Ch ch ch changes

[Nanette]

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/shannonsI6573ZS


Well, I guess nothing stays the same! My husband and I visited St.Barts in 2019 and absolutely fell in love with everything it had to offer, just as many of you have. We were ready to return the following year, then COVID hit..you know the rest! Finally we were able to return last November and were soo very excited, however something just seemed off to us! The entire vibe was extremely different from our first time(May 2019 visit) this time I felt unsafe! The crowds were different, swimming in one of our favorite coves was iffy..felt like we had to watch our belongings..motor bikes screeching around every corner..went to park in town to dhop one day and while waiting for a spot saw police attack a guy and force him to the ground! First time there, we could leave my purse on a table all day and return and nothing would be touched. I understand things can happen anywhere, but that is what part of the allure was initially to us, small French island, no cruise ships, day trippers, exploration, and ofcourse this comes at a cost as it is harder to get to, more expensive to get to and to certainly stay. It almost felt like any other carribean island we have been to. Maybe changed after COVID, but simply not the elegant flair we once experienced! Not sure if we will return..now planning French Riviera trip, but not looking forward to travel time..anyone else experience this? Maybe they were gearing up for the holiday high season and non locals had arrived to be employed as help? I remember everything quaint, sophisticated, people on mopeds with baguettes, now it feels almost trashy..I guess everything changes and nothing stays the same

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[cassidain]

I think you'll find much less security (property at least) on the Côte d'Azur than on Saint-Barth . . . depending on where you are.

 

[steelpe]

We have visited the island a few times before COVID and once after COVID (November of 2022). At no time have I ever felt unsafe on the island (however, I just may be naive... or maybe things have changed in the past 18 +/- months). We are one to always take care of our stuff no matter where we are (lock villas when we leave... and at night, lock car doors, don't leave things of value laying around, don't bring expensive things to the beach).

Mopeds were a problem on our first visit in 2011..... however I did see a motorbike accident on our trip in 22. With anything, more people visit, more car are needed, more moped are needed more mayhem ensues.

Did you visit at the same time of year (November 2019)? I imagine the island changes drastically depending on what time of the year it is.

 

[Eve]

I think you'll find much less security (property at least) on the Côte d'Azur than on Saint-Barth . . . depending on where you are.

 

[Eve]

Very true! Went to Nice last summer and had to swim with everything we owned strapped to our bodies. Plus the beaches are rocks and the Med is freezing!! The entire time we said “We are so spoiled!!!” And came home and booked SB for next week. Everything changes, just the way it is. And I often say, “The longer you live, the more sh…t you see”

 

[cassidain]

Love the shingle beaches. Detest sand.
and, yes, the water is very cold brrrr

 

[krand1]

As far as "theft" goes on the island, I don't believe it has gotten exponentially worse than any where in the world (of tourism, specifically). Common sense should prevail of course. Lock your car doors, keep valuables in the villa or hotel safe, lock your room or villa when going out. We have been visiting for about 20 years straight now, have always been mindful and have never had problems. Of all the changes on the island that we are aware of, major increased level of crime is not one of them. That's been our experience, luckily.

 

[le_reve]

Yes, I understand this is a post on TA, but still feel the same.


----I'm very sorry you feel that things have changed so much from 2019. LOL, seriously? Many people on this forum have been coming for much longer than that (decades) and, yes, things are always changing everywhere. I honestly have never, ever felt "unsafe" on the island. As anywhere, you should use common sense and not leave your belongings around, no matter where you are. Nowhere is a perfect utopia, not even here. If that is what you are looking for, good luck. Nothing "changed after COVID", and I am sorry, but there is nothing on this island that is "trashy."

