The Insiders' Guide to St. Barths: It Never Gets Old

Hello fellow SBH lovers. We just returned from a glorious two weeks in SBH. Here's my VERY lengthy report for those who are interested.

Getting There
Two words...NEVER AGAIN!
As some of you, especially our Canadian consorts may recall, last April I extolled the benefits of flying Toronto-Montreal-Guadeloupe-St. Barths for an easy, enjoyable, hassle and SXM-free experience, as well as a means to use up those soon to disappear Aeroplan Miles. A month prior to our departure Air Canada changed the flight times making it impossible for us to get to SBH in one day and necessitating an overnight in Guadeloupe. As travelers who take most things in stride (refer to previous postings), we resigned ourselves to a nice evening in PTP and booked into what appeared to be a very nice Sofitel. But the real reason we won't do this route again is due to the 29 hours it took us to get home (more on that later).

Guadeloupe Detour
Admittedly I am not being objective (as we didn't see any of the island) and I know lots of folks love Guadeloupe, but I can safely say we are not in that group. 15-30 minute cab ride to hotel for 18 euros (return taxi same route to airport 28 euros). Auberge de la Vielle Tour, a Sofitel property has nice (read OK) grounds and no beach to speak of, but is an old, worn down hotel. The room for 190 euros was quite disgusting with the mold and mildew to illustrate this point. "But hey", I said, "only one night...we'll deal". 2 drinks in the bar were 22 euros. Dinner on the property in a lovely looking restaurant which was full, was mediocre and I'm being kind. (125 euros for 2 with 2 glasses of wine, no coffee or desert) But..it's only one meal...SBH here we come.

Aaaah...Arriving
We arrived to overcast skies and rain and headed to lovely BIJ.
As many have said the island has never been so lush and green with fragrant flowers and beautiful huge plants that have grown so much they appear to have been radiated. Even the bugs were bigger. Most nights the giant, and I mean gigantic, grasshoppers would be around the villa. I must say when they jumped toward my head (and for those of you who know me...my big hair!!!), I was a bit freaked out!

Villa
As in April we stayed in beautiful BIJ high in Vitet and were so touched to find that Patrick and Annabelle had left us two fabulous bottles of wine, as had GregB and Patricia!! Off to a great start. The house looked great and has a view that never quits over Grand Cul de Sac. As everyone knows there had been a great deal of rain and believe me the mosquitos were as bad as I ever recall! But between mosquito coils, Moustique Cologne (yes, that's what it's called and actually smells pretty good), Deep Woods Off and Butix for the itching we did fine. We always kept our bedroom door closed and the air conditioning on low and that kept the bugs at bay when we slept.

Restaurants
Lately I've noticed quite a few people have been asking about prices. Generally we noticed that they're higher everywhere and so where I had made notes I have indicated prices.

Here's a detailed run down.
Andy's - 2 dinners, 1 lunch
Always packed, great salads and pizza. Yum vanilla rum. Excellent value. Fun and friendly.
2nd Dinner - shrimp salad x 3, pizza x 3, veal, fresh pineapple, chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, caramel sundae, 2 diet coke, 2 water, bottle red Cote due Rhone for 25 euros, total dinner for 4 - 140 euros

Route des Boucanniers
2 lunches both excellent.
Tomato/mozzarella salad, salade nicoise and burgers and fries.
Great food, good service, nice view of the big yachts and harbor.

Le Pimente - Lunch
Tons of mosquitos.
Tuna tartare, tomato mozzarella salad, grilled tuna with frites, 2 glasses rose, a dessert, coffee and tea. Good vanilla rum. 80 euros
Great food. Good value. Really nice staff.

Maya's
Welcomed by Randy and Maya. Maya's was half empty, as were most spots for dinner. Randy apologized for the prices even before we ordered and told us the strong euro is causing a real problem on the island. We could see from the main course prices which had become outta site.
Farfalle with artichoke hearts and pesto, Coquille St. Jacques, grilled daurade, grilled Ω chicken (huge), glass champagne, glass white wine, 2 glasses red wine, water, flourless chocolate cake, passion fruit sorbet, espresso.
190 euros.

Case de L'isle, Hotel Isle de France, Lunch x 2
We enjoyed a (mostly) wonderful lunch as always served by the charming Patrick, who's always threatening to come to Toronto to visit. Shared a crudites (don't bother for celery, carrots, fennel and a few cherry tomatoes) for 22 euros, then enjoyed excellent grilled sesame chicken brochettes with frites (huge) and a club sandwich with frites.

