Handsome, six-foot-four Ted Deltour is a familiar figure on the Island of St. Barth when he’s out and about in the postcard-perfect capital Gustavia, visiting the bars and bistros, and careening the serpentine roads on his motor scooter. As a key team member of St. Barth Properties (rue Samuel Fahlberg, Tel: 800-421-3396 www.stbarth.com), a prominent island-based villa rental agency, he’s usually on a mission to please the many guests who rely on the expertise of St. Barth Properties to connect travelers to their ultimate villa.
The agency has a trademarked mantra (literally) “Live Your Dream,” and Ted makes sure that happens. A native Parisian, he came to St. Barth in 2002 with a wealth of client-service experience garnered in the City of Light’s luxury hotels. It was a great fit. St. Barth gave him that French connection with a bonus of the sea, sun, and tropical trade winds, and he loves sharing the charms of the island he now calls home.
Growing up in Paris, Ted painted, practiced calligraphy, and made his first gris-gris (a talisman-like amulet) at the age of 13. In recent years, inspired by his surroundings, he’s been creating unique jewelry pieces. Artfully stringing natural beads and “bits” (including shells from St. Barth’s beaches) on leather cords, he often adds gorgeous pearls and gems from his off-island exotic travels. Ted’s Treasures (www.tresorsdestbarth.com) rounds out his life, and many of the people who collect his work are St. Barth Properties’ clients.
Where are the coolest places for cocktails on the island?
Numéro uno is Bonito (rue Lubin Brin, Tel: +590-590-27-96. www.ilovebonito.com). It’s casual sophistication with a French-Latin vibe, a chic beach house ambiance, a stunning view of the harbor, and baller cocktails. They have the island’s most creative drinks menu. A ceviche bar with a Peruvian focus takes it up another notch. Great for both sundowners and late night cocktails. Try the Porn Star, a mix of vanilla vodka, vanilla, and passion fruit liqueurs, a little coulis, and a shot of Champagne. Dõ Brazil on Shell Beach (Shell Beach, Tel: +590-590-290-666. www.dobrazil.com) is steps from the water on Gustavia’s popular-with-the-locals Shell Beach. It’s barefoot casual and the perfect spot to join-in the island tradition of sunset cocktails and live music.
What are the best restaurants for a romantic dinner?
Bonito fits this category as well. Request a candlelit table on the terrace overlooking the lights of the harbor. The international menu blends French cuisine with South American influences. Tamarin (rue de Saline, Tel: +590-590-292-774. www.tamarinstbarth.com) is a true tropical oasis. Gorgeous gardens with lily ponds center around a hundred-year-old Tamarin tree. Dine under the stars on sophisticated cuisine. Their starter of pan-fried foie gras served with banana mousse and mango sauce is amazing.
Who serves the greatest weekend brunch in town?
Restaurant Le Gaïac (Anse de Toiny, Tel: +590-590-27-8888. www.letoiny.com at the five-star Relais & Châteaux Hotel Le Toiny. Brunch Du Toiny is served every Sunday poolside with a dramatic view of the rugged coastline. The buffet is expansive, with eggs that are cooked to order, loads of seafood, bloody marys, and mimosas, of course, and a table full of decadent desserts. Two seatings: 11 A.M. and 1 P.M. Reservations are a must.
What are the hottest shows in town, and how do I get tickets?
Le Ti St. Barth (Pointe Milou. Tel: 590- 279-771) is a sort-of supper club (excellent food) with a Moulin Rouge ambience (lots of red velvet) that puts on a hot cabaret show with showgirls and boys from 10 P.M. Tues-Thurs. The Madness Show with professional dancers is on for the weekends, and they regularly schedule sexy theme nights. A resident DJ spins a great soundtrack every night and tabletop dancing ensues!
Which guided tours do you recommend most often to your guests?
