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!
Our vacation to the Iberostar Bavaro was amazing!
Hi Elizabeth, Thanks for your email and your kind words. Our vacation to the Iberostar Bavaro was amazing. It was our second time at an Iberostar property, and it was perfect. I loved how the accommodations were 2 storey villa style...this meant we were spending a lot of time outside as we had to walk to everything (i.e. restaurants, pool, lobby etc.). The property itself was stunning, very well kept grounds. There were peacocks and flamingos on the property which my son enjoyed watching daily. The rooms were large and very well kept. We were on the second floor. I had emailed the resort before we arrived to ask for a second floor room that was central to restaurants, pool etc..they did accommodate and we had a great location. We had daily turn down service. The restaurants were very good. I am not one to eat at buffets ever...but the buffet at this resort were amazing. Always something for everyone...and lots of made to order grill options for example at breakfast there is a grill for made to order eggs (omelettes, sunny side up etc.),a grill for fresh made French toast and pancakes, a juice bar with fresh made juices and smoothies. For lunch they were grilling fish, different meats, wood stove for pizzas that were constantly being made. For Dinner a couple nights they had made to order quesadillas, fresh grilled meats, wood stove pizzas, nacho bar and the list goes on. We only ate at one a la carte while we were there...the Cajun restaurant (jambalaya)..excellent service and both our husband and i enjoyed our meals. They even had a kids menu for our son..and his meal was tasty too! The kids pool with the waterpark was a hit with our son. He would spend hours there. We really liked how all the pools would flow into each other. The staff at the resort were great...all so helpful and friendly. The entertainment staff were great all day long, they had us entertained all day by the pool and in the evening we really enjoyed the shows. A couple nights they had hired professional performers and the shows were amazing. The beach was amazing, we spent most of our time here...the only downside was we had to get down to the beach early to hold chairs...because by 10 am there would be none left. This was the only negative...but it wasn't a huge deal. Overall this was a very memorable vacation. I have told my husband that I will be returning to this property. As well I will book at other Iberostars as the past two experiences have been amazing. Thanks for all your help! “P from Mississauga”
By P from Mississauga trip to Punta Cana