Leaving in 3 days...

Some last minute questions before I leave monday morning...

- Anyone know where I can find small, cheap, foldable beach umbrella either in NYC or SBH? Figuring my fiance may need one on the unprotected beaches.

- Do I need bugspray? If so, what type do you recommend?

- Anyone stay at el Sereno? Do they provide beach towels or do I need to pack some?

Any other words of advice are much appreciated. Going to SBH for my first time but have read a lot on this and Phil's old board and both have been of great help.

Hi,

About the bugspray, you sure do need it, esp. as you are at beach level. The one that we used last time was 'Off' and we used a lot of it. Maybe 3 bottles in 10 days and we were still lunch for the skitters. You can buy it on the Island.

My wife wants someone to recommend something that the doctor here can inject her with, to make her taste bad to the bugs. Anyone?

About El Sereno, I am staying there in a couple of weeks, so be sure to let us know how you get on. Your host, Laurence, seems to be quite amiable. The hotel is about 15 minutes from town. Be sure not to camp out at their beach, there are nicer ones.

Graham

Don't pack a beach umbrella. You can buy one in St. Jean at the little shop across from "le Pelican" (it sells lots of beach stuff and is right next to the newspaper store) or in Gustavia at the little hardware store on Rue du General de Gaulle --about 3 blocks beyond Le Select. Have a great time!

We stayed at El Sereno a few years ago and loved it. The accommodation is wonderful as is the staff. You have a great beach and on a good day (which is almost everyday !) you can walk through the water to the other side. I was actually guided along by a puffer fish. Water never went above my waist. It was a walk to remember. You also have great restaurants along that stretch of beach. You will adore El Sereno. I'd love to hear your thoughts when you return.

Deb.

I am very allergic to bug bites. I use Repel and when I go out I use a prescription drug Periactin that is an anti-histamine. It keeps the swelling and itching to a minimum.

Just returned from a week on Grand Cul de Sac, at St. Barth Beach Hotel Villas, a stone's throw from Sereno. The first half of the week we didn't see a mosquito, the second half they were EVERYWHERE. I brought some stuff with me that I bought from Magellan's catalogue, worked well but I think it's too late for you to do that.

Re towels, Sereno is an upscale place, I'm quite sure they provide towels. Not much beach there, but you will have a nice terrace with a beautiful view, and it's a really great pool and a cool bar (Sunday is their beach party day).

By the way, the Sereno's food is very good but a little overpriced. All the books/ads (Ti Gourmet, etc.) say that Sereno has a sushi restaurant but it doesn't. It's just typical French nouvelle cuisine. We preferred La Gloriette for dinner and Le Rivage for lunch, both within a hundred yards of Sereno. Also you can rent a kayak, windsurf, all water sports, from SBBH. The water is so shallow and protected that you can walk out for probably a mile.

Autan, a french insect repellant, works better than any other products. You can buy it at any grocer in SB. Beach umbrellas are in St. Jean, across from the cigar store or at the Hardware in Gustavia.

Lynn,
I know this question is kind of "out of left field", but is the pool at the SBBH saltwater or freshwater? We've contemplated staying in one of the 2 bedroom villas there with our 2 younger children and were just curious.
Thanks
Eric

Eric, I believe the pool is fresh water but quite honestly I never went in it. You can e-mail them and inquire. They are very nice there and speak English. I found the 2 BR villa to be very large, open and well-equipped, if not very well-appointed (i.e., plain and simple vs. fancy and elegant). My only complaint was that there are no screens. Unfortunately that appears to be the case at most of these places. There is A/C in the bedrooms but not in the living area (just a fan). There is cross-ventilation if you open both doors, but be sure to close your bedroom doors since bugs will come in otherwise. We figured all this out the hard way, after spending 2 nights killing mosquitos for an hour before we could sleep. But all in all, it was a very good location and we would stay there again. I'll go into more detail when I post my trip report later this week. (stay tuned...)
Lynn