 

[Amery]

I've never felt unsafe on island in 20 years. And trashy? Not really a word I would use in the same sentence as St Barth. Has social media changed the island? Yes, absolutely. It has brought many new visitors, some to say they've been and post about it, others to celebrate occasions who might be one-time visitors and never come back. Are some extravagant, label conscious, over the top? Most likely, but that is one of the many things I love about St Barth: generally anything goes (except I hear "no shorts" at the new Le Cafe!) You can pretty much wear cut offs and a t-shirt, a sequin dress or anything in between and no one bats an eye. Has the island changed? Of course. Can we navigate around it and might the tides change? Call me a hopeless romantic but I believe

 

[Rosemary]

Yes, I understand this is a post on TA, but still feel the same.


----I'm very sorry you feel that things have changed so much from 2019. LOL, seriously? Many people on this forum have been coming for much longer than that (decades) and, yes, things are always changing everywhere. I honestly have never, ever felt "unsafe" on the island. As anywhere, you should use common sense and not leave your belongings around, no matter where you are. Nowhere is a perfect utopia, not even here. If that is what you are looking for, good luck. Nothing "changed after COVID", and I am sorry, but there is nothing on this island that is "trashy."

Everyone's feelings are legitimate.

 

[Eve]

There are many many day trippers that post on Instagram and TikTok and pretend they are in the “in” crowd. I watch them all the time. A much larger transient crowd.

 

[davesmom]

We had a fabulous vacation last summer on the French Riviera in Cannes and St-Tropez, walking at night with no problems and lots of shopping and eating, too. But we did not feel that Nice was all that safe anymore (have been a number of times over the last 40+years) and interrupted our walk from our hotel to the Cours Saléya for gelato and DD had us return instead of continuing because he did not like the looks of things in a park we were crossing to get there; I have never seen him do anything of the sort. The pedestrian streets in Nice seemed a little worse for the wear and more inexpensive, tourist-ity items.

But as for safety in SBH, we have never thought anything about it, but no one should be unaware of the usual locking up of your belongings. Just common sense anywhere these days. And SBH is still a breathtaking place to be! Even in a gated community in the US, you now need to lock up after many years of leaving everything open and your purse on the front seat of your car, unlocked. C’est la vie..or c’est la guerre these days, no matter where you are. But I could also never apply “trashy” to SBH, either, as an island; I agree with Le Rêve and Amery!

 

[cec1]

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/shannonsI6573ZS
...went to park in town to dhop one day and while waiting for a spot saw police attack a guy and force him to the ground! . . .

Sounds like you witnessed a drug arrest. There have been rare, but occasional such incidents as local and off-island law enforcement resources have teamed-up to combat a recent uptick in illicit drug activity by bad actors coming onto SBH from a few other Caribbean islands. Sorry that you happened to witness it, but the enforcement action is an important element in safeguarding island security.

 

[rolltide]

The French Riviera in July and August will make St. Barths seem like a deserted island.

 

[le_reve]

Everyone's feelings are legitimate.

Which is why I said, "I'm sorry you feel that way"

 

[Aaron C]

10 times over 20 years and never ever felt unsafe. We're always cautious no matter where we are. Heck my wife even hides her purse at home!
Be aware of your surroundings - anywhere you go. That said safety is one of the reasons we revisit St Barts, when we could choose anywhere in the world. In fact, we'll be arriving there next week! Shivers!!!

 

[Blooming Magnolia]

Charles and I have been coming to the island about 25 years Mostly in May or June or Jan. or Feb. Of course we see changes,but that is true any where we go in the world. Maybe you should come again. The beauty is still here. The friends are dear to our hearts and my heart still beats faster when the time gets close for us to come again.

 

[bkeats]

The points about being aware and cautious are somewhat funny to me. I live in NYC. I take the subway every day to work. I've been the victim of minor crimes here. Never got seriously hurt. So I am always aware of what's going on when I am walking about and hyper aware of my surroundings. But when I am on the island, I switch that part of my brain off. I leave the car doors unlocked. Shopping bags in the boot. When we go to the beach, we leave our bags with phones and all our stuff on the beach. Ok, I do lock our passports and extra cash and unworn jewelry in the safe but that's about it. Locking the doors on some of the villas we have rented almost seems silly to me seeing how easy it would be to gain access. I am so not worried about my safety when on SBH.

