Entry Process With Kids (June 2-16)

Hey SBH Online Members!

I've been a big fan of this forum for a long time. Saint Barth was a special place to me in my early adulthood, starting with a stopover while sailing in the Caribbean and then a few family trips. About 6 years ago, I proposed to my wife midway through the flight from Saint Martin to Saint Barth!

Now we're excited to take our children, ages 4 and 2 to the island for the first time. We had a reservation planned for last year, but obviously put that on hold with COVID. Now, we have an airBnb booked June 2-16.

We've eagerly been watching the regulations through these forums, but with just a few weeks left until our departure we're still unclear if we can travel. My wife and I are both vaccinated, but obviously the kids are not.

Can anyone here help explain what we need to do to qualify so that travel goes smoothly on the 2nd? Also- assuming we make it on the island, would love any tips or ideas from other parents of young kids on fun things to do!

Thanks to everyone for your help! Excited to support the great people of Saint Barth!

Thanks!
Wes

Welcome wesTEX!

Just gave an answer to longtime member noel yesterday. Kids were not involved as that is a new wrinkle for us, but see replies here

Thank you JEK- saw that yesterday and thought I'd make a post to ask the children question directly. Also- any ideas if we are renting from an individual instead of an agency?

Thanks,

Wes

wesTX said:

Thank you JEK- saw that yesterday and thought I'd make a post to ask the children question directly. Also- any ideas if we are renting from an individual instead of an agency?

Thanks,

Wes

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I would contact the owners for advice and/or your airline. Good luck!

I think you are the first to attempt travel with kids since 2020.

Thanks JEK- must be a very quiet island with no kids!

Would value anyone's thoughts or advice on the best way to handle this situation.

Wes

Just arrived this morning with our 6 year old son and 4 month old daughter. No vaccination or PCR test requirements for them for entry to SBH. We flew in via San Juan, so I can’t say for certain if SXM has any other requirements. One thing to note is that anyone over 2 years old needs a negative test taken within 72 hours prior to re-entering the US, but that can be a rapid test (so where my son didn’t need a test to get here, he’ll need one to get home, and it sounds like your kids will be in the same boat).

wesTX said:

Thanks JEK- must be a very quiet island with no kids!

Would value anyone's thoughts or advice on the best way to handle this situation.

Wes

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plenty of tourists with children on the island right now. children 10 and younger only need a passport to enter sbh whether coming from sju or sxm.

From what I understand everything is ‘normal’ - passport only- nothing else for your 2 and 4 year olds.
Bon Voyage!

wesTX said:

About 6 years ago, I proposed to my wife midway through the flight from Saint Martin to Saint Barth!

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Wait, what!????

So romantic. And if she was nervous about a small plane, a brilliant distraction.

Sorry- everything is ‘normal’ only for the 2 and 4 year olds-not for people over 10 years old.
My bad.

A big THANK YOU to everyone here for your reassurance! I really appreciate it, we'll be as prepared as possible as we head to SBH but it sounds like our chances are good. And yes- I had a dinner planned for Eden Rock on the night of our engagement but didn't want to spend a minute on the island without being engaged so popped the question halfway to SBH! My profile photo is us right after we landed.

So now on to the fun part- what are your favorite things to do with smaller kids on Saint Barth? We're staying on Lorient beach with a Jeep for driving around, so are up for anything! Best beaches for kids, parks, museums, shops, kid-friendly restaurants etc. all appreciated.

Thanks!

wesTX said:

A big THANK YOU to everyone here for your reassurance! I really appreciate it, we'll be as prepared as possible as we head to SBH but it sounds like our chances are good. And yes- I had a dinner planned for Eden Rock on the night of our engagement but didn't want to spend a minute on the island without being engaged so popped the question halfway to SBH! My profile photo is us right after we landed.

So now on to the fun part- what are your favorite things to do with smaller kids on Saint Barth? We're staying on Lorient beach with a Jeep for driving around, so are up for anything! Best beaches for kids, parks, museums, shops, kid-friendly restaurants etc. all appreciated.

Thanks!

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Actually the far end of Lorient is very safe for kids. L’Isoletta is a fun restaurant for kids as is the games at Tamarin.

Santa Fe, Maya’s, Pearl Beach, Bananiers all kid friendly.

Note that most don’t open until 7 which may present issues for hungry little ones.

A dated link from Timeless Tips my be helpful.

select opens at 5:30, and all kids love it there, some even try to climb the trees. bouchon in lorient will serve pizza at 6.

JEK said:

Note that most don’t open until 7 which may present issues for hungry little ones.

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Excellent point John. My list only Maya’s not good for lunch. Your family meal schedule is important and I am sure you can work that out. Recent visitors fared well and told us good things about Bouchon, Jojo Burgers and Burger Palace and Repaire. Some for lunch and some for dinners. But two can be too little for dining after a day at the beach or pool.

First of all- thank you for sharing your ‘pop the question’ story. As it is only a 10 minute flight, it had to be done quite quickly.
We have been on island with our young grandson and found the island to be child friendly everywhere.
The bakeries have small outside tables for breakfast and supply lots of prepared sandwiches and other to go foods. Manypany has feet in sand meals as well as other hotels but some will not be open. These are listed elsewhere on the forum. La Langouste, Maya’s, Isoletta (pizzas) and even Le Select come to mind. The more upscale ones such as l’Espirit, Isola (only indoors)… are wonderful but might test your childrens’ patience.
There are chefs available who will cook at your villa. Also Maya’s To Go is a great option as well.
As a reminder, we struggled with car seats and recommend you bring yours. When you make reservations at restaurants, check to see if they have two, let alone one high chair or booster seat for the 4 year old. Also, we suggest bringing lifejackets- they are available but can’t be counted on as to availability- at least that’s what we encountered.
Enjoy your stay.

That’s awesome - a great place to celebrate your engagement And don’t stress, your first visit with the kids will be a blast! We’ve been doing this trip with our son every year since he was born (with the exception of last year), so I can tell you what works for us. I’ll try to summarize as best I can because there’s lots to cover.

Beaches:
Lorient, especially right in front of Villa Les Basses, where there is an area protected from bigger waves and mostly free of rocks
St. Jean (we usually do the Nikki Beach side)
Shell Beach is hit or miss...fun can be had collecting tons of shells, but the undertow can sometimes be really strong so we typically avoid the water

Restaurants: everywhere we’ve tried has been really accommodating...it’s usually other tourists that sometimes seem put off. Our trips usually include stops at Le Repaire, Kiki-e-Mo, Le Select, La Creperie, and The Sand Bar (only been for lunch). But honestly most nights are chicken nuggets or fish sticks at the Villa for the little guy, and then ordering dinner for us to eat outside on the patio with some cheap rosé once he’s in bed. We also stay on the beach in Lorient, and most restaurants in Gustavia have your order ready in less than 20 minutes, so it gives you enough time to drive down, park, get you food, and then you’re back at the villa in 10 minutes.

Activities:
There is a park in St. Jean by the soccer field with equipment that would be good for both of your kids (small play set with a slide, as well as a bigger climbing tower with a taller slide).
There is another “park” in Gustavia by the hospital...it’s a tiny little clubhouse thing with a slide, but they also have swings (St. Jean doesn’t), and the view is incredible.

Other tips:
We typically bring our own car seat and stroller and a few toys, but rent virtually everything else. There’s a company called St. Barth Provider that rents cribs, bed rails, and various other equipment you might not want to lug with you.