trnorman
SBH Insider
We awake Tuesday morning to a steady breeze out of the East, and lots of sun. Our original plan for the day was to visit Saline or Gouverneur, however, we decided to enjoy the day at the villa and lounge by the pool. We had dinner later that night at Tamarin, with a wonderful table on the deck overlooking one of the ponds. This was our official “anniversary” dinner celebrating 21 year.
Wednesday was rather windy, with strong gusts out of the East. We had planned to visit Colombier, and with it’s West facing orientation, it seemed like the best option for a beach day. We made our way along the trail, arriving at Colombier just after 12noon. To our surprise, as we walked to the end of the beach closest to the Rockefeller Estate, we realized we had the main beach all to ourselves. There were a few people on the North end, where the trail meets the beach, however, not a sole South of the rocks that divide the sand. We spent a few leisurely hours swimming and enjoying the tranquility. We returned to our Villa later in the afternoon, and prepared for another dinner at Eddie’s to wrap up a very relaxing day on the island.
Thursday was even windier than Wednesday, so once again we chose to stay at the Villa for the day. And with lunch reservations for 12noon at Ti’Corail, we didn’t want to wander too far. After a few hours at the pool, we made our way down the hill to Ti’Corail. Although we could see their beachside location from our Villa, the steep road with no sidewalk meant we were driving down to their location. Luckily, we arrived early, and found parking.The setting and the food made for a fabulous lunch, but most of all the wonderful hospitality of Alice and Yann made our experience thoroughly enjoyable. We drove over to Saline after lunch to check it out, but it was too windy to really enjoy. Now back to the Villa for some more time by the pool, with dinner reservations later that night at Le Repaire for their weekly moules frites.
Friday was another day spent at the Villa, doing not much of anything. Dinner was poolside, with not a care in the world.
Saturday found us back at Colombier for another day with most of the beach to ourselves.The winds were lighter, so we were able to enjoy more time lounging on the beach. There were but a handful of people spread out along the entire length of the beach. On the way back to the Villa, we stopped at Marche U to pick up some items for the remainder of our trip, including a planned Sunday night dinner at the Villa.
Saturday night found us at Zion for dinner, arguably the best dinner of the trip. So good in fact, that we made reservations to come back Tuesday for our final dinner in St Barth.
Sunday was to be another Villa day, except for a return to TI’Corail for a 2pm lunch. Once again, the food, setting and hospitality made it a wonderful experience. Dinner was again on the terrace, this time grilled prawns and a tomato and arugula salad with blue cheese.
Monday was COVID test day, so we got up early and made our way to St. Jean. In and out in minutes, we decided to visit the cemetery, something we seem to do in many locations we visit. After the cemetery, we went for a walk on St. Jean from the runway to Eden Rock. We then made our way to Gustavia, for a late breakfast at La Creperie. On the way back to the villa, we drove to Gouverneur to check it out. The conditions were fair, with decent surf and a steady breeze. There were maybe a dozen people near the entrance from the parking lot, but the rest of the beach was empty. We walked the length of the beach, then made our way back to the Villa to relax for a few hours until it was time to head back to Gustavia for dinner at Quarter, probably our second favorite dining location of the trip.
Tuesday would be our last full day on St. Barth, and we spent the entire day lounging by the pool. Couldn’t think of a better way to end the trip, other than dinner at Zion. Once again, we were blown away with the experience at Zion, and with a table near the kitchen, it was like being at a live theater performance as we watched Chef Jean-Baptiste and team produce plate after plate like a well rehearsed orchestra.
Wednesday was time to head home, so we made our way to the airport for our 12 noon flight with SBC to SXM. Upon arrival at SXM, and a few delays getting checked in and to the gate, we finally boarded our flight back to MIA to connect to our return to LAX.
After a one year delay due to COVID, almost 18 months of planning, and a last minute flight cancellation, this ended up being a fabulous vacation. We can truly see why so many people return year after year, especially those on the east coast, where its a 3-5 hour flight from most airports. We enjoyed our time so much, we are already booked to return in 2022.
An interesting side note, we ended up seeing the same gentleman each time we visited Ti’Corail and Zion. We then again saw him at the airport on our departure day. I decided to introduce myself, which is rare as I am somewhat of an introvert, but it seemed like it was necessary since we found ourselves in the same location at the same time on atleast 5 occasions during our stay. The gentleman was named Dennis, better known as cec1 on this forum. It was a pleasure speaking with him, and nice to meet someone from the forum. As luck would have it, we were on the same flight back to Miami, sitting a row apart. We then ran into each other in the AA lounge in Miami, waiting for our respective flights. We spent a few minutes talking again while waiting in line for food. Dennis, if you read this, it was a pleasure meeting you, I can see why you frequent the island so often.