But I will say that I have noticed an uptick in trashy people over the years. Comes with the expolsion of (un)social media. Less trashiness though since the Russians have disappareared.

If you like rocky beaches and cold water, try Maine.

 

[cassidain]

If you like rocky beaches and cold water, try Maine.

not that cold. not that rocky.

 

[Paul & Anthony]

My husband and I recently completed our 8th visit to the island . . . one week in Gustavia (we are city-people, at heart) followed by a week in Colombier . . . during this visit, we noticed some things that we had never experienced before.

One morning in Gustavia, while enjoying our coffee on the patio, we heard a loud argument between two men who were working at a nearby construction site . . . we looked around the corner and could view the ongoing argument, which was intense. At one point, one of the men picked-up a 2x4 of about four feet in length and swung it at the other man with all of his strength . . . thankfully, the other man moved out of the way just in time and the 2x4 struck a low horizontal beam, causing the 2x4 to splinter . . . obviously, a direct hit on the intended victim would have caused serious injury, or worse . . . at that point, the other workmen who had been watching intervened and separated the two.

A couple of days later, a Sunday, we walked to Shell Beach . . . along the way, we walked by two local men who were arguing with each other in the street . . . there was actual chest bumping between them, as they were daring each other to throw the first punch . . . thankfully, two women ran out of a home and managed to separate them.

Perhaps our greatest joy on the island is walking to the beach at Colombier via the pathway from Flamands, which we do on most days there. One day, on our return to the rental car, we noticed three local teenagers who also returned from the beach and were about to mount their motorini and drive off. One of these young men was highly intoxicated, to the point where he could barely stand on his own . . . his friends were imploring him not to drive in his condition, but to no avail . . . soon, the three of them drove past us on their individual motorino and they were on their way . . . I literally prayed that they would all arrive to their destinations safely . . . thankfully, I did not read of any roadway incidents in the following days.

The next day, on the trail out to Colombier, we passed two gendarmeries in uniform who were returning from the beach . . . they appeared to be very angry about something, and our friendly "bon jour" was returned with their cold stares.

At this point, I have to note that our home is in urban Boston, where there is a wide diversity of income and wealth . . . suffice it to say that we know a quick illegal drug transaction when we see one, as they are somewhat frequent and very similar in kind. On our last full day on the island, we were running late from our Colombier visit and returned as dusk was setting in . . . on our drive back I slowed down as we passed the newer "basketball court" on the Flamands road . . . there was a young man standing near the road in front of the court area . . . just as we drove by another young man on a motorino coming from the Cheval Blanc end of the road drove up to the standing man and within two-seconds there was a quick handshake/hug (without getting off of the motorino) and then the two went their separate ways . . . the standing man walked back into the shadows of the court area while the man on the motorino sped back towards Cheval Blanc as fast as the motorino would take him . . . no counting the money, no checking the amount or quality of the drugs, just a quick hit and run delivery as we have witnessed a number of times back home . . . my husband and I immediately knew what we had seen, and he noted that he felt like were back home in Boston already.

During this most recent trip, we sensed a level of frustration and unhappiness in the local residents that we had not experienced before . . . obviously, we do not know the cause of this increased level . . . perhaps income inequality and financial pressure has something to do with it . . . (or, perhaps we are simply projecting onto the locals because we were each raised in families with little income and high financial pressure.)

Witnessing that drug deal was very disappointing . . . the impoverishment of life that illegal (and legal) drug abuse occasions can not be overstated. I suspect that transactions like this have been happening on the island for many years, but I also know that drug deals go bad sometimes, which can lead to guns coming out, and we know how that ends. On an island of this size, it would only take a handful of people to make something very good, very bad, quickly . . . this is not an assessment of the present, nor a prediction for the future, but it is something that we keep aware of.

All of this having been stated, we had, as usual, a delightful time during our recent visit . . . another two weeks has been scheduled for this coming November.