St Barths :Visit the film location

Jay-Z and B, Emma Stone, Demi Moore, LiLo, Ellen and Portia, Victoria's Secret models, Matt Damon, Chris "Thor" Hemsworth, Kimora Lee, Courteney Cox, the Murdochs, the Abramovichs, the Rothschilds (excuse us while we catch our breath), the 21 square kilometre French West Indies island of Saint Barthélemy is the world's number one playground of the rich and famous. Why? Well, the remote island boasts all of the natural beauty of the Caribbean - rugged mountains (the highest stands at 283 metres) loom over impossibly blue waters and protected bays, while the villages and streets smell of jasmine - but it also has French flair in its cuisine, architecture, boutiques, art galleries, inhabitants, beach life and more. How it all began The tiny island - which is 30 times smaller than Singapore - is officially a region of France and was discovered by Columbus in 1493, but was only permanently settled by French dairy and vegetable farmers from Normandy and Brittany in 1673. It then, oddly, became a Swedish territory in 1784 when the French swapped it with the Scandinavians for a warehouse and Baltic Sea trading rights, but was then bought back by France in 1878 when they realised what they'd lost out on. While the official language is French, the food is distinctly Gallic and a lot of the architecture is too. The Swedish influence has lived on in many of the island's place names (Gustavia, the main town, is named after the Swedish king during its rule) - as well as in the fact that many of the locals boast Nordic blonde locks. Celebs, cuisine and coasts. When flying into the ocean-surrounded St Barths on your small, usually virtually private, plane, it becomes clear just how many beautiful beaches there are on the petite island (particularly given the fact that the main landing strip is just off of the island's popular St Jean beach, making for quite dramatic views for sunbathers). Most of the 20 or so beaches on the island have sand that would rival Claudia Schiffer in terms of blondeness; great snorkelling and plenty of restaurants - including the best prawns you'll ever taste - and potential for celeb-spotting. Although, if it's something a bit different you're after, a visit to the usually very quiet and famous-for- snorkelling Shell Beach should be on your agenda - remember to wear shoes, however, because, you guessed it, the sand is made up almost entirely of crushed up shells. All the hotels in St Barths are boutique-style (the largest has around 70 rooms, most have around 10), and there are so many celebs swanning in and out during peak season - December to mid-April - that hoteliers say they hardly notice them - a Madonna here, a Kardashian there. If it's famous folk you're after, your first port of call should be Nikki Beach Club - which is famous for its hip hop beats, bubbles, billionaires, socialites (Paris Hilton is a huge fan) and all-day tanners - and infamous for the fact that it hosted that private party on New Year's Eve in 2009 when Beyoncé peformed five songs for Mutassim Gaddafi and his friends. Taking up a strip of sand on St Jean beach, a visit here is a must for people-watching - the partying invariably kicks off at around 11am and winds down at around 6pm.