St. Barts Men

Today I'm taking a tropical vacation over to the house of Tommy Bahama to take a look at St. Barts. This is a fragrance that was suggested to me for review by another user here on Fragrantica who was interested in it, but wanted to be sure it wasn't a synthetic mess before investing in it. Prior to that, I had heard of this fragrance being a decent alternative to Creed's Virgin Island Water—a fragrance I had previously reviewed and adored, but was left disappointed by its performance relative to its price point. Let's get into it and see how St. Barts holds up. Opening: The opening is a luminous blend of citrus, tropical sweetness, and a hint of salinity. The primary notes I discern are lime, salt, guava, and tequila, with the lime and guava being the most prominent. The lime immediately hits my nose in the opening as a sharp, tart, and surprisingly realistic representation of a freshly sliced lime. Following closely behind is the guava, which imparts a fruity, sweet, and tropical accord that blends seamlessly with the lime. Next, salt and tequila weave into the composition. The salt note, as one might surmise, gives the opening a distinctly salty tone. However, it is not as loud as some sea salt notes can be, and it remains subdued enough to allow the lime and guava to shine through. Lastly, the tequila settles into the background as a quiet but present bright and boozy note. I also get hints here and there of a marine accord, but it takes a backseat to the rest of the notes. All of the opening notes together do call to mind a vibrant tropical drink, so I understand the comparisons to Virgin Island Water. Dry Down: The dry down continues to be defined by its citrusy and salty character, but with a more pronounced aquatic theme. The primary notes I get are lime, salt, sea notes, and tequila, with the lime and sea notes being the standout accords. The lime is still prominently featured in the dry down with the same tart and sharp citrus accord, but it is now joined in equal measure by the sea notes, which give the dry down that characteristic oceanic accord I was expecting in the opening. This is followed by the salt and tequila. The salt works exceptionally well in playing off the sea notes to drive home that "ocean spray" accord the fragrance is going for. Lastly, the tequila remains a background accord with that same subtle boozy quality. The guava is still present, but it's mostly an afterthought in the dry down. There's also just a touch of white musk, which provides a soft, airy, and clean accord. With the guava having stepped away, the fragrance smells less like a boozy tropical cocktail and more like a fresh spin on a standard aquatic fragrance. However, the comparisons to Virgin Island Water remain relevant in the dry down. Much further into the dry down, a slightly earthy tone emerges that I assume comes from the agave. Performance: The initial projection is very robust and can easily reach across a room. Sillage is powerful as well, with a bright and scintillating scent trail. After a few hours, the projection had diminished to about four to six feet, and the scent trail was a bit lighter but still easily noticeable. At the seven-hour mark, I was amazed to find the projection and sillage were largely unchanged from what they were a few hours prior. The fragrance ultimately lasted about nine to ten hours before becoming a skin scent, demonstrating superb performance for such a fresh fragrance. When to Wear: St. Barts is a quintessential spring/summer fragrance that is tailor-made for daytime wear. As you can guess from the name, this is a very casual-wearing fragrance that is perfect for the beach, the pool, parties, or perhaps even the gym. For that same reason, I would forgo this fragrance for anything special, formal, or for office wear. Blind Buy: If you appreciate fresh, aquatic, and tropical-feeling fragrances in the style of Virgin Island Water, St. Barts is a safe blind buy for you. Final Verdict: I went into this expecting something similar to Virgin Island Water, and that is indeed what I got. There are some subtle differences, such as the prominent and creamy coconut note in Virgin Island Water, and rum being swapped out for tequila in St. Barts. Even so, they are strikingly similar to one another. Interestingly enough, both St. Barts and Virgin Island Water were released in the same year, 2007. I'm not saying they were influenced by each other, but I'm not saying they weren't either. What I can say, unequivocally, is that St. Barts defied all my expectations by performing much stronger than Virgin Island Water. With the disappointing performance being my single point of contention with Virgin Island Water, the similar scent profile and markedly superior performance of St. Barts puts me in the awkward position of saying it might objectively be the better fragrance. I won't deny that Virgin Island Water smells of marginally higher quality, but it's not going to be what I reach for if I know I'm going to have to reapply it just to get through the workday. With all things considered, I think St. Barts is an excellent fragrance on its own merit, a phenomenal alternative to Virgin Island Water, and worthy of any man's spring/summer rotation. Honestly, for being a fragrance you can find in the $20 range, it simply cannot be beat. Scent: 9/10 Longevity: 7/10 Sillage: 8/10 Versatility: Average Mass Appeal: High Gender: Unisex, leaning masculine Value: Excellent

