Tag Archives: st. barths

BON VOYAGE: parting thoughts on St. Barts

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while St. Barts can be a relatively quiet island, you can find the party scene here & there or just create your own party. we managed to witness & participate in one party scene while lounging at Nikki Beach. another place to “party” is ti st. barth. unfortunately our plans to go to ti st. barth coincided with our Nikki Beach afternoon and that was just too much partying for one single day! c’est la vie – next time!

my final PRO for villa renting would be the ability to have your own little party whenever you please. it was fun to have a pool party, dinner party & dance party many of the evenings spent at our villa. (sorry mr. fisherman neighbor if our music was too loud!!)

for more scoop on what’s happening while visiting St. Barts check out stbartslive.com or pick up a copy of le tam tam.

some tunes you may want to add to your playlist that were popular on SBH radio: ride wit me by nelly, memories by david guetta, we no speak americano by yolanda be cool AND i’m from russia by dzham

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AU REVOIR St. Barts! i J’ADORE you always!!!

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BUY: ooo la la shopping

 

scenes from gustavia – what you’ll see on your shopping spree

you probably don’t need me to tell you that shopping on St. Barts is great. you can deduce this because a)it’s French and the French love their fashion & b)it IS St. Barts which means everything is casual yet TRES CHIC! after all, SBH was named one of the “world’s 10 best shopping destinations” by Forbes. you’ll find the biggest selection in gustavia or in st. jean.

i will impart some things i came across AND will stress one important TIP that is NOT TO MISS…

TRIP TIPS –

OUCH talk about breaking the bank! St. Barts shopping can take big toll on your funds with all of the fancy designer shops and YES it’s also expensive due to the strength of the euro vs. the US dollar BUT you do have an advantage traveling in May or the summer months because of the sales the stores offer. many were marking down their merchandise 40-50% off when i was there. after the money exchange conversion this is really about 25% off, but saving something is better than nothing – right?! keep in mind many of these items will be full price elsewhere in the world where they are just coming into season.

OK prepare/defend yourself…SBH shopping is really tempting. to help you research your “purchase must-haves”, pick up those glossy island magazines (like chic st. barth, discover saint barthélemy, hello-stbarth) that you see at the airport or seaport upon arrival. at the very least it will familiarize you with some places you may need to check out, or help organize your plan of attack. you may also get lucky enough to witness an impromptu fashion show to entice an “i can’t live without that” purchase as we did during our lunch at hotel isle de france (great store there FYI).

i’m a big fan of finding local & unique things while traveling so that when i wear, see or use my travel purchases i think of the special place it came from. thus, i would HIGHLY recommend items from Ligne St. Barth – a local company that organically grows, manufactures & sells oils, lotions & other beauty essentials right there on the lovely island of SBH herself. i L.O.V.E. the coco sunscreen oil and swear its SPF is better than most even though it says 2% plus it’s completely practical & smells exactly like summertime should. (ps – they were also having a sale on much of their line)

other must-haves might be:

a quintessential souvenir island t-shirt from either pati de st. barth or saint barth attitude. pati de st. barth has been credited with creating the square st. barth’s logo that’s become a famous symbol around the world for the island. i have one of these tee’s and i love it. i did not manage to get a new ‘saint barth attitude’ tee and i’m not happy about it…it goes on the shopping list for next time for sure!

vanita rosa – only on SBH or in Paris – talk about boho-hip…i found the coolest linen tunic that’s adorned with just the right amount of lace here. it’s the kind of thing that i could wear as a cover up or with jeans, shorts, a skirt or even as a dress – it’s THAT versatile! completely worth the money (especially at half off) and probably will be the most coveted thing in my closet that i wear this summer.

pop st. barth – a precious little boutique right on rue de la republique in gustavia – pop st. barth carried dresses and tops that were in such lovely island colors. everything was beautiful and on sale. the designer/owner was so friendly and encouraged us to try things we might not ordinarily try on our own.

my gorgeous tahitian & australian pearl necklace – custom made & oh so versatile

now for my TRIP TIP not to be overlooked…if you’ve been to St. Barts you probably noticed another item that seems to be EVERYWHERE – the gorgeous sea pearl necklaces made on leather cording. i have been coveting one of these babies since last year. bijoux de la mer has a storefront in gustavia and has truly incredible things available for a small fortune. other islanders have caught on to this craze and have begun to create their own designs. ie -hotel isle de france has someone privately making jewelry for them. here’s my fantastic source – St Barth Treasures – designs by Ted Deltour. i was introduced to Ted through Pierre – thanks, yet again, Pierre! i met with Ted, picked out my pearls & style of necklace and then he made it for me for at least 1/2 the price of other retailers. Ted even met us at Nikki Beach to hand deliver my new fabulous purchase. i love the necklace Ted – you are an amazing artist! (post a comment to get Ted’s contact information – website coming soon)

