tim
Moderator
Reged: 06/18/03
Posts: 6005
Loc: Vélo, Virginia, Vitet
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Mes amis,
Inspired by SuzanneD's quest for information, I have a novel suggestion. Let's have a discussion of St. Barth's beaches and stay reasonably on topic so that we might refer future questions to the thread. Inclusion of photos would greatly enhance the verbage.
As many of us are aware, St. Barth has close to 20 beaches, and I've listed most of them below starting clockwise from Gustavia. Topless sunbathing is common on almost all beaches. Saline and Gouverneur have traditionally tolerated nudity, generally more at the ends of those beaches. Some of the beaches listed are used mostly by locals:
1. Anse de Public
2. Anse Corossol
3. Anse du Grand Columbier
4. La Petite Anse
5. Anse des Flamands
6. Anse des Cayes
7. Baie de St. Jean
8. Anse de Lorient
9. Anse de Marigot
10. Anse Maréchal
11. Anse de Grand cul de Sac
12. Anse de Petit cul de Sac
13. Anse à Toiny
14. Anse de Grand Fond
15. Anse de Grand Saline
16. Anse du Gouverneur
17. Anse de Grand Galet(Shell Beach)
Okay, mes amis, show us your photos and/or give us a description of your favorite beach or perhaps your fondest memory on one or some of the above. Let's have fun with this.
Edited by tim (01/03/07 05:56 AM)
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tim
Moderator
Reged: 06/18/03
Posts: 6005
Loc: Vélo, Virginia, Vitet
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Gee, Tim, what a great idea. Here's a photo I took on St. Jean beach in November when the water was really high. Most of the months of the year, St. Jean presents a great opportunity for walking on a dry beach, but in the winter months high tides frequently prevent doing so and remaining dry. La Plage resto is immediately on the left in this photo with the foot of the runway in the distance. Normally one can walk from the Eden Rock Hotel at one end all the way to the condos at Les Islets de la Plage at the other end.
St. Jean beach also has its other side from Eden Rock where Nikki Beach resto/club is located. The high water doesn't seem to impact the beach as much over there, and sometimes one can find a little shade under the edge of the palms. There's an offshore reef that slows down wave action for the entire beach and makes for some semi-decent snorkling under calm conditions.
Edited by tim (01/03/07 06:18 AM)
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andynap
Reged: 10/24/02
Posts: 12148
Loc: Philadelphia
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Good idea- finally. :) Can't do it from work- at the end of the day if there is anything left over I'll send some pics.
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Andy -
St. Barts- where no day is ever the same and one day is not enough
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Mikey
Reged: 12/01/02
Posts: 350
Loc: Westhampton Beach, NY
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Tim,
You have had another stroke of brilliance...but denizens of this board, like myself, have become used to that. Only one problem that I can foresee and that is the "staying on topic" part. Good luck with this crew!!!
That being said, I have a strong affinity for Gouvernour. Getting there from almost anywhere but Gustavia is a bit circuitous but well worth the trip. It is a smaller cove than Salines and the beach slopes somewhat steeply into the water. There is a short, sandy shelf, a few submerged boulders and a rather steep drop off at the first breakers. Beyond the break, it is as smooth as a lake.
The beach itself can get crowded at this time of year but as we get furhter into January it is really very nice and quiet. I notice many locals, families, singles and couples use the beach. The new car park is a Godsend and it is only a very short walk from car park to the plage.
Another beach that deserves mention is L'Orient. Accessed by the path running by the cemetary it is well known to locals and is very family friendly. It is a protected cove so there is almost no wave action which makes it very appealing to my wife (who does not like waves). The beach is shallow sloping to the water and is backed by private villas and some commercial enterprises, notably the gas station. There is an unused sail loft up the beach, apparently a remnant of a long gone watersports enterprise. The view across the water is towards St. Maarten and the islets close to St. Barth.
Salines is a world class beach, a broad crescent unsullied by any residential or commercial development on or near its shores. Access is a hike across a sandy/rocky dune that some may find daunting. This time of year the beach gets crowded early...and stays busy throughout the day. It is, in my experience, the beach most favored by tourists and, as mentioned, some total nekkidity is practiced, usually at the far (right) end. Gouvernor has a similar ambience, is easier to access and generally not as crowded (especially with tourists and day trippers).
