The Insiders' Guide to St. Barths: Isles des Saintes

What we all in this thread, myself included, appear to be looking for is "St Barts Lite". That is, we are trying to find that magical and almost mythical place that St Jimmy discovered over thirty years ago. A few mokes, the occasional dusty watering hole, modern day pirates throwing back beer with well-known and loved locals.

For those of us who never went to St Barts "Back In The Day" this image of a quiet, unknown, casual yet chic watering hole is very seductive. As such, it is not unnatural that we would all want to find "The Next St Barts".

But by that reasoning might we also be looking for The Next Paris? Or The Next Rome?

St Barts is not what it is because of what it was. That is, it is what it is NOW. And while I am trying to build up a catelogue of memories on the island, and perhaps a Humorous Or Outrageous Story or two, I very much live in the present day and time.

The world is a VASTLY different place than it was when St Jimmy discovered St Barts in the seventies. In those days, well-healed pirates, European financiers, Hollywood starlettes and Big Money East Coasters could all dash down to St Barts and folks around these parts would say "St WHERE? Is that like Jamaica or some other Mexican place?"

But now The Secret is out.

St Barts "Back In The Day" did not have to contend with the internet. It did not have to contend with an ENORMOUS American middle class with leisure time and money to burn. So few knew of the place, and fewer still even travelled to the place, that it retained its quiet, unknown charm for quite some time.

We now have the largest bolus of Middle Aged Americans in history. We have time, we have money, we like fine food, we like fine wine and we dont care if our little tushies get sunburned. As such, St Barts is "on the map".

And those people who write articles about "The New Undiscovered Gems Of The Caribbean" dont fool me. Because just as soon as Harbor Island or Parrot Cay or Turks And Caicos get "on the map" then, duh, to this southern boy's way of thinking, then they are "discovered" too.

Les Saintes sounds intriguing. But make no mistake. It is NOT St Barts. Nor will it probably ever be for several reasons:

1. It is already "discovered" and bringing in a vibrant yacht trade as well as small cruise ships

2. It is an easy ferry ride for Guadaloupe and could be overrun with Daytrippers at any moment.

3. It does not have the same "infrastructure" as St Barts in the way of hotels or numerous villas

4. It is smaller and wont support the several dozen restaurants that we all love on St Barts.

Now, none of this is to say that Les Saintes is not worthwhile. I am very intrigued by the place - as a runaway. That is, a place where you can go when you dont want ANYONE to find you. In such a sense, it could be very nice.

St Barts has a uniqueness that will be hard/impossible for any other island to reproduce. There is no builtin underclass, no widespread poverty, the island is large enough to woo top-notch french chefs from the metropole, it attracts money and glam and glitz but has not become an enormous Paparrazi Paradise (because The Money hide out in villas instead of on the beach).

Since "the church" was raised in a previous post, let me use a metaphor here. Man has known, according to some religious thought, one paradise in history - The Garden Of Eden.

And we got thrown out of that, according to stories we have been told.

As such, everywhere else will have a balance between the good and the bad. And that will be true anywhere we go.

St Barts is "Grown Up". She may no longer have the innocent charm of her virginal youth. But she strikes me as a chic, mature and sophisticated lady who improves with age, for those who can appreciate her.

Yes, there are still other "virgins" left in the caribbean. And the various magazines extoll their virtues with each issue. For those wanting to find an "unspoiled youth" in the islands, I say they better hurry because The Dance has already started.

For me, it is not so much about how The New Virgins compare to The Grande Dame St Barts at the present time. With lusty travellers scouring every nook and cranny of the caribbean, even the most innocent, freshly scrubbed youths will grow up fast, real fast. As such, what will Today's Virgins look like tomorrow after The Crowd (read: US) have discovered them?

My thought is that NONE of them will grow up to be The Lady that St Barts is.

I am middle aged myself. And for my money, a sophisticated, mature lady such as St Barts suits my tastes just fine.

For anyone who does "have a fling" with Les Saintes, I would be quite interested to hear how it goes. Even so, I look for many happy anniversaries with my love, St Barts.

Just one Newby/Tweener's opinion.