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what keeps you coming back?

charlieh

SBH Insider
This could be a worn out topic, but I'm curious why the regulars keep vacationing on SBH. There are other destinations that are easier to reach and less expensive.

For me the French aspect was #1. Then the relaxation aspect of a small island.
 
least expensive per diem vacation we do....hands down...my weekend in Bar Harbor Maine and Burlington Vermont this fall will be far more on a per diem comparison
so that's one reason


habit......don't fix what ain't broken...so that's another reason

Auberge @ Petit Anse... after 12 years in #17 its home away from home...no stress..no worries...same experience every year...we realy like that about a vacation...and Petit Anse is still the quietest most peaceful little cove we have ever experienced anywhere on the water...

its not about the food..its not about the spas...its not about the shopping...its not about the parties....its not about the people....its not about any of that

its about an island that still ( knock wood ) has an environment which lets us fly under the radar, on complete disconnect from the world, and do nothing but catch up with each other...good for the soul ( and the marriage )
 
I hate to admit this, but Mike's right about the cost being reasonable, at least when traveling with the twins. We paid a lot last trip, but we paid about the same for our Maui trip.

What Vickie and I love about the island is that we have both a sense of seclusion along with some great food. When we can find a spot on a beautiful beach all to ourselves, and then have dinner at places that rival top spots back home (and can eat like that every night) we are pretty happy. It helps that my phone doesn't work on the island.

We are still not sure what we will do next year though. It might be nice to go to Crete to see her family, and a return to Maui might also be nice. The twins are too young to enjoy Paris, so that's out, at least for a trip with the twins. I've tossed out the idea of leaving the twins home and heading for Bora Bora. We will see.
 
Mike pretty much said it all for us as well. The familiarity, although not a good thing for some, gives us a much more relaxed vacation. We know what to expect - we are well passed the "new and discovery" type of vacation. We still only spend two weeks a year on SBH but we have found no other island that gives us the same rush when we get off that plane. If you know your way around, it is quite reasonably priced. We have only been traveling there for 7 years but I guess we're still "newbies" compared to some here. But it never gets old, right???
 
Mike R said:
least expensive per diem vacation we do....hands down...my weekend in Bar Harbor Maine and Burlington Vermont this fall will be far more on a per diem comparison
so that's one reason


habit......don't fix what ain't broken...so that's another reason

Auberge @ Petit Anse... after 12 years in #17 its home away from home...no stress..no worries...same experience every year...we realy like that about a vacation...and Petit Anse is still the quietest most peaceful little cove we have ever experienced anywhere on the water...

its not about the food..its not about the spas...its not about the shopping...its not about the parties....its not about the people....its not about any of that

its about an island that still ( knock wood ) has an environment which lets us fly under the radar, on complete disconnect from the world, and do nothing but catch up with each other...good for the soul ( and the marriage )

Our regular life fortunately allows us to really appreciate the small, the slow, the timelessness, the ambiance of St Barts in the off-season. New York and the daily commute can be exhausting. I just got a text from my other half and she's on the 7:05 PM train home and will walk in the door at around 8:20 PM. She departed the homestead this morning to catch the 6:37AM train. We have such a precise routine it's time to get to St Barts to leave all this behind. And I've been doing it since 1976. 10 days isn't really enough but it'll do.
 
Mike R said:
Auberge @ Petit Anse... after 12 years in #17 its home away from home...no stress..no worries...same experience every year...we realy like that about a vacation...and Petit Anse is still the quietest most peaceful little cove we have ever experienced anywhere on the water...

Mike, check out p. 255 of the great book JEK has posted for a little history.
 
goldold25 said:
I just got a text from my other half and she's on the 7:05 PM train home and will walk in the door at around 8:20 PM. She departed the homestead this morning to catch the 6:37AM train..


Understanding that we are all wired differently and no judgement at all intended...but I cannot, on any level, conceive of that kind of commute..especially given I can see my school and shops right outside my kitchen window up here and see my boat outside my living room window down there on the Cape.....maybe I'm just spoiled rotten but I just couldnt do that kind of commute for love or money......heck I get all bitchy when we go out to the lakehouse which is a whopping 30 minutes away from the resort
 
Someone once asked me, when I was a cop In NYC, why don't you try to get a cop job in a less crazy place? The simplest answer is why would I want to be a cop anywhere else? This is the place where it all happens. The same goes for virtually everything else. If you want to be an emergency room doc go to Bellevue. I haven't been a cop for over 20 years but the same feeling applies to virtually everything else. NYC is, for what it's worth, the biggest, most complicated, fastest most enticing challenge at hand. I guess for some of us that counts. But I found the island of our discussion a few years ago and like the stark differences.

