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The long timers all know this. We have purchased wine from various places on the island- wine stores, Marche U, other stores that carry wine and spirits and we have found the best selections and best prices are at La Cave de Port Franc. Today we purchased a 6 pack of Domaine de Ott- 27 Euros a bottle and they will discount off of that if you ask. They supply most everybody else on the island as we understand it. Note- Mango menu price for Ott is 90 Euros which is not very different from other restaurants that offer it on the island. We asked who their biggest OTT customers are and they told us #1, #2and #3. Take a guess and I will share in a future post on this thread. We wanted Magnums but the restaurants have a deal with the store and Ott winery that magnums can only be sold to the...

The tangerine colored cushions are there but the hats, shorts etc are gone . White shirts with a hint of tangerine. The amuse bouche was wonderful- smoked onion and a little piece of raw fish in a tiny glass which you could pick up and drink. we started with a parmesan encrusted rice rolls with smoked parma thin sliced ham. Then I enjoyed a caesar with giant Argentinian prawns. The lettuce was all hearts and the crevetttes were seasoned perfectly. My wife the lobster salad which disappeared quickly. Dessery was a lemon meringue tart which our spoons vied for. Claudi gave us great service with our feet in the sand. Remember to reserve in advance and arrive by 12:30 if you want a good seaside table in the shade. The tables are first come first served.

Varda is the name of the owner. The shop has a selection of very unusual items displayed wuite creatively. It is located across from is it Kalina and Tainos the name? same street as Laurent Effel. We were taken by his creation of orchids and other fresh flowers in beautiful vases at reasonable prices for the island. If you are staying on the island for a week or so, you might want to stop by to put a little color in your villa or hotel room. Across the street while we were in the store, 4 gendarmes were investigating an illegally parked car which everybody was having to drive around. Either a 135 Euro ticket, a tow or both we guess was in the future.

Varda is the name of the owner. The shop has a selection of very unusual items displayed wuite creatively. It is located across from is it Kalina and Tainos the name? same street as Laurent Effel. We were taken by his creation of orchids and other fresh flowers in beautiful vases at reasonable prices for the island. If you are staying on the island for a week or so, you might want to stop by to put a little color in your villa or hotel room. Across the street while we were in the store, 4 gendarmes were investigating an illegally parked car which everybody was having to drive around. Either a 135 Euro ticket, a tow or both we guess was in the future.

While waiting for the shuttle at Toiny yesterday (Sunday) to go down to the beach for a noon lunch reservation, we observed numerous cars of people wanting to dine down below, politely turned away. When one couple asked, what about tomorrow (today) it was ‘sorry- we are fully booked and we are not sure about Tuesday availability either. The lesson here is book your beach lunch reservations well in advance in high season, even during the week.

We are keeping everything anonymous in terms of names of shops and people. Today we were in one of our favorite jewelry stores in Gustavia. We have known the proprietors a long time. They told us earlier this year Sir ‘What’s His Name’ was in and with his wife chose about $15,000 Euros of jewelry to purchase. They said he gave his credit card which was from Coutts Bank in London. The card was denied. They told us he called his bank very upset about the denial. The bank told him that he had instructed them to deny any charges above a 20,000 Euro limit. The bank went on to tell him that there was a charge yesterday at the 20,000 Euro level at an establishment entitled Nikki Beach. He told the bank to remove the limit and approve the jewelry charge which was done. They told us he apologized...

We very much enjoyed shopping there each year but things change and life moves on.

After reading several past threads on shipping items to St. Barth, I attempted to send a book to a friend on the island using USPS international mail. After nearly four months "in transit," the book was returned to me as undeliverable. I'm looking into different options, including FedEx and DHL, but thought it might be best to simply ask if anyone on this list is planning a trip soon and would not mind taking the book along. It's not a big book (6.5 x 9.5 inches, about 350 pages, 1.5 pounds according to Amazon). I'd much rather send it from one US address to another than face the risk, or the expense, of trying to send it to St. Barth again. If you're willing to help, please send me a private message or email me at russell.fielding@sewanee.edu. Merci, Russell