Background: I initially was shopping at Ross for my Brother and his friend to get some cheap fragrances. To my surprise, I came across a TON of Tommy Bahama St. Barts. At first, I was considering getting it, but I already had spent money on cologne. I was excited for my Brother and his friend because I was told that St. Barts was an alternative to Creed Virgin Island Water. Purchase/Presentation: It was so cheap, around $25 for a 100ml. Upon opening the box it was actually good quality overall. The cap had a cool rope, which I thought was sick, but the cap itself is very cheap plastic. Overall the bottle had a nice hand-held shape design and honestly, the box itself was pretty cool too with the gold accents. Scent: Now this is something that I'm absolutely passionate about. My brother actually didn't like the scent at all and how it worked with his skin. When I tried it out, OH MY GOD, I was blown away. This smells exactly like a Lime Suero (A lime, mineral water, and sea salt drink. Mainly drink it when you're hungover) from Cancun. This reminds me of the time when I was drinking a Suero and resting at the Cancun beach watching the waves. I mean literally if you could capture that moment into a bottle and make it into a fragrance, it would smell exactly like St. Barts. I can not stop saying this, I can clearly remember the smell when I was just relaxing with my drink, and it smells exactly like St. Barts. The opening was just this lime-heavy, slightly salty scent. This was where I was having major flashbacks and my head exploded at how similar this smells to Cancun Beach's. I got to be honest, I didn't smell much tequila, at least not in the opening. However, once it all began to dry down, I got more salt and was now just opening up that tequila note. I got this fresh tequila, sea salt, and aquatic scent that was just so so good. It continued to be this way all the way through the final dry down, I didn't get any Vanille or any Guava. Experience: I barely had this fragrance and I got it during the spring because of how warm it was starting to become. Honestly, the performance is pretty good on my skin, the only thing I will say is that this fragrance has a strange projection. It sits close to the skin but the trail is absolutely insane. There have been times (after maybe 2 or 3 hours) when I wondered if I had any cologne on. But as soon as I started to walk back where I had been, you got this hit of sea salt and lime. The trail on this is crazy but the projection is weak, if that makes any sense. So far I only wore this scent only twice, I am just waiting till summer comes around to really make this my everyday scent. Personal Note: Again, THIS SMELLS LIKE CANCUN, it's so crazy to me to this day. It's mind-blowing how similar it smells to the beaches of Cancun. I want this fragrance to ONLY be talked about in the fragrance community, I am so worried that sooner or later everyone would have this scent. However, I will recommend this to anyone who wants to smell like a tropical, getaway, island. If you live anywhere with high-heat weather, this is perfect for you. On my skin, this lasts around 9 hours PLUS (Again, you might not smell it but the trail you leave says otherwise). You never have to worry about over-spraying this fragrance because it is light, usually, I do 5 sprays and I'm good to go for 8 hours. If you ever see this in your Ross or Marshalls, higher recommend trying it, you will not be disappointed.

