nealm
Reged: 02/07/06
Posts: 47
Loc: Rumson, NJ
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OK- as there so many of you far more in the "know" than I- hereis the sitch: next year, taking the parents and daughters (4 and 6) with us. Cruised the requisite sites for villa rentals and head was left spinning, so want to see what you all would think we should do. We are partial to the St Jean/ Lorient- Saline/ Gouverneur corridor, as well as points east. Pool is a must, and we dont want the roads too perilous, but understand that is hard to avoid. AC as well would be required-- last i checked i didnt have any Mellons, Duponts, or Rothschilds in the family tree, but willing to cross the magic 5k mark for the right thing... any thoughts out there? I have a list of potentials, and would love to cross-ref with others input> many many thanks. Neal
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KevinS
Reged: 07/23/03
Posts: 3396
Loc: Boston
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Neal -
Power is a bit constrained on the island. Every SBH villa that I have rented in 20+ years has had A/C in the bedrooms. Exactly one of those villas - SIB ANA - had A/C in the living/dining/kitchen area. Truthfully, with a bit of a breeze, A/C is usually not needed everywhere, but I do insist on it in the bedrooms.
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TPunch42
Reged: 01/24/06
Posts: 170
Loc: San Diego, CA
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Check out Villa Camaruche. It might be nice for your group. The larger villa is airconditioned in the living/kitchen area also. The smaller villa has just been remodeled and has ensuite baths and a full kitchen (the pictures are old). It is really nice apparently. The pool has an alarm. We are staying there next month with our 2 daughters and can share more after that.
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andynap
Reged: 10/24/02
Posts: 12063
Loc: Philadelphia
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If you are on the beach do you need a pool?
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Andy -
St. Barts- where no day is ever the same and one day is not enough
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Eric
Reged: 10/07/02
Posts: 679
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nealm,
Take a look at SIB CDM that is also advertised on this site.
We stayed there last summer & loved it.
Also, check out Les Acajous(advertised on this site)in the St. Jean area.
Eric
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Quote:
If you are on the beach do you need a pool?
In fifty days on St Barts, six trips over three years, I have jumped in the pool a grand total of about five times and have almost frozen every time.
And forget about your wife getting in the pool. Ladies are all but allergic to the cold water of pools on St Barts. The ocean is much warmer. A pool is meant only to provide nice decoration for the pool deck.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15621
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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I will never ever ever ever understand the whole pool thing on St Barts....ever
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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andynap
Reged: 10/24/02
Posts: 12063
Loc: Philadelphia
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That's why I want the beach- if you are on an island give me the water every time.
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Andy -
St. Barts- where no day is ever the same and one day is not enough
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15621
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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amen....going in a pool in a place that has the likes of Saline, Flamands, Colombier, Goveneur, et al...is the equivalent of walking around Paris and passing up all those incredible bistros....to go have a Big Mac at Macdonalds
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Here is the skinny on St Barts pools.
St Barts is a rock. As such, building means drilling into rock, pouring concrete with rebar and stacking cinderblocks. Pool decks are added on the downhill side of the villa and the pools themselves are almost all above ground, though you dont realize this due to the decking.
As such, they get the beautiful sun by day and MAY heat up to the ambient temperature of 81 degrees or so. Alas, when the sun goes down, they do not enjoy the warmth of mother earth than an inground pool would have. As such, they dont hold their warmth at all.
I find the water quite nipply myself. On "The Ponties Scale", I would rate pools on St Barts somewhere between "Headlights On" and "T-shirt Busters" and would estimate the temperature of the pool in the evenings to be mid to high seventies at best. That is too cold for prolonged swimming except by females who grew up along the beaches of Daytona having barguys pour icewater on their tshirts "for effect" in a contest.
I realize there are probably exceptions and after laying out in the sun, a QUICK dip might be invigorating, even titillating (which is a good thing) but dont plan on spending a lot of time in the pool.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15621
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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in 25 years of St Barts visits, I have been in a pool 3 times...once at Manapany where I quickly realized "this just aint right"...once at Le Residence where I was thrown in by a date who had too much wine to drink....and once at the Goose on my honeymoon when I discovered a beautiful naked woman in the pool giving me that "come hither" look.....
and that is my St Barts pool history.....unless you count the time I had to go in Ric Seles's pool up to my knees to get Lena out of it...LOL
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Quote:
..once at Le Residence where I was thrown in by a date who had too much wine to drink
Which leads me to conclude one of two things:
1. You also had WAY too much to drink
or
2. She was a very big lady.
LOL
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GayleR
Reged: 11/18/02
Posts: 1200
Loc: Toronto, Canada
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Gee guys, instead of chastising the poster for not sharing your preferences and as usual, making it "all about you", how about helping him as he requested?
