But, you can bet that as soon as I know what’s going to be happening, I’ll pass it along to you!

St Barts Island :: Golfotron :: Photo Credit ~ St Barth Weekly

It’s called the "Golfotron," and it really is quite an interesting contraption.  I know for a fact that they have these in the states, especially the northern ones, and the folks there really seem to like them.  You get to use real clubs, and a real ball, and you essentially hit the ball into a large screen that reminds me of the movies.  The ball is virtually displayed on the screen and lands on the green.  You then finish out your play.

In my opinion, the idea sounds a little quirky.  But I do understand the point.  Really, there’s not a whole lot to do here on the island.  I mean, the women love the great choice of luxury shops, but men aren’t always in the mood to be out shopping for handbags!  A golf simulator might give them something to do while their wives shop – after all, a happy husband and a happy wife make for a very pleasant vacation!

In a new issue of St Barth Weekly, Anne Dentel, the new president of the Saint Barth Hotel Association, talks about a few things that might be of concern to our American tourists when they visit St Bart Island :: the value of the American dollar and the delays at St Martins airport.

Anne is a friend from the island, and I value her opinions very much.  Not only does she know every single villa on the island very, very well, she is the go-to person if you need to find a villa at the last minute.  So, when I saw her in the paper, I just had to share her thoughts with you!

First up, Anne tackled a subject that’s on everyone’s mind: the decline in the value of the American dollar.  According to Anne, the euro/dollar conversion rate is not going to affect the number of visitors to the island this year, but it may change the spending habits of visitors while they are on the island.  Herself and villa owners are more worried about next year and the low season as those reservations have not yet been made.  However, Anne is quite creative, and is investigating putting together some packages and deals to help bolster visitors and keep our little economy humming right along.  Stay tuned; if there are any deals to be had, I’ll certainly pass them along!

Next, the delays at St Martin airport.  This has bothered me for quite some time.  Once you go through customs and leave the states, you go nowhere but St Martin.  Once in St Martin, it’s not like you leave the airport before you hop on a plane to head here.  Yet, you must go through the same procedures over again; it really gets quite tiring.  What’s worse, with these delays, many visitors that arrive to St. Martin after 4:00pm find that they are not able to catch a flight over to St Barts until the next day, or they are forced to take a boat over. As president of Saint Barth Hotel Association, Anne is working with other members of the association, and the president of the island council, Bruno Magras; their goal is to get this process working more efficiently so you can get here and start enjoying your vacation!!

Anne is a great resource for all things St Barts related.  She was an excellent choice to head up the Hotel Association, and I’m sure her work will be wonderful.  Remember, if you’re ever in a pinch and need a villa at the last minute, she’s the gal to call! 

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!!!

The St. Barts Swinger :: The name just sounds funny, doesn’t it?  Wait till you check out this "breezy" hat, just "perfect" for warm island weather.  It has since been discontinued…..

Keen St Barts :: Keen shoes company came up with this pseudo sandal that looks like a hybrid-cross between a sandal and a shoe.  According to customers on Zappos, these are quite comfortable and perfect for the beach.  It seems that lately, the stranger the shoe looks, the more comfortable it’s reported to be.

St Barts Lip Balm :: I’m not sure what this product even has to do with the island; really, I’m baffled.

I <3 St Bart’s Bib :: You gotta love Cafe Press; this place will put anything on any variety of products.  This one is really kind of cute – especially if you’ve got a little one running around.  You might as well raise them with the right vision dancing in their heads……

St Barth Raffia Bag :: JCrew has got it right; really, this purse just reminds me of the women strolling around.  It looks like it belongs on the island, doesn’t it?  Maybe that’s why they named it after such a fabulous one.

When you really take a look at the amount of products bearing the islands name, it’s kind of amazing. With some of the products, it’s easy to see the relation, but with others…….and this isn’t even a complete list!