The Caribbean playground of the rich and famous, the diminutive 25-square-kilometre ST BARTHELEMY (St Barts) looks like it's been plucked from the Cote d'Azur and dropped into the Antilles. Situated 25km south of St Martin and 175km north of Guadeloupe, the boomerang-shaped island is sprinkled with picturesque red-roofed villas and edged by some of the Caribbean's loveliest beaches and bays . Many of the beaches are only accessible by sea, giving the island a rare sense of seclusion . Even the most beautiful stretches - Grande Saline, AnseColombier and Anse Gouverneur - never get crowded and, thanks to building laws forbidding big resort developments, everything is small-scale, including the capital, Gustavia , whose tallest buildings are shorter than the highest palm trees.

St Barts' privacy doesn't come cheaply, but considering the throngs that crowd the island's neighbours in high season, paying a little more for some personal space can make all the difference