Flying Into St. Bart’s
4,833 views · Published 1 December 2017 · 1:45 · Indexed 22 October 2026
Channel: Life The Basic Manual · 2017 · Education
Our intrepid roving reporter, Stuart Smith, shares with us what it’s like to land on St. Barts. This is the often-fraught flight that discourages many potential visitors to this beautiful place. So if you’re thinking of visiting this highly-regarded, upmarket holiday destination, watch on, and get an insight into whether or not you’re up for this challenge. Saint-Barthelemy, or as it is often known, St. Barts, is one of the jewels of the Caribbean Sea. Discovered by Columbus in 1493, and named for his brother, Bartolomea, it has changed hands in terms of rulers a number of times, but French culture and customs predominant. It’s regarded as one of the most sophisticated spots for the savvy international traveller, because of the relatively small number of visitors per year - roughly two hundred thousand. Most of those visitors are looking for a luxury experience. St. Barts is renowned for the excellence of its cuisine, which is strongly influenced the impact of its French history. But one of the reasons the numbers those flying to Sr. Barts remains low in comparison to some of its neighbouring islands, is that the advice often given to nervous fliers is not to attempt to land at its Gustat III Airport. Too small for large or international flights, the journey is made by a small plane from one of the other islands, and requires the pilot to put down on a short runway with some unhelpful terrain directly next to it. Stuart shows us the terrain and gives us a sense of what the journey requires. If you can face it, it certainly looks like a very special place to relax and unwind.
