Gustavia, St Barts' red-roofed capital, is a small harbor town lined with chic boutiques, duty free shops, gourmet restaurants, and galleries. It is the main town of the island of Saint Barthélemy (also known as St. Barts). It was named after King Gustav III of Sweden. St. Barts was a French possession originally, and the area was called Carenage after the shelter it provided to damaged ships. Gustavia was founded after Sweden bought the island from France in 1785. The island was sold back to France in 1878.
For beautiful sightseeing views, visit Fort Gustav (the most important fort during the Swedish period), or head to the top of the 29 m hill for vistas of Shell Beach amid the few remaining stonewalls of Fort Karl!
Talk about luxury and being spoiled, Forbes Travel and Lisa Bains did it! Our Alaska Cruise was great from start to finish, right down to the detail of the airport bus to the boat and back with all of our luggage taken care of from the airport to the ship and back again. Aboard ship we found a bottle of champagne in the room from you and there were three colorful balloons on the door. Talk about being indulged. No one else on that deck had such a greeting at their doors! Thank you, again, you really picked a great ship, and for the wonderful, over-the-top service, Lisa, and for your great agency.