ST. BARTS ROMANTIC ACTIVITIES

Start your visit with a look around Gustavia. Day trippers enter this harbor town at the waterfront, in easy walking distance to its fine shops and sidewalk cafes. Filled with delicious French atmosphere, this small town can sometimes be bustling, with streams of traffic. The town is built on a u-shape, following the harbor. On one side lies the tourist office, duty free shops and several cafés; other the other side lies many good restaurant and the Musée de St. Barthélemy (590-590-27-87-27). This small museum is located near the Wall House on the far side of the harbor. Exhibits explain more about the island's history through old photos, paintings, and documents.

Beyond Gustavia, visit the small communities of Colombier and Corossol. These two small towns of 300 residents each (located northwest of Gustavia) are home to a population of older women who wear the traditional dress of the French provincial regions of Brittany, Normandy and Poitou. Long-sleeved dresses and sunbonnets called calèches or quichonettes and are usually barefooted or wearing sandals. Most produce straw hats and baskets for the tourist market but requests for photos are rarely granted.