Wednesday was rather windy, with strong gusts out of the East. We had planned to visit Colombier, and with it’s West facing orientation, it seemed like the best option for a beach day. We made our way along the trail, arriving at Colombier just after 12noon. To our surprise, as we walked to the end of the beach closest to the Rockefeller Estate, we realized we had the main beach all to ourselves. There were a few people on the North end, where the trail meets the beach, however, not a sole South of the rocks that divide the sand. We spent a few leisurely hours swimming and enjoying the tranquility. We returned to our Villa later in the afternoon, and prepared for another dinner at Eddie’s to wrap up a very relaxing day on the island.
Thursday was even windier than Wednesday, so once again we chose to stay at the Villa for the day. And with lunch reservations for 12noon at Ti’Corail, we didn’t want to wander too far. After a few hours at the pool, we made our way down the hill to Ti’Corail. Although we could see their beachside location from our Villa, the steep road with no sidewalk meant we were driving down to their location. Luckily, we arrived early, and found parking.The setting and the food made for a fabulous lunch, but most of all the wonderful hospitality of Alice and Yann made our experience thoroughly enjoyable. We drove over to Saline after lunch to check it out, but it was too windy to really enjoy. Now back to the Villa for some more time by the pool, with dinner reservations later that night at Le Repaire for their weekly moules frites.
Friday was another day spent at the Villa, doing not much of anything. Dinner was poolside, with not a care in the world.
Saturday found us back at Colombier for another day with most of the beach to ourselves.The winds were lighter, so we were able to enjoy more time lounging on the beach. There were but a handful of people spread out along the entire length of the beach. On the way back to the Villa, we stopped at Marche U to pick up some items for the remainder of our trip, including a planned Sunday night dinner at the Villa.
Saturday night found us at Zion for dinner, arguably the best dinner of the trip. So good in fact, that we made reservations to come back Tuesday for our final dinner in St Barth.
Sunday was to be another Villa day, except for a return to TI’Corail for a 2pm lunch. Once again, the food, setting and hospitality made it a wonderful experience. Dinner was again on the terrace, this time grilled prawns and a tomato and arugula salad with blue cheese.
Monday was COVID test day, so we got up early and made our way to St. Jean. In and out in minutes, we decided to visit the cemetery, something we seem to do in many locations we visit. After the cemetery, we went for a walk on St. Jean from the runway to Eden Rock. We then made our way to Gustavia, for a late breakfast at La Creperie. On the way back to the villa, we drove to Gouverneur to check it out. The conditions were fair, with decent surf and a steady breeze. There were maybe a dozen people near the entrance from the parking lot, but the rest of the beach was empty. We walked the length of the beach, then made our way back to the Villa to relax for a few hours until it was time to head back to Gustavia for dinner at Quarter, probably our second favorite dining location of the trip.
Tuesday would be our last full day on St. Barth, and we spent the entire day lounging by the pool. Couldn’t think of a better way to end the trip, other than dinner at Zion. Once again, we were blown away with the experience at Zion, and with a table near the kitchen, it was like being at a live theater performance as we watched Chef Jean-Baptiste and team produce plate after plate like a well rehearsed orchestra.
Wednesday was time to head home, so we made our way to the airport for our 12 noon flight with SBC to SXM. Upon arrival at SXM, and a few delays getting checked in and to the gate, we finally boarded our flight back to MIA to connect to our return to LAX.
After a one year delay due to COVID, almost 18 months of planning, and a last minute flight cancellation, this ended up being a fabulous vacation. We can truly see why so many people return year after year, especially those on the east coast, where its a 3-5 hour flight from most airports. We enjoyed our time so much, we are already booked to return in 2022.
An interesting side note, we ended up seeing the same gentleman each time we visited Ti’Corail and Zion. We then again saw him at the airport on our departure day. I decided to introduce myself, which is rare as I am somewhat of an introvert, but it seemed like it was necessary since we found ourselves in the same location at the same time on atleast 5 occasions during our stay. The gentleman was named Dennis, better known as cec1 on this forum. It was a pleasure speaking with him, and nice to meet someone from the forum. As luck would have it, we were on the same flight back to Miami, sitting a row apart. We then ran into each other in the AA lounge in Miami, waiting for our respective flights. We spent a few minutes talking again while waiting in line for food. Dennis, if you read this, it was a pleasure meeting you, I can see why you frequent the island so often.