Nealm, you didn't say what time of year your going, which would be helpful in making recommendations in your price range. I assume you're looking for a three bedroom house and would prefer if the third bedroom for the kids has twin beds? Is it OK if the villa is on different levels or do you prefer it to be all on one level?
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15621
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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it wasnt number 2
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15621
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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uh oh..we re in trouble again....LOL
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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nealm
Reged: 02/07/06
Posts: 47
Loc: Rumson, NJ
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if its a reasonably child friendly beach. i dont think so
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Quote:
Gee guys, instead of chastising the poster for not sharing your preferences and as usual, making it "all about you", how about helping him as he requested?
Hi Gayle. I thought I did that, flowery language notwithstanding. In my view, one man's opinion, the size of the pool is not that critical on St Barts because I dont think many people spend that much time in them anyway. I could be wrong.
Also, we answered the question in another thread with Les Islets Sur Le Plage and another St Jean beach villa getting the nod as family-friendly places.
My own view is that a villa along St Jean beach would be best with toddlers as St Jean is probably the easiest swimming for the little guys.
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GayleR
Reged: 11/18/02
Posts: 1200
Loc: Toronto, Canada
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My point was that Nealm has requesetd a pool as part of his wish list, not a diatribe about his request.
We stay in houses that have large pools because Michael swims 80-100 laps every day. When we were on the island last May it was so hot that we swam every night after dinner under the stars. I for one am not an ocean swimmer so as much as I enjoy the beach, I do love a beautiful pool. I don't think Michael and I are alone in our preference for a pool at our villa.
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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BTW: Les Islets may have one more advantage. As I recall, the community pool (the units dont have individual pools) was about ground level just back of the beach. In other words, part of it may be sitting in sand which would mean that it would be warmer than an above ground villa pool in the hills.
Just a thought.
For a three generation family, Les Islets would be close to perfect. St Jean is the most kid-friendly beach and grandma and grandpa will find it an agreeable beach to walk.
Hope this helps.
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andynap
Reged: 10/24/02
Posts: 12063
Loc: Philadelphia
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Look at Playa Dorada from SB Properties.
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Andy -
St. Barts- where no day is ever the same and one day is not enough
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Quote:
My point was that Nealm has requesetd a pool as part of his wish list, not a diatribe about his request.
Duly noted. Thanks for getting us back on track.
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andynap
Reged: 10/24/02
Posts: 12063
Loc: Philadelphia
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Well now Gayle- nealm has answered my request about a pool if it's on the beach and I responded. How is that?
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Andy -
St. Barts- where no day is ever the same and one day is not enough
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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One other point:
Les Islets is budgetfriendly.
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Quote:
Well now Gayle- nealm has answered my request about a pool if it's on the beach and I responded. How is that?
Andynap: Playa Dorado looks like a great place. You are, bien sur, the Beach Villa expert here. Kevin has also stayed at Bleu Outre Mer on St Jean and his view as a possible familyfriendly place could be helpful.
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andynap
Reged: 10/24/02
Posts: 12063
Loc: Philadelphia
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Outre Mer may be too small for the gang nealm has in mind.
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Andy -
St. Barts- where no day is ever the same and one day is not enough
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15621
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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can I come out of my time out yet?????
neal is from NJ....its how we communicate....he understands....LOL.....
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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andynap
Reged: 10/24/02
Posts: 12063
Loc: Philadelphia
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Yes- East Coasters have to moan and complain all the time. Canadians don't understand.
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Andy -
St. Barts- where no day is ever the same and one day is not enough
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Eric
Reged: 10/07/02
Posts: 679
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andynap,
LOL...Is it also an East Coast thing to tell people to not worry about what the heck anybody else thinks & then go on ad naseum about what you think & insinuate how anyone who doesn't agree with what you think just doesn't get it?