Wall House - 2 dinners including my birthday dinner
Can't rave enough about the very large menu, the rotisserie grill, the warm welcome, the service, the food and the desert trolley. If only they'd update that sad decor...a minor complaint.
What a value:
green salad, rotisserie red snapper, scallop carpaccio and entrecote, glass of champagne, glass of white wine, 2 glasses red wine, water, tea, coffee, chocolate/coffee cream torte, great vanilla rum - 115 euros

Followed by the birthday dinner:
home made gnocchi (the best I've ever had), lobster soup en croute x 2, pan seared fois grass with red fruits, caesar salad (OK, not a great choice and just so-so), cote de boeuf on the rib, for two...outstanding, saddle of lamb for two, chocolate/coconut fondant, 2 tarte au citron, almond/orange cream torte, glass of champagne, glass red wine, Ω bottle Graves, 2 water, 3 coffee, 1 tea... Thanks Gary and Orli!!!

La Saladerie - once for lunch, once for dinner
What a charming host/owner.
Lunch
La salade vieville - leaf lettuce, avocado, artichoke hearts and walnuts, tomato/mozzarella salad (a bit unusual with cubed pizza mozzarella, not bocconcini or buffalo), Pizza Napolitaine, 2 glasses rose, coffee and tea, water, excellent bottomless vanilla rum - 60 euros

Dinner
vegetarian salad, Don Marco salad with leaf lettuce, ham, tomatoes and mozzarella, pizza Napolitaine, very nice bottle of Chateau Fragonard (Paulliac) 42 euros, chocolate brownie with ice cream (skip this, dry and tasteless), coffee, tea, water 89 euros

Zanzibarth - 2 dinners
Patrick and Annabelle highly recommended this restaurant. We were reluctant to try it in April as we had heard terrible reviews, but on their recommendation, knowing they have great taste, we tried it....FANTASTIC! We really liked it.

From the gorgeous, all white, contemporary decor, to the super comfortable (sorry Gary) sloped, low slung chairs, the cobalt blue glass candles to the stunning, skilled and charming wait staff to the large, original and varied menu we were delighted. The only complaint is instead of vanilla rum, they serve the most vile green/blue syrupy concoction made with curacao that tastes like lime jello...YUCK!

Dinner #1
homemade fois gras with real brioche and mango jelly, seared fois gras with red fruits, rack of lamb with the most incredible potatoes dauphinois redolent with cream and crisped on top (sigh), veal chop in Arabica (yes coffee) sauce, lemon tarte, chocolate/coconut marquis, 3 glasses red wine, 1 glass champagne, 2 water, coffee, tea 190 euros

Dinner #2
We were six people and I'm not quoting the costs...
bottle vintage Louis Roederer
bottle Bordeaux, can't tell you as I didn't order it or see the bottle, but it was very nice
mackerel terrine, seared fois gras with red fruits, gaspacho (which Gary and Orli said was the best they'd had), 2 fois gras
beef filet with bearnaise x 2 both served with those luscious potatoes, grilled daurade (a bit dry), scallops and shrimps (the person didn't enjoy this as it was tiny and should have been an appetizer), lobster and rack of lamb, my apologies, I didn't write down the desserts and then the Calvados flowed and well, you know how it is...

Le Repair - Lunch
After an awful lunch last April, it was with reluctance that we returned and I'm glad we did. I enjoyed the tiniest, sweetest mussels with frites (yes on a Thursday). Michael had a good cheeseburger with frites, glass rose, glass white wine, water - 44 euros

PiriPiri Palace - 2 dinners including Gary's birthday dinner
One of our favorite places, we were welcomed back by Pierre and Delphine.
accras fritters, caesar salad x 2, ribs, steak au poivre
profiteroles, 2 glasses red wine, water, excellent vanilla rum - 99 euros

Birthday dinner
gaspacho x 2, caesar salad x 3, tomato/mango salad with fresh basil (excellent), ribs x 3, red snapper provencale, delicious bottle of red Cote du Rhone, profiteroles, molten chocolate cake, Happy Birthday music, vanilla rum and a gift of an entire bottle to the birthday boy from Pierre. 160 euros

Sandbar Eden Rock - 2 lunches
Despite the gorgeous setting, the lovely hostess Sandrine and the excellent food, the prices here are very high, especially for the fresh fish between 35-48 euros depending on the fish...sigh.
tomato/mozzarella crumble x 2, turbot meuniere, veal with artichokes and pasta, passion sorbet, chocolate ice cream, 2 glasses rose, water, coffee 160 euros

A week later
crabcakes x 2 (best I've ever tasted), gaspacho with conch and fava beans, Dover Sole, turbot x 2, tuna sashimi, all very fresh and excellent, 4 orders (!!) frites, 3 cokes, 4 glasses rose, water

Kife Massai - under new ownership
Still a lovely spot with a new menu, MUCH improved service, no attitude and a good wine list.
I slipped here and didn't write down what everyone had. We shared cote de boeuf for two on the rib and it was outstanding.

