Just the idea of St Barts villas conjures up fanciful dreams of cocktails on the veranda overlooking a dreamy Caribbean sea lapping on a shore of powdery white sand scattered with willowy palms. But can it really be that perfect? Yes it can and yes it is. From your St Barths villa you will either see dozens of sky-scraping mountains dramatically rise to the heavens or the most idyllic, sexy beaches that you only see in dreams. Perfectly positioned bays backed by restaurants or rolling hills. But St Barts is not all frill, it also has a very genuine island life community of locals who can trace their ancestry back to rural Brittany or Normandy – and even the rugged coastal terrain dotted with typical St Barths villas feels bizarrely French. If you can, one of the musts in life is to rent a St Barts villa with an ocean view, spend your days basking in the warm Caribbean sun and balmy evening sampling saucy French-Creole fusion cuisine along with the glitterati. On more low key days you could head to a vibrant local market for some floppy fish and legumes. Whether you’re after the glamorous life of the jet-set, or simply a hushed bucolic village vibe, St Barts can supply it.