The new rage is the Seabob, an electric water scooter. We work with a great company H20 Saint Barth (www.seabobstbarth.com), and their certified instructors provide an orientation and lead guided tours. They have some fun packages that combine the tour with snorkeling or scuba diving, and for those who want to take it up a notch a Flyboard or Hover Board. They have a cool full-day combo they call the James Bond Experience.
What annual events should we add to our must-see list?
The St. Barth Bucket. It’s a prestigious invitation-only regatta held every March. Owners of the world’s largest super-yachts pull into the harbor for three days of racing and partying. The yachts are a sight to behold and there’s lots of buzz. Forbes magazine calls it “a gathering of swells.” For the villas with the best views of the racing contact reservations@stbarth.com.
Where can you go to get the best views of the city?
The Lighthouse in Gustavia is stunning, and the lookout at Colombier.
Villa Athena (or villa Lital by Laurent Benoit)
Where are the best places to workout?
Form Fitness (www.performancefitness-stbarth.com) is a full-service gym with weights, fitness machines, group classes (Pilates, yoga, body pump, body combat, RPM, body jam, SH’BAM, body attack) and personal trainers. Many of the private villas in our portfolio have fitness rooms with a view! And we can arrange for personal trainers to make villa-visits.
If someone is looking for a full-service spa, where do you send them?
The five-star hotels Le Guanahani (35 rue de la République, Tel: 590-5-9027-5946. www.venusbeautyspa.com), its spa is Clarins branded, and Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France (Baie des Flamands, Ansedes Flamands, Tel: 011-590-590-77- 5666. www.chevalblanc.com) offers exclusive tropical Gueralain experiences. They have an exotic outdoor pavilion for couples’ massages.
Designer labels for less—do you have any suggestions for the smart shopper?
St. Barth is a duty-free port that hosts all the marquee designers and has loads of boutiques with European fashions. For shoppers seeking savings, there are two annual island-wide sales: Les Soldes in May/June and in October (exact dates TBA).
What are the best gay/lesbian bars in the city?
St. Barth is a gay-friendly and tiny island. There are no “just gay” bars. It’s all good. Modj (Centre Vaval, St. Jean, Tel: 590-690-661261. www.facebook.com/modjostbarts?fref=ts) in St. Jean (serves Krug and Dom Perignon by the glass), and Monbart in Gustavia (25 rue de General De Gaulle, Tel: 590-590-275182 (the name is an homage to a St. Barth pirate and the model for Captain Hook in Peter Pan) are two super-cool lounges.
What are the most popular dance clubs in the city?
Le Yacht Club (Gustavia Harbor, Tel: 590- 0590-511-580. www.caroleplaces.com) has a great harbor-side location and is nothing like the name implies. A celebrity favorite, it goes full-out nightclub after midnight with disco lights, beautiful people, and tabletop dancing.
Where can someone go at 3 A.M. for a good meal?
A number of places [the bars and clubs] offer a late-night menu, but at 3 A.M. party people are too busy drinking and dancing or back at their villas enjoying a late-night swim or eats at home.
What is the iconic tourist souvenir, and where will we find it?
A bottle of Vanille Rhum available at Côté Port (Gustavia) or La Gloriette (Grand Cul de Sac) restaurants. Also, Ligne St. Barth bath and body care products available at their shops in Lorient and Gustavia (www.lignestbarth.com).
Please finish this sentence: Don’t leave St. Barth without…
Spending an afternoon at Saline Beach — gorgeous! Walk to the right for the “boys beach,” you can’t miss it. If you forget your bathing suit, oh well. Sunday afternoons at Nikki Beach (Plage de St. Jean, Tel: 590-27-6464. www.nikkibeach.com) is for serious partiers. It’s a sexy club with teepees and sun beds on St. Jean Beach. Jeroboams are served up with sparklers and things get crazy, in a good way. Stop at the legendary Le Select (rue de la France, Tel: 590-27-8687) for a cold beer or a Ti Punch, and a cheeseburger in paradise. It’s been there for over 60 years, and it’s fun, kitchy, cheap, and great for people watching. Also, hiking or hiring a catamaran to Colombier Beach to snorkel and picnic.