Lafayette Club - 2 lunches
Either you love it or hate it, but most don't fall anywhere in between. We're delighted to see George and Nadine back again and continue to be loyal customers who love the setting, the pace and the food. Cost not indicated because if you have to ask here, then forget about it!
roquefort/walnut salad, creole avocado salad, shared big eye snapper, bottle of white Sancerre, water, sorbet and ice creams, coffee, tea

Second lunch
Took our friends and they fell into the "hate it" camp. This was further enflamed when we split the check and we paid by Visa and our friends by Amex (more on this later), which meant we were charged in euros and they in US $. The US amount looked weird and when asked we were told the exchange was 30% but the amount being charged was based on 50% and they refused to change it so our friends demanded a credit and then paid with a Visa. It wasn't a pleasant exchange. (pun intended). I won't describe the meal...if you've been there you know and if not the meal above gives you an idea.

Buena Vista
Great location. Lovely owner. Not much else. We kept driving by and seeing a sign advertising Live Music with "Cold Turkey" (I kid you not). So after a Lafayette lunch and wanting a light dinner, we headed off for tapas and to see "The Turkeys". Food was fair, menu odd, totally empty and as for the turkeys...an apt moniker...they were terrible...

L'Esprit de Saline
Oh what a disappointment. After a terrible experience in April, we tried again thinking we'd gone on a off night. Despite the lovely setting and charming host, the menu is abysmal...4 appetizers (they were out of 1), 4 mains (3 fish, one veal). The prices have increased considerably and it's a poor value. I think we're done with them for a while. It's a shame.
crab croquettes (very good), shrimps in lemongrass (no lemongrass in site, smell or taste), grilled tuna (tiny), all veg a la carte, 1 glass champagne, 1 glass white wine, 2 glasses red wine, 2 tea.

When we went to pay after taking our Visa, 15 minutes later after gesticulating wildy to obtain someone's attention, Michael finally went up to the bar to retrieve our card and was told the Visa machine was broken (as it was last April...coincidence?) and we'd have to pay in US $ with AmX at a lousy exchange rate.

Miscellaneous Stuff
- don't miss Erick and Anna's 4 Laurent Effel stores, check out the crocodile desk...wow
- watch the exchange rates. Most places if you pay with Amex charge in dollars if in Visa, only in euros. Exchange rates varied wildly.
- buy a mosquito zapper racquet at the gas station across from the airport and take it to restaurants with you and then take it home. They take regular AA batteries and are brilliant.

Books we read
Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
Time Traveller's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
Oracle Night, Paul Auster
DaVinci Code, Dan Brown
Mortals, Norman Rush
How to Be Good, Nick Hornby
The Pleasure of My Company, Steve Martin

Getting Home
We arrived for our Air Caraibes flight with the two large suitcases we always travel with. Every trip I jealously bemoan the fact that so many of you seem to be able to travel with carry on luggage or a small bag. Every trip I swear I will take less and in April, I took much less and was even within weight limits (rare for me, much to the chagrin of Michael). But nooooooo, I couldn't do it again, so each bag weighed 35 and 40 kg respectively (OK, I heard some of you groan). Needless to say we expected to pay the charge but didn't expect the mutiny we experienced where Air Caraibes refused to take the bags at all!

One person in particular (the very slim, diminutive person behind the counter) went BERSERK, yelling that he's not an animal and who do we think we are and he's not going to lift those bags. We stayed very cool, were apologetic to the point of groveling, but NO WAY were they going to take our bags. He told us to split the stuff into 4 bags. It was 8:00 a.m. so I asked where we could get duffles, or any type of bag and he shrugged, turned around, went into the office and shut the door saying it wasn't his problem. The flight left at 9:00. After 40 minutes of running around across from the airport, Michael finally located a carry on and a computer bag for 200 euros! We shoved all the books (15 kg...ha, it wasn't all shoes you skeptics!) and laundry and got the big bags down to 27 and 28 kg each and by now another guy was at the counter, charged us 50 euros overweight and took the 4 pieces. Phew! With adrenalin racing we made it to the lounge and sat until our 9:00 a.m. flight took off at 10:00. Then our plane left almost 2 hours late out of Guadeloupe to Montreal so we missed our connecting flights, stayed overnight at a hotel, got on the 9:00 a.m. flight Sunday to Toronto which left at 10:30 and made it home by noon Sunday. SXM doesn't look so bad now having had to overnight in each direction.

And since I never want to be in that position again with luggage, I actually wrote down what I actually wore (which was about 1/4 of what I brought) and that's EXACTLY what I'll take next time. And Michael, honey, if you're reading this...you can't take 14 hard cover books!

A Musing
About a year or so ago I suggested starting those Top Ten Lists all aimed at helping our friends Gary and Orli to understand what SBH is all about and hopefully come with us. They decide to come for 4 days and sharing our island with them was such a wonderful experience. After so many years we got to see it again through the eyes of first timers and were reinfected with the enthusiasm Island Visitor and so many others express after they return from their virgin trip. Our friends were gracious, charming, funny, appreciative and most importantly we all enjoyed being together to share paradise. It made our trip all the more special.

Wishing all of you a happy, healthy, joy-filled holiday season.
Gayle and Michael.

Edited by Kara Brooks (11/17/04 08:49 AM)