Gustavia

Gustavia is the heart of a St Barts yacht charter: a compact, horseshoe harbor lined with red-roofed buildings, superyachts stern-to along the quay, and boutiques and waterfront restaurants a short tender ride away. Most charters check in and clear customs here, and it is the natural base for an evening ashore, from Shell Beach at the harbor’s edge to the tables and bars of the town.

For a charter yacht it is about arrival and access rather than a quiet swim stop: the inner harbor is for berthing and the roadstead outside holds the larger boats, so your captain will usually anchor off and tender you in. Gustavia is busiest over Christmas and New Year, when the world’s largest yachts gather and the town becomes the Caribbean’s most glamorous scene.