Saint Barthélémy – or St Barth, as it’s more commonly known – is 25 square kilometres of French Caribbean paradise, and Hotel Saint-Barth Isle de France is the award-winning hotel where your family can stay while enjoying idyllic experiences here, from horse riding to whale or turtle watching. 

Winner of more than a dozen travel awards, including Condé Nast Traveller’s Best Hotel in the Americas & Caribbean in 2013, Hotel Saint-Barth Isle de France is a member of the elite LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) group and joins the Cheval Blanc collection later this year.

The white sands of Gouverneur’s Beach are the perfect place for horse riding – one of the island’s prettiest spots inside a protected area within the Columbus Landfall National Park

On St Barth you can also experience wildlife firsthand including barracuda, turtles and rays as well as migrating whales and dolphins during the months of April and May, lizards and iguanas as well as birds from pelicans to finches and humming birds.

Form Guide French Caribbean luxury

Yearlings Ages 6+

Pace The white sands of Gouverneur’s Beach are the perfect place for horse riding, while the shallow waters are ideal for pottering about and discovering underwater critters. Families can also try their hand at kayaking, paddle boarding, windsurfing and catamaran sailing, and there are walking tracks, natural swimming pools, and tennis, yoga and archery at the hotel. Meanwhile fearless young adventurers can discover their inner Caribbean pirate at the island’s Fort Karl.

Stables The Fisherman’s Cottage is set in the beautiful tropical gardens of the hotel with doors opening from the living and kitchen areas onto a sheltered interior courtyard and garden where kids can safely play. There are also the options of rooms, bungalows, suites and villas.

Feedbag Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner can be in the hotel’s al fresco La Case de l’Isle restaurant, which overlooks Flamands Bay, or have lunch in La Cabane de l’Isle, where you can literally have your feet in the sand whilst dining.

Purse A family of four staying seven nights in The Fisherman’s Cottage costs from US$12,100 direct with the hotel, excluding flights, transfers and meals, or fly from the UK (via Antigua) from £14,750 including flights, transfers and breakfasts with Abercrombie & Kent.

Photography Credit: Stefano Candito