Esprit de Roche

About St. Barth Properties

I am often asked how and why I founded St. Barth Properties, and I am always pleased to share the story. We often talk about how important vacations are to “recharge and reconnect,” and, actually, that was the genesis of my founding the company. Way back then, I was raising three kids and a typical day would see me packing lunches, driving to early-morning hockey practices and maybe fitting in a visit to the vet before I arrived at work. I was the office manager at my husband Steve’s busy dental practice. Steve and I knew we needed a yearly getaway, and I loved planning late winter vacations that would take us from gray and cold Franklin, MA, to a warm and sunny Caribbean island. We visited a different one each year, but when we arrived on St. Barth in March of 1986, it was love at first sight. Its picture-postcard harbor ringed by sweeping hills dotted with red-roofed villas and its crescents of white-sand beaches were all gorgeous, but the European vibe and ambience of casual sophistication really sparked a passion that has never faltered. Before we left, I bought a small condo in the island’s St. Jean Village. I’ve always been a bit impulsive, and more often than not it has served me well. That decision changed my life and set me on a path that led to my founding the company.