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EAT: St. Barts fine dining and everything in between

St. Barts is known for its notoriously delicious gourmet fare, so of course the next entry has to be about my food experiences throughout the island.  for a great write-up on St. Barts dining, check out “which caribbean island is right for you” on independenttraveler.com. tell me – are you really surprised?

for more up-to-the-moment SBH restaurant ideas & specials of the day – check out stbartslive.com or follow them on twitter

BON APPÉTIT!

morning coffee & croissants

this picture doesn’t do the croissants any justice! it was heavenly to arrive at our St. Barts villa on the first day to a fridge stocked with french jam, coffee & fixings, soda, water & carib – thank you Pierre! as i’ve mentioned before, Pierre came each morning to the villa with fresh croissants and baguettes & made us our coffee. this was our breakfast every day – and why not – it was fantastic & included as part of our villa package. LOVED this!

Le Select

if you’ve been to SBH you know that Le Select is a staple on the island. it is, after all, where jimmy buffet got his inspiration for ‘cheeseburger in paradise’. how true! Le Select is right in gustavia & offers quick counter service that’s VERY affordable for St. Barts (money saving tip). we ate there a couple of times & would definitely recommend it even if just so you could say you had your own cheeseburger in paradise.

other places worth the mention:

le sereno’s  Restaurant des Pêcheurs – beautiful & serene – i chose le risotto aux st jacques grillées (risotto with grilled scallops, leeks & asparagus). doesn’t it sound even more delicious in french?

Maya’s – on everyone’s list of favorites for dining on St. Barts, Maya’s was warm, welcoming & wonderful. their menu changes daily – i had a fish trio including wahoo – which was fabulous. the view over gustavia harbor isn’t too shabby either!

hotel isle de france’s Case de L’Isle – what could be better than an alfresco lunch on the beach – especially if the beach is anse des flamands on St. Barts? yummy rum punches and club sandwiches were the order of the day – delish!

Harbour Saladerie – set in an “outside” room at the water’s edge of gustavia’s harbor – this was a perfect dinner of flatbread-style pizza. maybe it doesn’t sound terribly french or fancy, but the pizza was outstanding and a nice change from richer french fare. it was also very reasonably priced.

Nikki Beach lunch & cocktails

my favorite meal of the whole trip was at Nikki Beach. just look at that wahoo with curry sauce – YUM! and then there are those out-of-this-world rum punches i mentioned before. set right on le plage de st. jean – the food was awesome and the view even better. remember this is the place to see and be seen!

TRIP TIPS – how to eat on St. Barts for less? eat in a couple of nights (again, yea villa!). we found that the supermarché (grocery store) by the airport had the biggest, best & least expensive selection of food. they stay open until 7-7:30 so you can pick up your supplies on the way home from your day at the beach. Pierre picked up fresh fish for us one day so we could cook Caribbean fish tacos SBH-style!

another tip is to eat your hors d’oeuvres at home before you go out for dinner. OMG we found the most divine cumin cheese!!!

also buy some wine, beer & booze at supermarché and start off with a cocktail or two home before you head out. Pierre bought us some amazing french wines at le cave de saint-barths. a votre sante!

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BEACH: loafing, lounging & living like a local

bonjour and welcome to the island of beautiful white-sugar sand beaches & turquoise blue water. in France (remember St. Barts is French) all beaches are public – how lovely! what this means is there’s no snootiness going on at the hotels and resorts saying ‘you cannot come here and enjoy this view’. this isn’t always the case elsewhere (read: SBH’s neighbor – St. Martin – boo). i think this provides the perfect opportunity for one to share some perks the hotel/resort guests have without the hefty bill at the end of the stay. please keep in mind that i’m not saying it won’t cost you a pretty penny to have lunch or cocktails at the fabulous hotel/resort while enjoying the beach but you don’t have to feel obligated to do so. having said that – it’s another vote YES to the villa rental being a great idea!

there are more beaches than this on St. Barts. sadly, i didn’t get to them all – next visit, i promise! i’ll highlight the ones i did go to and what each offers. one thing i must mention, while spending time at the various beaches i noticed how much the locals seem to enjoy their beaches too. they certainly don’t take ‘the good life’ for granted as they close up their shops and head to the beach during the lunch hour(s) of 12-3 or on sunday when most things are closed – good for them!

