January 28, 2010
Hey, all you wind addicts:
This February we prepared a special Valentine Season destination idea. A peaceful, quiet and beautiful island with windsurfing and kitesurfing that reflects the general ambience. This is the “romantic” wind or kitesurfer’s best bet. If you wonder what is this place - it is the French caribbean island called St. Barthélemy or simply St. Barths.
Windsurf and Kitesurf in St. Barths:
This small French Caribbean island has over twenty beaches with crystal clear, warm waters and steady winds! The island maintains its natural warmth and peace by discouraging the cruise ships crowds and big “all inclusive“ hotels. It is rather a quiet exclusive place. Most buildings are only two stories, with colourful flower boxes and charming gingerbread style architecture.
St. Barths has consistent winds averaging 18 knots in the winter. In February the winds reach up to 21 knots. With the air temperature averaging in 26C (79F) and the water temperature about 24C (75F) you can forget about your wetsuit. Although you can kite or windsurf pretty much anywhere, the eastern part of the St. Barth island is the best to kitesurf and windsurf.
Here the winds blow onshore into the bays, which are protected by multiple reefs. The waters are calm and shallow; ideal for beginners. Grand Cul de Sac is the most popular beach by both kite and windsurfers because of its glass-like smooth and turquoise waters. Toiny beach is another favourite windy beach for those who want to experience some “bump and jump” conditions.
Windsurfing rentals and instructions are available through Wind Wave Power which is located on the beach at Grand Cul de Sac beach. They rent Club Mistral gear. Windsurfing Rentals are $35 US for 1 hour and $250 for 10 hours. Private Windsurfing Lesson is $85 US.
As for the kitesurfing, there are no kitesurfing rentals available on st. Barths so make sure to bring your own equipment. St. Barth's Kitesurf School located right on Grand Cul de Sac beach offers lessons. They charge $420 US for a 3 hours course which includes equipment.
We highly recommend staying at the reasonably priced ($80-190 US) Hotel Baie des Anges. It is right on a beach, the rooms are spotless and have fabulous views and romantic four poster canopy beds. They include French style breakfast with croissants and fresh fruits. 
The hotel's ocean view restaurant, La Langouste, is great for a candlelight seafood dinner.
To get to St. Barths fly to St. Maarten (St. Martin) and take a short ferry ride for $57 US roundtrip per person. Or take a 15 minutes flight to St. Barths airport (SBH) for $200 US per person with WinAir airlines.
If you feel like taking a break from wind or kitesurfing on any particular day go surfing at the southern coast or hiking Mt. Lurin which provides breathtaking views, or go snorkelling at Anse des Cayes area where you can find hundreds of shallow areas to snorkel right off the beach. You can also consider checking out the unique collection of shells at the Shell Museum. As for the shopping opportunities, St. Barths is called the Paris of the Caribbean. Or simply just relax on a beach, together!
Check out more wind destinations in February at Windresorts.com on our website.
Happy Sailing,
Windresorts Administration.
We don’t sell travel, our goal is to provide unbiased info and advice on wind destinations in the Caribbean.
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