Beachfront Villas in St Barths

Most of St Barths's villas sit on its steep hillsides, looking down on the sea, which makes the handful that open directly onto the sand among the most sought-after on the island. Ours are on its two finest beaches.

Flamands, on the north-west coast, is the island's longest and most beautiful beach, a wide crescent of pale sand where the afternoon light is extraordinary. It is home to Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France and La Cabane, its relaxed beach restaurant, and has a family feel quite different from the scene elsewhere. Saint-Jean, by contrast, is the island's social centre: a short, bright bay between the airport and the Eden Rock, where lunch at the Sand Bar or Nikki Beach can easily become the whole afternoon. For something quieter, Le Toiny Beach Club on the wild south-east coast is worth the drive.

High season runs from mid-December to April. New Year's Eve, when the yachts crowd Gustavia harbour, is the most competitive week of the year, and the best beachfront houses are reserved many months in advance.