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Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.
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julia
Reged: 11/20/03
Posts: 578
Loc: CT
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Great topic, Tim. We enjoy St. Jean, L'orient, Saline & Gouverneur. All mentioned already & I agree with the comments. I'd like to recommend Shell Beach as a nice alternative. It is a small beach but always seems to have something going on. The waves are gentle. Many local familes can be found there &, yes, the occasional brave soul who has walked from the cruise ship tender dock (although most cruise ship people seem to take taxiis to St. Jean beach). Shell Beach is good for shell (duh) collecting & has abundant sea glass, mainly on the right side of the beach as you face the water. There are usually a few yachts anchored off the beach. You can take a break for lunch or a drink at Do Brazil. As beaches go, it doesn't have a walkable, long stretch of sand as do other venues. However, Shell Beach has a certain charm. Worth trying, especially at sunset.
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andynap
Reged: 10/24/02
Posts: 12148
Loc: Philadelphia
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Well since I stay on Flamands Beach I guess that would be my favorite and it is. The problem- if there is a problem- is that I don't want to go anywhere else except maybe on Sunday for brunch we go to Le Plage on St. Jean. Colombier is a one time thing for me. Flamands has nice water, not too rough, hotels on the far end and some good restaurants.
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Andy -
St. Barts- where no day is ever the same and one day is not enough
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JackR
Reged: 10/10/02
Posts: 977
Loc: North Shore
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Here are a couple for you Tim:
And the walk to Saline, a pleasant journey as there ever was.
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LHouchin
Reged: 05/11/03
Posts: 99
Loc: Tulsa, OK
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We enjoy snorkeling off the beaches. With that in mind, Lorient and Petit Cul de Sac are at the top of our list. Petit Cul de Sac is very small and usually deserted. The snokeling outside the protected area is quite good. Lorient has a nice, lively reef just off shore. There is usually a large Tarpon surveying the area and it is not unusual to see Turtles.
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JEK
Moderator
Reged: 01/20/04
Posts: 10729
Loc: Northern Virginia
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While not my favorite beach, the most refreshing swim I remember was at Corossol. After a long hot, airless drive around the island we descended into Corossol, parked, dove in and were instantly refeshed. Still recall the plunge and the looks of the locals who swim there daily.
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Carnaval 2009: Mardi 24 Février 2009!!!!
JEK
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Theresa
Reged: 03/23/04
Posts: 413
Loc: Philadelphia, PA
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Flamands is one of our favorites, too. Like Andy, we stay along Flamands and sometimes have to remind ourselves that there are several other beaches worth exploring. We usually start the day on our deck enjoying coffee and the amazing view. Once we manage to tear ourselves away, we head to Saline, Gouverneur, or St. Jean. Once there, we enjoy a bottle of wine or champagne and later head "home" for lunch and to spend the remainder of the day on "our" beach. The funny thing is, it really does feel like "our" beach because even though it's the island's largest, there are usually very few other people along its stretch.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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being the antisocial snobs we are..LOL...Columbier is our favorite beach...its difficult to get to for many people which eliminates them from going...the water is flat assed calm when the wind is howling out of the east which makes the others too rough to enjoy....and we have had some very nice overnights there as well....
L'Orient and St Jean and Shell beach are the best beaches if you have little ones....
Petit Saline is another of a favorite of ours
Petit Anse, what little beach is left, has far and away the best snorkling
the rest are all good too....
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TJMatt
Reged: 01/24/06
Posts: 34
Loc: Troy, NY
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Have to go with Gouverneur for a few different reasons:
1) The drive down to it offers a great view and for me a great sense of adventure. It also seems that because of the severe nature of the drive and drop off that that keeps the numbers down.
2) Lack of anything else around. The only thing to do while there is be at the beach. There are no shops within walking distance, etc.
3) At least the times that I have been it is relatively calm.
We first discovered Gov. on the same trip that led us to discover St. Barth's @8 years ago on a daytrip off of a ship. It was the memory of Gov.that inspired me to take my wife for her 40th last year and must say that the revisit was better than the memory. So good in fact that we are headed back this year and hopefully every year from now on. After all someone must be turning 40 somewhere!
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