anse de gouverneur

absolutely wonderful and a local favorite! i can understand why…it’s peaceful and the white sand beach & cove are unspoiled. also, there’s great snorkeling here. one note – you have to bring your own EVERYTHING…no amenities here and no shade. it’s suggested to go early or late in the day to avoid the strongest sun. you may witness a sans suit experience.

shell beach

a small, shelly & calm cove – this beach makes for super swimming. there are also terrific rocks children climbed and jumped off the day i visited shell beach. i only made it to the first “biggish” rock to jump…those kids are brave! it’s popular amongst the locals as it’s in town. many families came and ate their lunches in the shade of the rocks and played in the water with their kids. a great beach bar/restaurant – do brazil – has prime real estate here where you can rent chairs & umbrellas, have drinks & eat while listening to good music.

anse des flamands

oh my goodness, can you say fantastique?! this gorgeous beach is so soft, wide and has a terrific surf for riding the waves. we chose to make the day out of it and have lunch & lounge at the amazing st. barth isle de france resort at flamands beach – ooo la la. you can probably guess that all the amenities you might need are available there! it was fun to see the boats come in & drop anchor as their passengers were whisked ashore for a leisurely lunch. we also had the privilege of watching local fisherman work for their daily catch – with just a net! truly a sight to be seen. i even enjoyed getting tossed around in the undertow!

plage de st. jean

what a SCENE! the beach at st. jean – known as the island’s “sexiest” – is a blast to say the least. again, fantastic soft sand & crystal clear water for floating, swimming & snorkeling make this an outstanding choice for the day. your only issue will be choosing between Nikki Beach & Eden Rock to spend your hard earned money on chairs, lunch & drinks. the entertainment (people watching, meeting/greeting & dancing) is free!! we decided on Nikki Beach and had a fantastic lunch & out-of-this-world rum punches (which are even tastier in the water). we took a nice swim around the rock formation that Eden Rock sits upon and chilled on the floating dock. boats come in and out of this bay as well but the BEST & MOST FUN things to watch are the little planes landing and taking off all day long right above your head.

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STAY: villa or not to villa – where to rest your head

home sweet home - villa lagon bleu

the view alfresco

ahh private pool

well really the answer is up to you and what you are looking for in your trip. i think the villa option is excellent and a BIG way to save while visiting St. Barts – especially if you’re traveling with a larger party. for starters, you can stay together in one place & St. Barts has this in mind as the villa rental market makes up half the island’s accommodations. it’s helpful to go in april/may because it’s ‘shoulder season’ so nightly rates are less expensive. if you go in the first half of may, all the shops and restaurants are still open and most of the stores are having 40-50% off sales. not all villas offer full concierge services but many do and this makes the villa option even more appealing. inquire about this if you are looking into villa rentals – it costs nothing extra and was truly invaluable.

now i’ll tell you my villa story…as you can see it’s quite nice. located in petit cul de sac – villa lagon bleu came with the fabulous concierge services of Pierre – the property manager. Pierre was in contact with me through out the year leading up to my visit to St. Barts and gladly answered many a question of mine. he greeted us at the airport upon our arrival & saw us off at our departure like a dear friend. he arranged our rental vehicles, dinner reservations, made shopping recommendations, chair & lunch reservations at the resorts. he brought us local papers with the goings on & fresh croissants every day and made coffee that we awoke to each morning. he hand selected wines at our request and delivered them to our villa. he picked up fresh fish one morning at the fish market. these are the things he did for us…i can only imagine what else Pierre can do – the wonderful man that he is!

i’m not sure i should give all my secrets away as I WILL BE RETURNING…but if you are interested in this villa company their contact information is luxestbarts.com. another notable and recommended villa company with more properties to choose from & similar concierge services is st. barth properties.

why, then, stay in a hotel? some of the reasons might be things like extended room service, on-site restaurants, spa or fitness centers, for example. i doubt there are any shabby hotels on St. Barts but some of the ones i did come across and can recommend would be:

eden rock – iconic, glitzy & glamorous with 32 suites/4 villas- st. jean

hotel carl gustaf – an elegant boutique hotel in the capital with 1/2 bedroom suites – gustavia

hotel guanahani – luxurious, largest &  only full-service resort on the island 33 rooms/37 suites *family-friendly – grand cul de sac

le sereno – sleek, ultra hip & stylishly cosmopolitan with 37 rooms/villas – grand cul de sac

le toiny – sophisticated & secluded with 14 one bedroom villas – toiny

st. barth isle de france – sexy & elegant with 9 rooms/3 suites in the main building – flamands beach

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