Colombier Beach

Colombier keeps the island's most democratic exclusivity: no road reaches the bay, so the white crescent belongs to those who walk - the headland path from Flamands rounding cliffs with the classic approach views, the Colombier route descending stone steps past cactus - or those who anchor, the mooring field filling with hulls whose passengers swim ashore. Turtles graze the seagrass at snorkel range, shade hides under the sea grapes, and the Rockefeller-era estate ruins above the sand add the island's quiet backstory. The walk out at golden hour closes the argument. There is no road down at all, which is why the beach stays as quiet as it does.

The landscape

• The white crescent - the roadless bay at path's end.
• The seagrass turtles - grazing greens off the sand.
• The headland approaches - cliff-path views both routes.
• The mooring field - swum-ashore yacht society.

When to go

December to May with the season; mornings land the calmest snorkelling, and weekdays thin the mooring field.

Before you go

Carry water and shade sense - facilities are none by definition; the paths ask real footwear and the return climb is the fee.

Nearby

Flamands' beach, Gustavia and the northwest headlands.