Bargains Replace Billionaires on St. Barts

The high season on St. Barts is tapering off. Mega-yachts are heading home and prices are coming down.

The Caribbean island is enjoying a momentary hiatus from the endless crowds and notoriously sky-high prices that have made it a winter beacon for vacationing glitterati. The day of the St. Barts bargain has finally arrived and even the island hotspots aren't impervious to off-season deals.

How to get there: You don't need access to a private jet to get to St. Barts. JetBlue Airways offers daily non-stop service from JFK to St. Maarten for fares as low as $97 each way for mid-week travel during March. There's no shrimp cocktail or caviar service, but there are mini-bottles of Champagne and individual satellite televisions. From St. Maarten, you'll take a 15-minute flight through Winair to St. Barts.

Where to stay: Hotel Guanahani & Spa is one of the island's true hotel darlings. The 16-acre resort sits on the tip of the Grand Cul de Sac peninsula, where it's flanked by fine white-sand beaches and offers views of the Atlantic Ocean and Marigot Bay. Starting April 15, the hotel will accept U.S. dollars for summer packages typically priced in euros, cutting the cost of the stay by 25% based on current exchange rates, as part of a promotion.

Hotel Guanahani is composed of interconnected cottages, splashed in bright green and indigo blue. The bungalow-style buildings house 68 guest rooms and suites that offer unfettered views of the sea. The rooms' glass doors open to teak terraces with tables and chairs. The bathrooms feature deep tubs, double-basin vanities and toiletries by luxury cosmetic brands Clarins and Frederic Fekkai. The resort provides guests with free rental cars if they visit for six nights during the winter.