Once upon a time Eden Rock was a private house owned by Remy de Haenen, the first mayor of the island of St. Barts and friend of Gretta Garbo. Today it is no less than the Caribbean’s glitziest institution, a family-owned hotel that has been the height of glamor and sophistication for decades.

I talking about full-blown glamor here, from the thirty-four exquisite suites and villas, including Villa Rockstar, a 16,000-square-foot (1,485-sq-m) party pad complete with golf putting green and cinema, to the resort’s 65-foot (20-m), fully crew Princess yacht, which has a personal watercraft in the hull.

The island boasts pretty coves, rugged beaches and marine reserves teeming with a rainbow of underwater life. Back on dry land, the sights are equally impressive – as previous guests Mick Jagger and Mariah Carey can attest. Romantics will love the Garbo Suite, oozing 1930s Hollywood charm with a wood and white-leather bed and a Phi0