Concierge.com's insider take:

If you want to feel like you're rolling into the hottest spot on St. Barths, look no further. From humble beginnings as a small bar atop a rocky outcropping, Eden Rock has been transformed into an absolutely fabulous resort (literally, there are Patsy and Edina look-alikes everywhere). The main building and its two restaurants are located on the namesake hill in the center of the island's prettiest beach, and the accommodations are a collection of suites, houses, and villas. Some face the sea, others are set back in the gardens, and no two are alike. Longtime guests may complain that Eden Rock keeps expanding: 15 cottages, coined the Heavenly Beach Houses, opened in 2005, and in 2009, the hotel added two estates: Villa Nina (with an in-house art gallery) and Villa Rockstar (with a recording studio that includes the console John Lennon used to record "Imagine"). The newer rooms have more contemporary decor than the Hollywood Regency–era accommodations in the original house on "the Rock" (such as the Greta Garbo or Howard Hughes suites, where both icons once stayed). Privacy levels vary wildly, but honestly, Eden Rock is where you stay when you want to see and be seen on St. Barths. A short walk down the sand will bring you to island nightspots such as Nikki Beach and La Plage, but Eden Rock's own informal Sand Bar and dinner-only On the Rocks restaurant, which serve haute California-meets-Paris beach cuisine, bring the scene to you.—Updated by Cathay Che

Closed September through mid-October.