The ferries to St Barth have improved since the days when they were sailing catamarans. (I remember some of them fondly.) It's different now, with the larger power ferries, but you're still sailing into the prevailing seas on the way over, and it can still be a bit rough on bad weather days. The return trip to St Maarten, generally with a following sea, is usually much smoother. My preferred choice is to fly out of Grand Case (SFG) which does not have the high departure fees that Juliana (SXM) has. The airline flying on that route is St Barth Commuter, using Cessna Caravans.
Click here for St Barth Commuter LinkMaybe 25 yards from the St Barth ferry terminal is the Sunset Hotel, which is basic, and is above the shops (up stairs). It's been awhile since I stayed there, and reviews vary. It has new owners, and was done over in 2021, so hopefully the older bad reviews are no longer a concern. If you choose to stay there, ask for a water view room. You can sometimes find rooms there on the AirBNB website. On their home page, the photo shows the ferry terminal building, and the white balconies across the street are the Sunset Hotel.
Click here for Sunset Hotel Link St Barth can be wildly expensive, or it can be no more expensive than staying on Sint Maarten/St Martin. It's certainly not low budget though. After visiting there for many years, I can stay and dine there relatively inexpensively. Or not. My choice, not a requirement. Usually, the budget buster for me occurs right after I'm presented with a restaurant wine list LOL. I do love French wines.
