You come to the beach, and the sound of the waves is reaching you. The sun is hot, and the sand dunes seem to be whiter in this light. You came along the first, then – the second, and you see a beautiful turquoise sea. Take off your sandals, and plunge with your feet into the warm sand of one of the best beaches of all the Caribbean islands. Anse de Grande Saline or Saline beach is located on the south coast of the island between two other popular beaches.
Rocks along the edges of the bay protect the beach from wind. And they also preserve its long history. Yes, this place has something to tell.
If you were not blinded by the bright Caribbean Sea on the way to the beach, you should notice that all the bars, restaurants, and hotels were left behind. There is nothing on the beach. Absolutely nothing. Only white and warm sand, clear waves, and rocks. Anse de Grande Saline is the most pristine beach in the Caribbean. Just some yachts whiten a few meters from the shore.
All villas and hotels are located a few kilometers from the beach. You should walk about 200 meters to the nearest restaurant Le Grain de Sel. Such distance creates an atmosphere of incredible tranquility and peace. But just in case, take a few sandwiches, a large bottle of water, and an umbrella. The beach has almost no green. There are just low bushes, which do not create any shadow. You cannot hide from the hot Caribbean sun.
Sit comfortably and enjoy a rest. But do not surprise if someone takes off the upper and the bottom part of the clothes. Officially, there are no nudist beaches in Saint-Barth, and it is forbidden to expose. But at Anse de Grande Saline, you can see a couple of nudists.
The name of the beach is related to salt, as well as its entire history. On the way to the white sand, going along a rocky path, you can notice a salt lake. Earlier, people mined salt here. On the beach, there is an old boat anchorage, where salt was put.
This was not the easiest time for the island. But salt mining was the only way to survive. There was not any freshwater, and agriculture was developing rather slowly.
The things were going like this for a long time, until 1972. But tourists began to come to the island, and residents decided to develop tourism. Salt production stopped, but the lake left.
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