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Finally sitting down to do a trip report. Just to review. We just took our first trip to St. Barths. We were a party of 3 couples (more on that lat

ChipN

SBH Member
Trip Report 7-21 to 8-1 Thanks Sbhonline!

Finally sitting down to do a trip report. Just to review. We just took our first trip to St. Barths. We were a party of 3 couples (more on that later) staying in a villa in Vitet. Before proceeding I would like to personally thank each and everyone of the folks on this outstanding board for their insight and patience in answering all of my questions. The info received here made our trip even more special than it would have been.

Also a very special thank you to Tim. He graciously invited my wife and I to his beautiful home in Vitet on Sunday 7-23. I must say that Tim's skill as a craftsman is only surpassed by his grace as a host. This was truly a highlight of our trip. We also met the charming Larry and Sue of Pennsylvania, as well as Chip (the orgiginal on this board) and his beautiful wife and daughter. Thank you all for a lovely time. Our biggest regret on our trip was that we had previous arrangements with Chef Bernard for that evening's dinner and were unable to join the group in celebration of Lance's #7. Thank you again Tim.

On to the report:

Travel: We planned a night in St. Martin on the way down in order to insure us not worrying about a connection should we have a delay. Turns out that AA from DFW thru Miami on to SXM went without a hitch. Although now not necessary we stayed at the Royal Turtle Inn right by the airport in St. Martin. Great place and even better service. Truly representative of the "Friendly Island". Nice value too at $80 per night. Next day off to Paradise on Air Caraibes. Left 30 minutes late but no big deal we had Caribs.

Rental Car: We reserved 2 Samuari with Maurice Car Rental. Nancy and I had corresponded several times and it was nice to finally meet face to face. Two vehicles ready as promised at the rate promised. Great service with a smile and will use them in the future.

Villa: Villa Etoile de Mer in Vitet. What a drive! I have lived in the USVI previously and was used to island driving but it even took me a little while to adjust. As for the villa in a word..PERFECT!! Multi-level with 3 equal bedrooms up and living, kitchen, dining, and pool down. All with great views from the Cul de Sacs to Toiny. Very high on the mountain and near the end of the road quite a ways past 3 Forces. Beautiful furnishings and a great set up for multiple couples (more on that later too).

Beaches: Saline, Governeur, Flamands, St. Jean, and Grand Cul de Sac. All very unique and beautiful. Our favorite was Saline but we loved them all. Regret not getting to Columbier. But that leaves something new for next time.

Dining: "The Goose"- Great food service and what a view!! Le Select- I would kill for a Marius Special right now!! Eddie's- Great food and service and really neat place. K'fe Massai- Cool place and wonderful food and service. Lunches at Route de Buccaneer, Santa Fe, and Nikki Beach all good. But the absolute best meal of our trip was Chef Bernard Javelle cooking for us at our villa. What a treat!!! We had grilled lobster that was out of this world and Chef Javelle himself was a wonderful companion for the evening. We would not go back without setting aside a night with him.

Shopping: My wife got a lovely and flattering outfit at Indigo (thanks for the tip Davesmom) where we were waited on by the owner. What a charming lady. We really enjoyed visiting with her and hearing about her life. Also we couldn't get off the island without a St. Barths bracelet from Diamond Genesis for my wife. I must say though that I am truly lucky in that my wife would rather drink Carib on the beach than shop for the afternoon. Yet another reason that I love that woman.

General Observations on the island: Great place with event better people. As I have said we previously lived in the USVI and have a special place in our heart for the US and BVI. Our problem is that now we have an equally strong connection to St. Barths. Looks like we will just have to visit the caribbean more often. Too bad.

Change in plans: We planned to go to Saba from Friday the 29th to Sunday the 31st with one last night on St. Martin. However due to some reservation mistakes made by Winair we were bumped to a late flight from SXM to Saba and by the time our flight was to leave Saba airport had shut down. So we got 3 nights on St. Martin that were not expected. A little let down but we made the best of it and Winair made things right by picking up our hotel and rent car in St. Martin as well as refunding our tickets. We just wish we would have known earlier and we would have stayed in St. Barths.

Regrets: Traveling with too many people. We love our friends that went however, a difference in financial priorities can cause issues while on a trip. It was made painfully clear that dining could be quite costly. Perhaps I should have chosen "The Goose" for a meal later in the trip. However my wife and I feel that the dining experience is one of the joys of travel. Especially in a locale like St. Barths. Regardless a lesson has been learned. We will travel with our established travel companions in the future or alone. Fortunately no feelings were bruised and all are still friends. Also six is just to many people to get going in one direction. Oh well no blood no foul!!

Finally we didn't get to the Hideaway on our last night due to the torrential storms. Again something for next time.

Thanks again to all and sorry it's so long.
ChipN
 
Re: Trip Report 7-21 to 8-1 Thanks Sbhonline!

ChipN, great post. We were there the week before you and concur whole heartedly on Chef Bernard. We have not been able to get our act together yet to post our Trip Report but it is coming.

We can't wait to get back to SBH!
 
Re: Trip Report 7-21 to 8-1 Thanks Sbhonline!

Always leaving something for the next trip is the best way to return..start planning now. Going on vacation with friends can lead to some tense moments so we always travel alone and enjoy the people we meet. Very difficult to match everyones wants and needs and few people are willing to just go and have each couple/person do their own thing. Thanks agin for the report...we still have 200 days until our next trip ..still trying to do the things we missed on previous stops.
 
Re: Trip Report 7-21 to 8-1 Thanks Sbhonline!

ChipN, I thought L'Etoile de Mer would be a great villa.You know, we more often than not do bring friends to SBH and share a villa.Many times we were three couples.But, we make it clear before we travel that we do not have to be joined at the hip.For example, oufriends enjoy tha Lafayette Club and it simply is not within our budget.Francois Plantation was a favorite, but we took a copy of the menu back to the villa so everyone could decide if they wanted to visit.We spend entirely too much time at Le Select for some people's taste, so 3 autos for 3 couples are always a must!I, on the other hand,would hate being stuck on a hot beach for any length of time,and that's one reason I miss Filao so much.The schedules have never meshed, but we always get along, and report our adventures to one another during sunset cocktails, and usually end up having dinner together after all.Glad you had the opportunity to meet Larry and Susan, who are very gracious people.
 
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