We have missed you so.....

McGinle

New Member
After three long years we were blessed to return to St Barth to celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary. We have been visiting St Barth since 2001 and have always left the island feeling renewed, inspired and grateful. This visit, we were travelling with our best friends who also share the same anniversary date/year. They have never been to SBH and we were excited to see the island through their eyes. Would they love it or would they hate it? If the latter, I am not sure what the effects would be on our friendship. Would I ever be able to look at them the same, would I need to stop sending them Christmas cards? (spoiler alert) Moral dilemmas I am happy to have not had to consider.

The villa we have always stayed in was not available due to a long term rental. That was emotional for us because we always considered the villa ours and I tried to contain my outrage that now it was someone else's . Don't worry, I did not pound on the door and demand they vacate...but i did think about it for a minute.

We stayed in a Villa in St Jean and that was lovely alternative and worked nicely for 2 couples travelling. Walking distance to "stuff" and everyone could easily choose beach or pool without having a team discussion.

Watching their reaction during our first drive around the island was hysterical, their eyes got wide at the beauty of the island and they seem to inhale deeper after every tight curve or mountain top. They were content to remain passengers because we knew the way around the island better :wink2:.

Our friends are very fun and easy going and were quite happy that we had made the restaurant reservations prior to arrival. That eliminated the endless annoying debate of where do you want to go.. I dunno where do you want to go. But it didn't really matter.. because I think we literally hit every spot and maybe a few a couple times! We definitely appreciated the continued special and friendly service St Barth is famous for. We know COVID has not been easy on the island, but the special spirit was still shining through. It was wonderful to see old ST Barth friends and reminisce about past times.

Ok-so about our eating adventures and there were many!!

Zion was a first for all of us and the tasting table was pure heaven, spearheaded by the angel/chef JB. It was an incredible and adventurous experience. I am not going to lie, but when we were served duck tartare we all gulped and wondered if eating raw poultry would be approved by our mothers. Hell yes! it was divine !

Tamarin for our anniversary- gorgeous setting as usual, great service and very lively

Had to do Nikki Beach with our first timers and it did not disappoint. We had a great table, very fun crowd (meaning -non annoying show offs) and we loved the sax player. The sliders were delish with fries and yes our friends were dancing on the table and it was all pure fun.

Santa Fe you never let us down!!! I dream of the Marmite and escargot when I close my eyes!

I was nervous about shellona, that it had lost its uniqueness, but it was strong! The food was very good! We all enjoyed the experience and lounging on the chairs after lunch was so relaxing

L'Esprit- we echo all the sweet sentiments that have been shared on this forum.

Baz- We had sushi and sat by water on our first night. The mojito continues to be the best in the world. Yes I said it- in the world! It seemed to be so quiet during our visit and that made me a little sad remembering the lively musical fun times we shared at Baz.

Black Ginger- we have been going there since it opened and I love the interior soooo much! It is so cool! The food was fine but the service was really off and very rushed. As an example, Wine was poured into our friend's water glass and when he pointed it out the server put the bottle down said sorry and walked way. It was not a big deal, but a very odd reaction.

Toiny Beach- Super special lunch experience. Again watching my friends on the ride down was fun because they were not expecting it! Food was great and the service amazing. A lovely young woman had our table and she had just arrived 2 weeks ago to St Barth. Her enthusiasm abut the island and her knowledge of the menu was amazing! We shared a lobster as an app-that is a good party trick when you just want a taste of lobster but don't want to commit to the responsibility of a whole crustacean.

Joel Robuchon- stopped in a couple times for cocktails. Lovely setting and the bartenders were the bomb!! Great deal of pride went into their cocktails and the manager was very engaging also.

Le Select- One evening we needed to give our tastebuds what they demanded- a simple beer and cheeseburger with fries. Delish!

L'lsola- I reluctantly went but gladly give 2 thumbs up. The cherry tomatoes tasted like jelly beans they were so sweet!! I had clams and linguine which was buttery, flavorful and perfect! Why was I reluctant...you ask? Because we have a million fab Italian restaurants with no view I can enjoy at home. However, I will never apply the term " I reluctantly dined there" ever again.... See, I even grew as a person during this trip

L'Corail- I could have eaten there for lunch every day. Tuna tataki with sublime dipping sauce. YUM!!! If you see our husbands, don't bother asking them what they had for lunch- I suspect they wont remember. They became very distracted after our beautiful and kind server said bonjour to them......:thinking1:

Pearl Beach- ate there a couple times since it was close to villa. We love the vibe there and enjoyed it each time! Get the tempura shrimp

Best new comer for us was Gypsea..... It is an oasis of beauty, fun staff and tasty food!

I would recommend Bonita and Carl Gustav for Drinks. Not sure you really need to eat there.

One evening we sat at Bagatelle bar and we did not realize it was the white party. We ordered pizzas and had fun watching everyone arrive for the evening, it quickly went from 0-60. Staff there is great and we arrived when they were wrapping up the team meeting by doing an espresso cocktail shot, they included us in the shot and said we would now have to work that night! LOL! Maybe I will start wrapping up my team meetings with a shot.....

I also want to apologize in advance if you visit the island and there is a butter shortage. Our morning ritual of baguette and butter bordered on a problem. and then when my husband found extra salty butter, our heads almost exploded!

Soldes- OUI! Sale time is the best time of year! We all managed to find treats to stuff in our carry on bags. I did get a little teary that the Laurent Effel stores would be closing in July. As I "explained" to my husband i had to get something since this was the end of an era.... so, I bought the iconic driving shoes and a bag.... I will miss the delicious smell of leather and the anticipation of seeing what is new each season. I wish them well.


Thank you SBH community for indulging and allowing me to share our story. As our friend summed it up - it was the beauty of the island and the kindness of people that touched him. Happy to conclude this trip report with, "he gets it"...........
 
EXcellent. The whole trip experience and also for your essay.

I guess you prebooked for next year
 
Loved your report, fresh air ! Only missing was a review of the food at Tamarin, so if you chime in again, please offer your opinion, thanks ! Congratulations too on the wedding anniversaries !
 
Loved your report, fresh air ! Only missing was a review of the food at Tamarin, so if you chime in again, please offer your opinion, thanks ! Congratulations too on the wedding anniversaries !

Thank you for your note!! Tamarin use to be our number 1 restaurant for many reasons including food. This visit, we experienced similar food quality that others have talked about. It was disappointing (my veal was so tough I could not eat it) and I hope they figure out how to improve because it is such a special spot.
 
Wonderful trip report . . . sensitive, informative, & fun to read! (I guess that your friends will still be on the Christmas card list!). Thanks for taking the time to share all that you wrote.
 
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