tim
Moderator
Reged: 06/18/03
Posts: 6111
Loc: Vélo, Virginia, Vitet
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SHHHHHHHHH.....
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The best moderation is the least moderation.
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Kara Brooks
Reged: 09/30/02
Posts: 1399
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January (right after the holidays) is actually one of the quieter times on the island and one of our favorite times (we've actually found this time period to be less crowded than June and July). Everything is open and the 70-80 degree swing in temperature on the day you arrive is one of the all time great things (IMHO).
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Kara Brooks
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15952
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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One would actually have to have gone to SBH in May and June and Sept/Oct and also in Dec-March to legitmatelty know the difference between the two and therefore have an opinion based on real experiences, not just hearsay... and on that note I think its great that those who go in Dec/March do go...fantastic...keep the good work up!....LOL...just like I'll encourage all those folks who are having a great time next week in 45 minute lift lines and 2 hour dinner waits, to continue to do that..... I dont want to see those people here in April no more then I want to see the winter crowd in St Barts in June....its all so very.....symbiotic....LOL...
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BillK
Reged: 10/02/02
Posts: 1376
Loc: Aurora (Toronto) Canada
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Good point Tim.
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BillK
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15952
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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January right after the holidays is pretty much a good time to go to any winter resort..we are very quiet here for about 10 days....then the you know what hits the fan and its insanity until April
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Cheri
Reged: 10/13/02
Posts: 1689
Loc: St. Louis, Missouri
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Quote:
Xmas New Years seems to be the only time when the island is swamped.
This is the same conclusion I have come to. We have been in December (first week), February, and many times in early to mid April. Our friends went the first week of August last year (they said it was way more crowded than they thought it would be). So, I've come to the conclusion that BillK's statement is true. The exception is.....shhhhhh.....when there are cruise ships in. It is then that we definitely see more people. However, the cruise ship leaves and it is back to pretty much solitude with no traffic jams and no problems getting reservations.
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Mikey
Reged: 12/01/02
Posts: 350
Loc: Westhampton Beach, NY
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Overrun??? We have been spent Christmas/New Years on SBH for the last dozen or so years. Yeah, that's the most crowded time for sure but hardly overrun. The worst of it is mid day on the road thru St. Jean going past Tom Beach. Often only one lane can move at a time...but who's in a hurry anyway. It ain't New York in rush hour...and if I get to wherever it is that I am going (beach, villa ,restaurant, shopping about covers it) 5 or 10 minutes earlier or later...so what!!!???
I have always been able to find parking in St. Jean and Gustavia (even on New Years Eve), have always been able to get into my favorite restaurants ('cause I'm flexible on dates...I'll take what's available when its available although I must admit to already having one reservation for Wall House early in our visit. I will book Maya's before leaving home 'cause its still a hot ticket...but that's all. The rest we play by ear and are never disappointed or shut out). Parking at Saline or Gouvernour has never been a problem either, especially since the new car park was built at Gouvernour.
The peak of the rush is 12/24 thru 1/1 or 1/2. The week prior to Christmas is a normal high-season week. The week after New Years sees a significant drop in traffic (except in front of the school in L'Orient...early morning and mid-afternoon). By then the mega-yachts have left the harbor also, the beaches empty considerably and life is wonderful.
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Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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More is okay so long as it is more of what St Barts is and not more of what St Barts isn't.
By that, I mean that to date Saline and Gouverneur have not been built up, small and familiar places such as Le Select et al still do a nice business, hotels are boutique in nature and not sprawling 50 story affairs, and "shopping malls" still mean a collection of perhaps a half dozen stores.
St Barts HAS to be more of what it is because more of us want what it is.
That does not mean it must become more of what it is not. As such, until casinos go up and somebody builds a twenty story hotel or beach bars crowd each other out on Saline or they raze all the land across from the airport and build a megamall, then it seems that the basic model has not changed. Just as a human child grows up to be a human adult, St Barts has become more of what it was, not a totally new creature.
I realize that there are more villas and restaurants and bars and shops and such on St Barts now than there were Back In The Day. But more means more choices. Those who like Le Select dont have to do La Gaiac. And those who want to dine at Eden Rock as Garbo used to do can. Nikki Beach is not mandatory.
With no golf courses, no casinos, no Megamall, no "tourist sites", no giant resorts or such, St Barts strikes me as being about as laidback and simple as a place can be and still offer air conditioning and great vittles.
We can always go to Les Saintes, PSV, Mustique, Bequia, Cayman Brac or a dozen other places if we want to do the "Stranded on a desserted island" thing. For me, "France Lite" sans La Tour Eiffel mais avec beaucoup des plages est parfait.
Mais, c'est seulement moi...
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Cheri
Reged: 10/13/02
Posts: 1689
Loc: St. Louis, Missouri
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As usual, IV says it best. A powerful closing statement for all you lawyers out there......LOL
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Andynap
Reged: 10/24/02
Posts: 12361
Loc: Philadelphia
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Quote: " A powerful closing statement for all you lawyers out there"
Really?
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Andy -
St. Barts- where no day is ever the same and one day is not enough
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Midwest Mike
Reged: 10/01/02
Posts: 788
Loc: Hawkeye Heaven
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A traffic jam in St. Jean may mean a 10 car backup...usually happens when someone is trying to turn to go up the hill to VSJ,Tropical, or a villa...a 1-2 minute wait doesn't bother me. I'm like Andy...nice to break up the winter. Would rather go skiing over spring break when it is warmer in Colorado...although we don't ski as much anymore...skiing is work and I like laying around way too much.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15952
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Absolutley..God Bless you high season travellers and dont you ever change..ya hear???>.
France lite....LOL...I like that
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