For When You Want to Smell Like You’ve Got a Yacht... but You’re Just at Publix If you’ve ever wished your life smelled more like a Florida vacation and less like a commuter from New Jersey, Tommy Bahama St. Barts is your ticket to paradise in a bottle. It opens with a refreshing blast of lime and tequila—like a beachside cocktail in hand, no effort needed. Just that perfect balance of crisp, zesty freshness that makes you feel like you’ve left everything behind and stepped into a tropical escape. After the margarita, that salty ocean breeze hits, with a side of guava. You just stumbled off a booze cruise, feet in the sand, and already questioning whether that last shot was a great idea or a terrible one. It smooths out with a swaying palm vibe, like someone brought you a towel and a compliment. The vanilla in the base adds a creamy, chilled-cocktail finish that says, “Yeah, I totally belong on this beach,” even if your current reality involves a Publix run and the world’s smallest pool. Sure, the performance isn’t legendary—you’ll probably need to reapply halfway through your shift or errands—but at twenty bucks, just bring the bottle with you. No one's stopping you from refreshing in the Walmart parking lot. This isn’t trying to be fancy. It’s trying to make you smell like someone who could be fancy, but chose a linen shirt and no stress instead. And honestly? That’s the dream. THE BREAKDOWN * Longevity: 3–5 hours — depends on how close you are to the equator or your AC unit * Projection: Light to moderate — you’ll smell great, but not like you’re auditioning for a cologne commercial * Smells like: Lime, sea breeze, chill vibes, and being on vacation—even if you’re actually in New Jersey. * Best for: Beach days, brunch, hammock naps, or a Publix run. * Rating: 7/10 — loses a couple points for longevity, but still worth it * Vibe: Relaxed, tropical, and doesn’t take itself too seriously

*** REVIEW COMPARING THE SET SAIL LINE*** I have all 3 from the Tommy Bahama - Set Sail line which I believe is an excellent investment. The quality of scent is far better than the price you pay. Very happy customer with these 3. They also look great in your collection with the classy bottle design. They all fit a purpose and are all 'colognes' so I wouldn't advise to purchase if you want longevity. I'm going to review all 3 here as people will want to compare them (as I did before purchasing) St Barts - Smells like a high quality margarita. Perfect to wear in the summer day. Makes me instantly think of summer when smelling it. You will see I have 25 fragrances and its in my top 5 due to the smell being excellent. I wear it to the pool, summer days and spray it on my towel. Sillage is ok for 1 hour. Longevity also 2 hours but what a great 2 hours they are. St Kitts - Smells like an orange, mango and fresh water cocktail. Gorgeous scent and bottle design. Second best to St Barts for me. I wear this the same places as St Barts if I want fruity instead of boozy. Sillage ok for 1.5 hours. Longevity 3 hours. Martinique - Smells like a creamy Pina colada. Has more depth to the scent than the other 2. Very creamy on the dry down. Lasts longest out of the 3. I personally wear this after my shower when I have been at the beach or pool and have a little sunburn. When you smell it you will understand what I mean. It's like a night time Caribbean fragrance. Sillage great for 3-4 hours. Longevity I get 6 hours on my skin and my skin drinks fragrances. I hope this helps as I wish this was there to read when I was looking to buy these 3. As a side note I also wear St Barts and St Kitts together sometimes for a fruity and salty lime cocktail. Try it. Thanks and Enjoy Josh

I am not going into the notes, as that has been done many times already. I find this scent close to a masterpiece of summer fragrance. I am usually that guy that gets relatively poor performance from fragrances that are touted for their longevity. In the case of this fragrance, the opposite seems to be true. I apply 10 sprays (my atomizer seems to deliver roughly half of what most of my fragrances deliver). 8 sprays to skin, 2 sprays to shirt. I get 8 hours on my skin. Projection seems to diminish after about an hour, however, i now believe it is actually me becoming nose blind. I have walked into a room several hours after application, and have gotten very positive compliments. I got a compliment from a woman who was wearing a mask. She said "You smell so good! I can't believe I can smell you with this mask on!" I am actually astonished by the performance I am getting. I have multiple Creed fragrances in my collection, and, although they are among the most beautiful creations, they don't last on my skin like this one does. I purchased 2 bottles of Set Sail St Barts due to the reviews of how great it smells, and how poor the performance is, figuring I would go through it quickly. I am very happy I purchased that second bottle even though I won't be going through it as quickly as I expected. Thank you all for your reviews!

