Call it St. Barts, or St. Bart, or St. Barth, or St. Barths, or even St-Barthélemy (with a French accent, si'l vous plait). Or perhaps just call it the platinum card island. This tiny, tres chic slice of the French West Indies has long reveled in its reputation as the most expensive island in the Caribbean. The accommodations are luxe (villas and relatively small resort hotels) and the superlative dining (which subs for nightlife here) draws on both French (cuisine) and Swiss (bank account) traditions.

It wasn't always that way. Once St. Barts was mostly a convenient layover for sailors, about halfway between the British Virgin Islands and Antigua. There was only one bar, Le Select, and it inspired one of its leading patrons to pen a song, "Cheeseburger in Paradise. " Later the jet set discovered the island and, as the saying goes, there went the neighborhood…at least for a time.

Today, the jet setters have mostly jetted elsewhere, and visitors to St. Barts are free (so to speak) to take advantage of the island's duty free shopping (in the capital, Gustavia, and in the beachside village boutiques of St. Jean) and a dozen or so of the nicest beaches in the Caribbean (all topless, a couple of them bottomless). Entertainment is low-key (there's no casino), and while you can occupy yourself with snorkeling, sailing, or a visit to a spa, the heart of a St. Barts holiday is probably spent (that word again) doing very little, just relaxing in the warmth of the Caribbean and letting time slow down. And that's priceless, non?