Lorient
One of St Barth’s first settlements, on the north shore between Saint-Jean and Grand Cul-de-Sac: a calm bay, a listed bell tower and a village bakery, with Pointe Milou on the hill above.
- Arrival
- Princess Juliana, St Maarten · SXM
- To the village
- About 15 minutes by air from SXM to the airstrip, 2 km away
- Private jets
- Jets land at SXM; small aircraft continue
- Best time
- December to August
The city
The island’s older side.
Lorient is counted among the earliest quarters of St Barthélemy, sometimes called the cradle of its faith. The church of Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption was founded here around 1724, burnt by raiders and rebuilt more than once; its bell tower of 1850, whose bell was cast in Nantes, is a listed historic monument. The parish cemetery below holds the grave of Johnny Hallyday.
Of the north-coast bays, this is the one without crowds: calm water most of the year, a little swell in winter, no beach clubs and no vendors. The morning starts at the village boulangerie, Pointe Milou rises to the east, and Saint-Jean, the airstrip and Grand Cul-de-Sac are each a few minutes away.
Arriving
Land on St Maarten, hop across.
St Barth’s airstrip, Rémy de Haenen, lies about two kilometres west of Lorient at Saint-Jean. Its runway of roughly 650 metres takes no jets, and only pilots with a specific qualification may land there.
- San Juan 50 min
- Barbados 1 h 10
- New York 3 h 55
- Chicago 4 h 55
- São Paulo 6 h 40 long-range jet
When to go
December to August.
Warm and even, at 29 to 31 °C in the afternoon and with the sea between 26 and 29 °C. Rain stays modest, 100 mm or less a month, from December through August, and is lightest in February and March. September to November are wetter, in the heart of the hurricane season that runs from June to November.
- 29° J 63 26°
- 29° F 43 26°
- 29° M 43 26°
- 30° A 65 27°
- 30° M 95 27°
- 31° J 62 28°
- 31° J 76 28°
- 31° A 100 28°
- 31° S 129 29°
- 31° O 109 29°
- 30° N 126 28°
- 29° D 89 27°
What to see and do
Days in and around Lorient.
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Landmark
Lorient bell tower
Built in 1850 beside the church of Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption and protected as a historic monument.
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Landmark
Lorient cemetery
The parish graveyard by the church, where Johnny Hallyday is buried.
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Landmark
Plage de Lorient
A sheltered bay with no beach bars, swimmable in all seasons and only lightly ruffled by the winter swell.
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Opera & music
Saint-Barth Music Festival
Every January for over four decades, opera, ballet, chamber music and jazz have been performed in the churches of Lorient and Gustavia and on an open-air stage.
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On the water
Grand Cul-de-Sac lagoon
Behind its coral reef the lagoon is mostly one to three metres deep, used for kitesurfing, windsurfing, paddleboarding and snorkelling over seagrass.
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Nature
Morne de Vitet
From the village of Vitet a footpath climbs to the island's highest point at 286 metres, with views across to Saint Martin and Anguilla.
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Culture
Wall House Museum
Watercolours, objects and documents in this territorial museum on Gustavia harbour tell the island's story, from the Swedish period to salt making and straw work.
Official site -
On the water
Réserve naturelle de Saint-Barthélemy
Set up in 1996, this marine reserve of 1,200 hectares around Gros Îlets, Pain de Sucre, Île Fourchue and Île Frégate shelters 45 recorded coral species.
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Nature
Grande Saline
Salt was worked in this pond until 1972; today shorebirds and Little Terns feed on the flats behind one of the island's longest beaches.
Official site
On the calendar
A date to plan around.
Dates as published by the organisers. Runways, hotels and slots fill early around these weeks: the sooner we know, the more choice you have.
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17–21 Mar 2027
Sailing
St Barths Bucket
Regatta for large sailing superyachts based in Gustavia harbour, with four days of racing from 18 to 21 March 2027.
Port of Gustavia, Gustavia, about 3 km away
In 4 months
Where to stay
Pointe Milou, Grand Cul-de-Sac and the bays close by.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
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Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France A Palace on the north-west shore, and the only hotel on the island with three MICHELIN Keys.
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Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa Two MICHELIN Keys, with rooms on the lagoon just past Pointe Milou.
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Airelles Le Guanahani Sixty-six rooms on a peninsula of their own, two MICHELIN Keys, passing from Rosewood to Airelles on 1 November 2026.
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Hotel Christopher On the Pointe Milou headland that rises above the village, with one MICHELIN Key.
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Le Sereno A Christian Liaigre design on the lagoon beach, with one MICHELIN Key.
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Tropical Hotel St Barth On the hillside over Saint-Jean bay, with one MICHELIN Key.
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Hotel Manapany One MICHELIN Key, on a beach in a residential cove.
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Fouquet’s Saint-Barth Over the harbour of the capital, with one MICHELIN Key.
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Hotel Le Toiny A five-star on the island’s south-east coast, in the MICHELIN selection without a Key.
Where to dine
The best tables around the village.
No MICHELIN Guide covers St Barth. These are Fodor’s Choice restaurants, all in Fodor’s top price band.
- Abyss Fodor’s Choice French $$$$ Le Barthélemy, Grand Cul-de-Sac, about 3 km east
- L’Esprit Fodor’s Choice French $$$$ Grande Saline, about 2 km south
- Tamarin St Barth Fodor’s Choice Meat, fish and seafood $$$$ Near Grande Saline, about 2 km south
- La Case Fodor’s Choice French $$$$ Cheval Blanc, Flamands, about 4 km west
- Bonito Fodor’s Choice Franco-Peruvian $$$$ Gustavia, about 3 km south-west
Elsewhere in Saint Barthélemy
More reasons to come.
Flying to Lorient?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.