Just curious:-))
Eric
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Cheri
Reged: 10/13/02
Posts: 1681
Loc: St. Louis, Missouri
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I have a difficult time believing no one uses a pool when in St. Barth because the vast majority of villas have them. And, yes, they are pretty to look at too but we happen to use a pool quite a bit because for us it gets rather warm sitting in the sun. Go figure. LOL I guess there is a chance that we are odd but even if you are a 'pool snob' and wouldn't be caught dead in one, children love to swim, especially young ones. I would imagine that they would use it even quite a bit more than adults as in my experience young children will spend hours swimming. Also, on windy days when the sea is too rough for kids (yes we have experienced many days like that), the pool would probably come in handy to keep them entertained.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15621
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Quote:
andynap,
LOL...Is it also an East Coast thing to tell people to not worry about what the heck anybody else thinks & then go on ad naseum about what you think & insinuate how anyone who doesn't agree with what you think just doesn't get it?
Just curious:-))
Eric
YES!..... and you get a gold star now...LOL
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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andynap
Reged: 10/24/02
Posts: 12063
Loc: Philadelphia
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Ditto
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Andy -
St. Barts- where no day is ever the same and one day is not enough
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Good points cheri.
If nealm does get a villa in the hills, make sure it is one that has proper railings and the like. We have stayed at places with infinity edge pools as well as infinity edge terraces. Great views but not necessarily the most familyfriendly.
Les Islets is a good choice for little kids and grandparents. As to three bedroom villas, I think that the following would all be nice:
SIBs: CLO, HCH, BOR and DAY
Also: Kercliff (link on front page of this site), Belle Aurore (French Caribbean) and Sky (Marla Villas) also look appealing.
And, they all have pools (given that all but coldblooded southern boys seem to like pools ;)
Bonne chance.
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nealm
Reged: 02/07/06
Posts: 47
Loc: Rumson, NJ
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i started a new string below this. Just sowz youz gize know, i am eyetalian, i grew up in jerzy, i have a very short garndmother who wears a lot of black and cries alot, and i can find out where everyone lives.... i also dabble in local politics and rubbish hauling... anyone else wanna comment on a pool? BADDA BING!
seriously, no harm no foul.
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KevinS
Reged: 07/23/03
Posts: 3396
Loc: Boston
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Quote:
Kevin has also stayed at Bleu Outre Mer on St Jean and his view as a possible familyfriendly place could be helpful.
I don't think that Bleu Outre Mer would work for kids of this age. The BOM bungalows are all 1BR, and while they are semi-connected there is some distance - granted, only a few yards - between them. Les Ilets de la Plage would be a better choice.
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Merci Kevin. Despite the myrth and merriment, this thread does indeed have a nice list of potential places for La Famille Nealm to research.
Bonne chance.
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TPunch42
Reged: 01/24/06
Posts: 170
Loc: San Diego, CA
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Quote:
I have a difficult time believing no one uses a pool when in St. Barth because the vast majority of villas have them. And, yes, they are pretty to look at too but we happen to use a pool quite a bit because for us it gets rather warm sitting in the sun. Go figure. LOL I guess there is a chance that we are odd but even if you are a 'pool snob' and wouldn't be caught dead in one, children love to swim, especially young ones. I would imagine that they would use it even quite a bit more than adults as in my experience young children will spend hours swimming. Also, on windy days when the sea is too rough for kids (yes we have experienced many days like that), the pool would probably come in handy to keep them entertained.
We go to St. Barts with our little ones. I never wanted a pool for the safety hazards. But last time we were there we were moved to a villa with a pool due to jack-hammering at Eden Rock. My kids LOOOOOOOOOVED it. It was great for us too because the mess of the beach every single day with sand in every crevis of a small child'd body gets old and the pool is always there and can be jumped into any time. Need some time to kill before a meal, jump right in. No sand to worry about. Our little ones did not even flinch at the temperature. You all are just spoiled by warm water. Every pool we went in on St. Barts is still warmer than the the ocean in So Cal. Kids don't care they just want to swim. Besides, its hot.
I think the bigger concern with the pool and kids is safety. Many pools in SBH now have alarms. Several are enclosed or can be easily gated. SIB BAM is enclosed, Villa Camaruche is mostly enclosed with a gate on the main villa. Some of the villas with cool jacuzzi's are fun with kids too. We like our jacuzzi warm/hot. But the kids treated it like their very own little pool. It is safer and many have covers or covers can be made for them.
If you are going to be on the beach with little ones. St. Jean, Lorient and maybe Marigot are the best ones for young kids. Calm water you can walk right into.
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