Taxe de séjour: 5 percent, capped at 5 euros per person per night
The Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy applies a 5 percent taxe de séjour on short-term villa rentals, capped at 5 euros per person per night. The line is itemized on the manager invoice and remitted to the Collectivité. On a $50,000 weekly headline for a six-bedroom housing 12 guests, the line lands at roughly $2,500.
Service charge: 10 to 15 percent
Platforms and managers price a service charge on the headline. Sibarth runs roughly 12 to 15 percent on the direct rental program. Wimco runs 10 to 12 percent. Le Collectionist runs 12 to 15 percent including the dedicated trip planner. St Barth Properties runs 10 to 12 percent. On a $50,000 winter peak week, that is $5,000 to $7,500.
Christmas/NY 14-night minimum: the structural premium
The Christmas/New Year fortnight runs from the third week of December through the first week of January, with 14-night minimums standard across the editorial inventory. The fortnight headline runs 220 to 360 percent of the February peak at matched bedroom count. A $50,000 February peak week lists at $160,000 to $230,000 over the fortnight; the trophy stock clears $400,000 to $520,000. Managers do not split the fortnight. The two parties to negotiate are arrival flight scheduling (the SXM-SBH air taxi cuts off at sunset) and chef booking lead time (10 to 16 weeks ahead of Christmas Week).
Named-storm cancellation clause: a non-negotiable for August through October
The hurricane season runs 1 June through 30 November, with peak risk in August and September. The strong managers carry a named-storm cancellation clause with a 75 to 100 percent refund floor if a NOAA-named storm forecast intersects the island within the booking window. The threshold definitions vary by operator. The clause should specify the named-storm trigger, the refund floor percentage, and the rebooking window. Properties that decline to publish the clause are a pass. The Wimco and Sibarth versions are the editorial benchmark.
Chef: $900 to $1,800 per service plus food at cost
Independent chefs in St Barts run $900 to $1,800 per dinner service, plus food sourcing at cost. Lunch service is roughly half the dinner fee. Food cost for a group of 10 lands at $80 to $180 per person depending on protein, a fish course (the local pelagics are reliably excellent), and wine. The strongest chef bench sits among alumni of Bonito, L’Esprit, Tamarin, the Eden Rock kitchen, and the Le Toiny dining program. The Christmas Week lead time runs 10 to 16 weeks; the February peak lead time runs 4 to 8 weeks.
Pre-stock and provisioning: $1,200 to $3,500
The arrival fridge is rarely included. The well-run managers offer a pre-stock service: a list of preferred items, the manager shops at Marche U or AMC in Gustavia, the fridge is set for arrival. Cost is the groceries plus a 10 to 15 percent service margin. For a group of 12 over 7 nights, $1,800 to $2,400 is reasonable before any chef-night ingredients. The 14-night Christmas booking with chef nights runs $3,000 to $3,500.
SBH and SXM transfers: $180 to $1,400
SBH is a 645-metre runway closed to dusk arrivals; the regional jet routes via SXM with the 12-minute Tradewind, Winair, or St Barth Commuter inter-island hop. Tradewind and St Barth Executive run $480 to $920 per seat one-way from SXM on the published schedule, with private charter at $1,800 to $3,800 per leg for up to eight passengers. The SXM-SBH ferry (Voyager, Great Bay Express) runs $80 to $140 per seat with a 45 to 75-minute crossing depending on weather. From SBH airport to a Pointe Milou or Lurin villa, a Mercedes V-Class transfer runs $80 to $140 each way; the Christmas-week rate runs higher.
SUV rental: $120 to $320 per day
St Barts is a driving destination. An SUV from Avis, Hertz, or the local Top Loc and Tropic’all Car runs $120 to $200 per day in the winter peak; the supply tightens sharply in Christmas Week and the rate rises to $200 to $320. Book six to eight weeks ahead for the Christmas fortnight. The roads are narrow and the parking discipline at Shellona, Nikki Beach, and Le Tôiny is real; the open-top Suzuki Jimny is the local default rather than the larger Range Rover. A second car for the week is standard on groups of eight or more.
Boat charter from St Jean or Gustavia: $3,800 to $14,500 per day
A typical day on a 40 to 50 foot motor yacht, captain plus mate, fuel separate, runs $4,800 to $7,500 in the winter peak. A larger 60 to 70 foot motor yacht runs $9,500 to $14,500 plus fuel. A small sailing day-charter on a 38-footer runs $3,800 to $5,500. Captain gratuity is 10 to 15 percent of the charter, paid in cash. The booking pattern is two days on the week: a Saint Martin and Anse du Colombier circuit one day, and a Tintamarre and Pinel Island circuit on a calmer day. The Le Toiny and Hotel Christopher concierge desks both keep direct contacts for the strong captains.
Staff gratuities: 500 to 1,200 euros per staff member per week
The St Barts norm is 500 to 1,200 euros per staff member for the week, paid in cash on departure, distributed by the housekeeping lead. A typical six-bedroom carries three to four staff (housekeeper, pool, gardener, occasional houseman). On a fortnight Christmas booking with four staff, plan for 4,000 to 9,600 euros in cash gratuities, available for the departure morning. The Christmas-week rate sits at the upper end of the band.
Concierge and restaurant pre-bookings: $0 to $1,800 per week
Most editorial-list villas include a basic concierge in the headline (restaurant pre-bookings, boat coordination, grocery pre-stock). The Christmas Week dinner calendar is the single most under-prepared element of a first St Barts trip: Le Tôiny, L’Esprit, Bonito, Shellona, Sand Bar, Tamarin, and the Eden Rock terrace book out 8 to 14 weeks in advance for the fortnight. The concierge layer is the right channel; the platform-level booking is not.