I’ve loved this for years and it’s such a guilty pleasure. For me it is the smell of cutting a a lime wedge and then pushing into into a corona. Originally I remember it having a more boozy agave heart, but the lime was always the star anyway. All summer long I use this to freshen up in the evenings. It’s sun, it’s beach, it’s cocktails with friends, it’s the pool, it’s the docks by the lake. It’s day drinking on a patio, it’s sand, it’s vacation. Does it last? Nope. But it also doesn’t punish over-spraying; so go wild. Is it serious? Heck no, it’s super playful and practically drunk. Can it be worn in a formal setting? Absolutely not but it can be used to freshen pillows. Am I too old to still be wearing this? Yes. Yes I am. It loves to be layered with other summer fragrances so have fun experimenting. I like it with Vercase Eros, D&G’s Light Blue, Armaf’s Sillage, or TB’s Maritime. I’ve heard Creed’s VIW is similar and sure, I’d love to find a quality EDP or EDT with actual performance. But until I find something else this is my hot summer evenings from mid June to late August. Any later and it just feels silly. Once the kids start school this gets put away along with the paddle boards and flip flops. Sometimes you have to just stop apologizing for what you like and own it. Even if it’s cheapie.

ok ok so I was about to blind buy Gorse and got lucky to receive a decant of it in a swap I did receive a decant of VIW earlier this summer and never got a chance to write me review I did purchase Tommy Bahama St-Barts earlier this summer I'm going to rank them: #1- Tommy Bahama St-Barts #2- Gorse #3- Virgin Island Water #? Alexandria Frag. Hawaii volcano/intense(extreme) --Tommy Bahama St-Barts can be found four around 20$ yes the opening is "harsher" and you can tell that the quality of the oils used isn't like what you get in Gorse and VIW that being said I get a good solid 4-5 hours of longevity 2-3 hour of a good projection a great sillage for the price you can't be that --Gorse around 130$ from the UK for the price the opening is somewhat harsh obviously the scent is smoother and rounder but 2 hours of longevity 45 minutes of okay projection no sillage and completely gone after 2h30 --Virgin Island Water opening is smooth pretty linear scent nothing to say about the quality the oils are premium quality and are very realistic ***BUT FOR THE PRICE*** 4 hours of longevity ( 3h of the 4h are skin scent) 1h of okay projection sillage half arm length IMO not worth the price, yes quality is amazing and that's about the only thing of this fragrance. I will try to find a decant of Alexandria Hawaii

First Thing First ... I live in the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. Why I said that ? Because this fragrance is "BEACH VACATIONS" in a Bottle!!! And in My Homeland we surely knows about that. It opens like fresh limes with agave and salt .... is a freaking and lustful Tequila Shot surrounded by an almost untraceable scent of sunblock lotion. Is very Musky and playful.... This smells like Board Shorts with and opened hawaiian Shirt and a Habana Hat while wearing your favorite pair of OCEANIA shoes because you are walking all the Bars and Surfshops along the shoreline during the evening, dawn until midnight and probably Sunrise will witness your last moves after a long party's undertow. Sadly it doesnt last more than 3 to 4 hours and projects maybe for 1 to 2.... BUT this scent mix really well with the Beach Saltpeter and the sunblock sweat... and you can overspray without hesitating. Its like $20 per bottle also so OVERSPRAY! Im a local ... and trust me.... This smells like unbothered freedom. Either just walking and hanging out ... to even a Good Calipso Vibes around some fireplaces in a friendly crowd.... EVEN A PARTY ON A BOAT !! P.S. it does smells like CREED's Virgin Island Water ..... both sucks at performance but I prefer a $20 per bottle sucker.

Imagine a sun-soaked beach, waves lapping at the shore, and a cocktail in hand. Now picture all that in a bottle, and you've got St Barts Men by Tommy Bahama. This fragrance is like a beach vacation captured in a unique blue bottle. As you take that first whiff, the zesty scent of lime and tequila transports you to a tropical paradise. It's a beachwear essential, embodying the carefree spirit of summer. St Barts Men shares a kinship with the sun, sea, and sand. The marine and salty notes evoke the ocean's embrace, making it perfect for your next getaway. You can almost feel the warm breeze and the sun on your skin when you wear it. And the best part? The price won't break the bank. Just remember, this scent may not be the most natural or organic, but it's easygoing and versatile, perfect for laid-back occasions. Plus, the performance is decent, and the 100ml bottle ensures you have enough to keep the vacation vibes going all day long. So, pack this fragrance for your Caribbean escape, spray before a dip in the ocean, and reapply when you're back on the beach. It's your passport to paradise. 🏝🍹☀️

