St Barts Trip Report: July 14 - 21

by Brendan

Too bad I didn't know you'd be there gregb, we could have met up. Oh well. Here is my report. Feel free to ask any questions:

Trip #2 was just as good as trip #1. We found that we drove around a little more the first trip, but that was mainly just to get better acquainted with the island. We did get to do some things that we missed on trip 1.

FLIGHT – flew out of Newark direct, no probs, but st. martin was a mess cause of the closure. Took about 1.5 hrs to get through (last summer it took about 50 mins). Flew Continental, checked bags only to SXM, but it really wasn’t the worst hassle. Met a guy named Doug who owns villa kyody. He has been going to SBH for 20+ yrs. We ran into him about 4x, and he even gave us a tour of his villa. Great place. Would consider renting it. He had a lot of good info on the island. By the way, no traces of ash on the island.

VILLA - arrived at villa FAN in St. Jean. Rented through WIMCO. Great villa with a view of both the beach and the airport, so it was fun to watch the planes come and go. It had both a large pool and heated jacuzzi. The bedrooms were in a separate building (for lack of a better word). In there livingroom/kitchen, there was a nice stereo with a sound system that could be heard around the pool. We didn’t have this last year so it was a great addition. All in all, we’d stay there again.

Breakfast – what else, drove to the shop for croissants and other breads.

Mon – BBQed some burgers and had some caribs. Just enjoyed the villa then went to watch the fireworks over Gustavia. (Bastille Day). Also did some food shopping for the week.

Tues – Hiked to Columbier beach the long way. My wife said it was easier on the way back when she used running shoes instead of sandals. The beach itself was great. We got a spot under some rocks which provided me with some shade. Did some snorkeling. The beach was pristine, and we saw a few fish. There are probably more fish by the rocks but didn’t try it. Hiked back, and went to Nikki Beach for dinner. The waiter brought one round of drinks and took our order and we never saw him again. Food was just ok. After sitting there for a while with an empty plate and glass (good mojito though), another server stopped by to ask if we were being served. I just got the check. Overall not too impressed although I’d try it again, cause maybe I caught the waiter on an off night.

Weds – did lunch at Isle de France (great Mahi mahi salad and grilled chicken salad) and then spent the afternoon on the beach. Good service while we were there. I never hear people mention this (Island Visitor take note), but if your into snorkeling, if you swim out in front of the hotel, then make a right and there are a lot of fish, as there are many rocks under the water. We even saw a small stingray, although we were in about 10 ft of water, so you weren’t in any danger of stepping on it. Although we are villa people, that's probably one hotel I wouldn’t mind staying at. Ate at Le Rivage at night. Still my favorite. Great seafood and a huge menu, which is a plus.

Thurs – Hung out at the villa during morning. Got to Le Select, which we missed the last time. We will never miss that again. Great cheeseburgers. Had lunch with our new friend Doug again. The plan after was to shop, but it was too hot. Just went back to the pool. Did Andy's at night (another 1st and something we won’t miss). Talked to him about the board, and he promised to make a return to posting soon. Good pizza, should have just split one btw my wife and I instead of getting 2, but that just provided us with lunch later in the week.

Fri – Bummed around the pool in the morning and then my wife decided that she wanted to go for a swim in the ocean (we both swam in college). So off to Saline. We went later in the day. A little rough, but we started swimming. After about 30 seconds, I began to notice some jelly fish. Then a few more. We decided to get out, as there seemed to be a lot, at least where we were. We then went over to St. Jean and swam from the runway to the rocks on the far end and back. No jellies. My wife wanted to try Buena Vista. It was really good. She highly recommends the firecracker seafood burrito. Good bar too, with tap beer, something of a rarity, at least at the bars I have been at in SBH.

Sat – Lunch at the Guanhanni, and then spent the afternoon at the beach there. Another great spot in my opinion. We rented a sea kayak and paddled all over the bay. After that we checked out Doug's villa, which overlooked Grand Cul De Sac. Very nice place. For dinner we tried Le Langoste for the first time. Good lobster (although very pricey).

Sun – Spent the whole day at the villa, just relaxing. Ate lunch from the rotisserie in St. Jean. For dinner we tried Le Plage, since the have a BBQ on Sunday night. I highly recommend this place on Sunday. I had the shrimp and my wife had the dorado. Excellent.

Mon – win air back to SXM, then breezed through the empty airport back to Newark.

 

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