Getting Connected to the Internet:
The menu at the Sandbar Restaurant in St. Jean asks that you "please turn off your cell phone or better yet throw it in the ocean." The same advice is often offered to those who bring laptops to the island. Nonetheless, it is possible to stay connected while on St. Barths. In fact, DSL service is slowly speading across the island.
• If you are bringing your laptop you can have Power Antilles (www.powerantilles.com) set you up with a weekly account for about $20.
• INSIDER TIP: Sign up for a free Wanadoo account
Our favorite way, however, to connect occasionally to the internet while on St. Barths is through France Telecom. There are two ways you can sign up for an account that you can use anytime you are on St. Barths (or anytime you are in France for that matter) :Online before you leave:
--Go to the Wanadoo Internet Site and click on "Acces Libre" link on the left sidebar.--Click on the Acces Libre Wanadoo graphic near the top of the page (not the S'Inscrire link) which will take you to a screen that lists Prix/Advages/Debit.
--Click the "S'Abonner" link near the bottom of the page; click "Continuer" on the next screen;
--Fill in the relevant info (you will need to fill in a French telephone number -- something like 0590606060) and click "Continuer";
--Accept the email address they assign you;
--Review the info on the next screen and be sure to check the box that says "En cochant cette case vous signifiez que vous avez pris connaissance des conditions générales d'utilisation du service et que vous les acceptez."
--You will receive a confirmation screen - the Identifiant de connexion is your user name (it will begin fti/) and the Mot de passe de connexion is your password.
--Your access number when dialing Wanadoo from St. Barths is 08 60 00 84 84 and you'll need to set up your connection the way you would set up a dial up connection at home.
Register in person: head to France Telecom in St. Jean (shopping plaza across the street from The Hideaway). It only takes about 5 minutes to set up your account (although people have complained about the hours France Telecom keeps and the long wait in some cases.
In both cases, you'll have your Wanadoo account for life and you'll even get your own Wanadoo email address. The only cost incurred when using the account is the cost of the call to St. Maarten (about 14 cents per minute) so it is a great deal if you just want to check in a few times while on the island.
AOL User? If so, you can access the internet using the access number for Guadeloupe for about the same price as a local phone call. There is a $12 surcharge and you'll connect at the "speedy" rate of 28.8 kps. The access number is (0) 590 213279.
• Finally, there is an internet "cafe" (there really is nothing "cafe" about it) in Gustavia - Centre Alize - (on the 2nd floor across from Carat) where you pay by the minute (about $20 for 2 hours). Be sure to request an American keyboard if that is what you're used to at home.
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