Cigar Aficionado

Christopher Columbus, the first foreigner to visit Saint-Barthélemy, “discovered” the island in 1493—and then promptly forgot about it. The speck of dry land had no natural resources and for nearly five centuries was considered worthless. It seems incredible today, but it proved such a financial burden that in the late 1800s one-time owner Sweden happily sold back to France the island it had traded for a century earlier. No one ever found gold, diamonds or oil on Saint-Barthélemy, better known by its nickname St. Barths (pronounced Barts). But today, the island is a hub of affluence, transformed by the riches of tourism. The country’s first hotel, the Eden Rock, …