It’s a nice inexpensive summer frag that despite all the negative comments, has its own individual scent. Opens with a lot of lime and just a wee bit of the salty sea and tequila. After a few minutes, I get the “green” notes coupled with that fruity Guava and the lime hangs on too. Once it dries completely down, I get those nice, friendly, vanilla/musk notes as the green fades. It has reasonably-timed dry down note to note progression for a cheapie and in the end is a pretty good “spray and go” choice for daytime summer activities. Spray it liberally and on your clothes...there is nothing here to offend and it’ll work better for you. Layer it with Jimmy Choo Man Ice...summer bomb! Ratings: My wife loves it 10 Scent 7.5 Performance 6 Longevity 5 Sillage 5 Value 8.5 BTW, for the naysayer who said there is no $20 summer fragrance that lasts. It’s called “Sunrise Vetiver” by the house of Franck Olivier and it’s a beauty I’ve learned never make blanket statements.

I love this scent. I held off on buying it for a long time because I wasn't believing the reviewers, but I got a chance to spray it on myself and immediately went out and bought a bottle for $20. It smells like a very clean margarita with salt. I like to layer this with different perfume, which helps the weak longevity and gives it a unique smell. I'm currently layering with Banana Republic Gardena & Cardamom or Tom Ford Eau de Soleil Blanc which gives it a Hawaiian floral vibe, like a Hawaiian lei. this doesn't smell like Virgin Island Water on its own, maybe the same sort of feeling wearing it, but the 2 are very different. Update: ok, I think I’ve figured it out. Try layering this with Hollister SoCal for men, that is the VIW on a budget. Smells very very close if you do it that way. Still love this fragrance on its own as well. I overspray the heck out of it and it feels awesome

So many reviews hier , but most more emotional than informative. Very ,very sympathetic fragrance!!! First blast is a sharp Lemon Alkoholic mix , 2. wave is salt - sweety mix of exotic fruits(+ coconut) and little green flavours... later a bit of vanilla. Nice cooked fragrance. From one side below the quality of materials in Virgin Water, but way above the CK Summer editions from the past few years. Buy it,have fun and Njoy! I have a quite big collection and this product belongs to it! For spring/ summer my list is : 1. Mugler Ultra Zest; 2. Bvlgari Aqva Amara / CK One Summer 2013 ; 3. Mugler Ice Men 4. Giorgio Beverly Hills Ocean Dream men ; 5. Versace Eau Fraiche; 6. Tommy Bahama Set Sail St.Barts / Creed Virgin Island Water 8. Dior Homme Dune; 9. Guerlain Homme L'eau Boisé; ... Not the price of the product but the performence in a hot day is more valuable!

Alright, this was the last of the Set Sail line that i picked up. This one is the most "summery" of them all, in the sense that as soon as you sniff this your mind instantly takes you to a sunny beach in the Caribbean with a cocktail in hand. I'd consider Martinique as a "summer night" and St. Barts a "summer day". St. Kitts its just different than both. What really makes this frag for me though is the drydown: Creamy, coconutty while still retaining its freshness. The Tequila vibe only pops during the opening. This is one of those i'd describe more in terms of "vibes" than in terms of smell: It just makes you feel you're in a vacation no matter where you are. I love all 3 of them. If only the performance was better...it completely fades out of my skin after 4-5 hours. . My rank for the Tommy Bahama would be: 1. St. Kitts. 2.St. Barts 3. Martinique

I love this cologne, got it on a blind buy from DD's, yes who doesn't love a store named after double d's. It's definitely a margarita in a cologne bottle but for me this has some longevity at least on clothes, which if I'm correct all dudes spray on. Skin for me lasted about 2 hours, clothes I could smell the next day after 12 hours. I get a good strong lime smell, but a good fresh version not faked. I've seen coconut in some reviews but when I run my nose like I'm sniffing coke on my hand I think it's the vanilla/musk they are smelling. I catch a hint but mostly get a summer night Vegas party that only serves top shelf margs with high end patron and big shakin booties out of the left corner of my eye doing the cha cha. There is some salt in the air, the kind that evaporated from the shakin booty crack that was just twerking on me.

