ST. BARTS, French West Indies – After a few glasses of cold dry rose, the enticing techno beat becomes irresistible, and patrons of Nikki Beach on Pelican Plage start dancing. It’s only 2 in the afternoon, but the party has started.

After all, it’s St. Barts (the French spell it “St. Barths,” short for “Barthelemy”), a celebrity sanctuary in the Caribbean where the population swells with stars during the winter holidays. On the beach and in the open-air restaurant, inhibitions slip away with every sip.

Russell Simmons enjoys the activity from a safe distance with a group of intimates, while some locals show the newcomers how it’s done. A fellow called “Cancer Man” leads the crowd in a wild dance from his perch in the middle of the restaurant.

“He’s French. No one knows what he does, but he walks the beach all day,” explains another island resident.

Several unknown runway models hit the surf to show off their dance moves. The night before, they were at the villa of “some director” for New Year’s Eve.

Four hundred A-listers were at Russian billionaire Roman Abromovich’s annual New Year’s Eve soiree. Among the VIPs entertained by the Red Hot Chili Peppers at his estate overlooking Gouverneur Beach were fashion designer Marc Jacobs, Russell Simmons with his girlfriend, actress Melissa George, Martha Stewart, producer Harvey Weinstein and director George Lucas.

Singer Jimmy Buffett, who owns a home on the island, had his boat, Continental Drifter III, docked in Gustavia Harbor. After the New Year’s Eve fireworks, he showed up at Baz Bar on the quay and did an impromptu set for anyone lucky enough to be there. The yachts docked on the quay were rocking with partygoers all night while others danced to live music dockside. The young, hip and connected gathered at Tom Beach Hotel, a hot spot on St. Jean Plage where they rocked until dawn.

In the days leading up to 2012, actor Owen Wilson was spotted surfing off Toiny Beach and singer Jon Bon Jovi was seen roaming the streets of Gustavia, the capital of St. Barts. It was all documented by the paparazzi.

“I hate the paparazzi, and there seem to be more this year than ever before,” said Susanna Freer Passburg, who owns the Swedish Design Center with her husband, Nils. “I think it’s because more restaurants are letting them in,” she added as she watched a man with a telescopic lens stroll past the store.

St. Barts’ history is a tangle of buccaneers, European colonizers and present-day tycoons. It was once ruled by Sweden. The natives, who are called St. Barths, mostly reside in Corossol. Although the island is only about 8 square miles, it is mountainous with many coves and beaches perfect for protecting modern-day catamarans and pirates of the past.

So why is St. Barts so popular today with the famous and the wealthy? For one, it’s not easy to get to, and it’s expensive after you get there. The tiny airstrip can accommodate only small prop planes and little private jets. The runway is so short that pilots must be specially trained to land there. To dock a super-yacht in Gustavia Harbor costs between $800 and $1,000 a day, and there are only 15 berths. It is considered one of the yachting world’s more expensive marinas. There’s no chance of attracting the Coney Island crowd here.

French is the official language, and the euro is the currency. The main shopping district in Gustavia is lined with luxury purveyors including Hermes, Cartier, Chopard and Louis Vuitton. The look for women is tall, young, thin, bohemian chic. For men, it’s not what they wear so much as what’s in their wallet.

Places to have fun are Do Brazil, a bar restaurant on Shell Beach, which is the closest beach to town and is popular for sundowners. Le Ti St. Barths in the highlands of Pointe Milou is a campy, velvet-covered “Paris in the ’70s” disco. The walls are replete with black-and-white snapshots of visiting Hollywood elite. After the plates have been cleared, dancing on the tables amid strobe lights and smoke is de rigueur. For the best pizza west of Naples, there is Andy’s Hideaway in St. Jean (close to Nikki Beach and Eden Roc, the first hotel on the island). People-watching in town is best at Le Select, a casual outdoor hamburger joint that is said to have inspired Jimmy Buffett to write “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” This piece of France floating in aquamarine seas is where the 1 percent comes to occupy paradise.