Vendome Guide

8th Edition of Popular Destination Guide 
Is a Virtual "How To" for Getting the Most out of St. Barts in 130 Colorful Pages.

NEWPORT, R.I., October 2002 -- WIMCO, the luxury vacation villa and hotel reservations company, has just released its 8th edition of the Vendome Guide to St. Barthelemy, a glossy, 130-page magazine that is a virtual "how to" for getting the most out of visiting St. Barts.

St. Barthelemy, or St. Barts as it is most frequently known, is the sophisticated Caribbean island in the French West Indies internationally noted for its sophisticated lifestyle appealing to fashion and entertainment industry leaders, exquisite accommodations and excellent restaurants, earning it the label of "Gourmet capital of the Caribbean."

Dubbing St. Barts "Paris of the West Indies," guest editor Mark Kauffman advises visitors to the island to: "Leave your cares at the transom. Wear a big smile. And live heartily the island life on this fortunate rise of French rock in the blue Caribbean Sea." 

Kauffman is a freelance travel writer with personal training as a French chef. His specialty is culinary tours and restaurant reviews. He comments, "On St. Barts, you can dine anywhere and run into waitstaff who will take you under their wings, recommending the very best of offerings from the caves and the kitchens. There's a distinct, though intangible, sense of culture and refinement in the air about these food shrines, and these hard-working people are proud to share their spirit with you."

Julie Warburton, another contributing writer, focuses on "Bringing the Family." This concept is especially appropriate to St. Barts, where Wimco's partner company, Sibarth Real Estate, manages 220 villas on the island with accommodations ranging from one bedroom starting at $1500 per week to five bedrooms from $26,000 per week.