Opening is BOLD, sweet, freshly squeezed margarita, with a salted rim, garnished with a candied lime slice. This fragrance smells like you could drink it. Dry down is a little more green, with the lime becoming more subtle. While the opening paints a picture of a beach with bright blue waters, the dry down reminds me of the lush rainforest that shares the same island. Almost as if your starting off by the water, then wandering into the tropical woods It’s sweet but maintains a very masculine DNA. Im not sure if its just because people are just getting older bottles from discontinued stores, but i got mime straight from Tommy Bahama, and it lasts most of the day on my skin, and even longer on clothes. No issues with longevity. Definitely a favorite in my collection and perfect for the summer time.

Early in my fragrance journey I purchased this. I was very new to the fragrance world at the time, and when I first smelled it I was not too impressed at all, and to the back of the collection this went. 2 years had gone by and I decided to reach to the back of my collection and pull out some fragrances that I hardly ever wear. This was one of them. I wore this today and WOW, this is really a great freakin fragrance!! My mood can be greatly enhanced by how a fragrance smells, and this particular scent put me in such a great mood today. I sincerely apologized to it for neglecting it for so long, but better late than never... St. Barts Men is without a doubt "must have" cheapie that punches wayyy above it's level. Makes me enthusiastic to try more iterations from Tommy Bahama in the near future.

Tommy Bahama St. Barts is a lovely summer fragrance. The opening is similar to Virgin Island Water, with a heavy emphasis on lime and sea notes. This is my favorite opening in any fragrance period, which is great but obviously it goes away within about 20 minutes. The dry down smells of vanilla and musk, which is just ok. I think it definitely decreases my rating of the fragrance. The performance is on the lower end of average, but at the price point you can spray this every hour and never break the bank if you're freaky like that. As mentioned the price is incredible, I got my full bottle at $25 maybe 30. For this price point, this fragrance is in my top 5, and if the dry down was great itd be an easy 10 for me. Ratings: Scent - 8.5 Performance - 4.5 Price - 9 Overall - 7

I love Virgin Island Water. It's my favorite summer fragrance. When I first smelled this years ago I hated it. The bottle I smelled was heavy on cheap tequila. Recently I saw a review on here that compelled me to give it another try. Performance issues aside, I must admit this is pretty good. The lime is reasonably well well done and it does remind me little of VIW. However VIW is better and smoother in every way and contains a wonderful coconut. Drydown is tropical on a base of clean musk. This is eau de cologne concentration so longevity is bad, and so is projection and sillage. But for the price I paid of 20 dollars, I can easily lay down a dozen sprays and not feel any discomfort. Final verdict Smell 7.8/10 Performance 2/10

I sprayed a strip 12 hours ago and I can still smell this great cheapie. Most people need to get their noses checked, projection is muted sure but longevity is not "2 hours" in fact 99% of frags dont have a 2 hour longevity. You are nose blind or you need to take better care of your skin. For smell it is very pleasant. Albino's review below is perfect especially the "blasted with condensation" part as it feels very fresh and cooling on skin. I will add though that i do get a coconut accord on the skin, Im amazed its not listed as a note. It must be a mix of the vanilla and guava thats giving me this scent. Its slightly sunscreen like (just a tad and not in a bad way) which is why I think it gets compared to VIW.

When I wear St. Barts I think .... Beach in Mexico! I love It! Not for everyone and it is definitely a love or hate relationship. I love it. My last trip to Mexico It was my signature sent for most of the trip because I had the body spray deodorant as well. After sweating and hiking all day in 70s-80s it was still there on my shirt when I wipe my face lol I know everyone skin is different so I would say spray on skin and shirt to get the full effect. $20 a bottle you cant go wrong with this super fresh clean alcohol and lime type vibe. I hate tequila but love this... clean!