Would Jim Calhoun leave UCONN at this point? Nah! JoePa is still at it at PSU. But he liked the press box a bit last year. But he'll be back leading the team out in front of 108,000 screaming Penn State fans this year. How can you go downscale after so many years in the mecca? Tough call.
 
I like how I'm always welcomed back, and treated as if I belong, regardless of how long I've been away.
 
gold old...yeah I hear ya...born in Brooklyn....raised in Jersey City...couldn't wait to get the hell out!..."they" said it was a "faze" I would "outgrow" once I got it out of my system...."they" dont believe that anymore....LOL


if you re happy ..thats all which matters
 
All true Eddie...all true. That is why we now go twice a year...always want to get back "HOME".
 
Mike R said:
gold old...yeah I hear ya...born in Brooklyn....raised in Jersey City...couldn't wait to get the hell out!..."they" said it was a "faze" I would "outgrow" once I got it out of my system...."they" dont believe that anymore....LOL


if you re happy ..thats all which matters


I just hope I don't turn into one of the Gotham escapees who, upon retirement or leaving to get away from it all, tries to "get busy" in the new, slower paced spot. I sincerely hope that all I crave about my annual visit to this oasis of off-season calm can be incorporated into my everyday reality when I pull the plug on the current pace. But it sure is good for the 10 or so days we've been doing it for the last few years.
 
Charlie,

The reason why I return to St Barth is quite simple. My time in St Barth restores my soul. Ease of reach and cost are immaterial, but I do know how to control both. Restoring my soul is priceless. And the Sole Meuniere ain't bad either...
 
Kevin - I understand your point but am curious if you can explain why you find this at SBH and not another location.

In other words, why do you think SBH has this affect on you? I also know it may be really hard to explain.
 
Charlie,
From your post a couple of years ago. Are you still in search of the answer?


No island is perfect for everyone. When we discovered this little piece of French heaven on earth 20 years ago, I fell head over heels in love with the place. We just had our 6th vacation there, but the 1st in 9 years.

St Barts was the most relaxing and romantic place I had ever been, but those days are now pleasant memories for me. Before hurricane Luis in 95, St Jean Bay defined SBH for me. Now Saline defines it. All the beaches except St Jean seem to be in as good a shape as in 1995, but St Jean looks like it will never come back - at least in my lifetime.

The roads have always been a challenge, but the loss of mini mokes and the addition of many more cars and cycles on the roads has made driving much more of a nuisance. It is impossible to throw all the money and publicity at SBH and not to expect changes.

All I know is that the place that I once loved is no longer the "right" place for me. It is still unique and interesting and probably always will be.
 
Charlie,

I've spent time on as many different islands as anyone. SBH works for me. You've already quit on it. Why do you keep asking questions?
 
It's our "Hideaway" without long trips and other hassles.

Loud music? We'll jump in. Restaurant questions? We'll check here first and then do what what we please. :cool:

Time - it works against us. Yet, requires good company, good surroundings, good food, good beaches, good wine and a spirit of "joie...."

The fun can be found. The absence of fun with "in your face" commercial stuff is not there and appreciated. (At least by us) :p
 
charlieh said:
... why do you think SBH has this affect on you?

I think you can get as many different answers as there are members. But, I think, all the answers will have one thing in common. There are moments of absolute, overwhelming bliss. It's those instants when time loses meaning, and every sense is heightened. The universe appears whole, and perfect. I don't know how else to describe it.
For me, it often occurs over a cup of St Barth Blend, on the terrace, in the morning. Or, late night, watching the stars, with a nightcap. Or, at other random times, always unplanned, and always welcomed.
 
Add to mine what Eddie said. In my limited experience (three trips in four years), we've seemed to find a lot of those odd moments, such as sitting with that cup of coffee, or even something like the challenge of looking at the selections at Petite Columbe to find the perfect pastry (or four) for that morning, where there is just this sense of complete comfort and bliss.

With regard to Mike's comment of "why do you "hate to admit this" ????"

Because we have a different context of price. I wish I could find a place that keeps Vickie and the twins happy at $400 per night (and fondly remember when we paid about that for Four Seasons Maui on our first trip there). But traveling with the twins, and knowing her standards, we now spend around $1,000 per night. Still, the other trip we took with the twins was to show them (not that they would remember since they were 10 months old, but I will always remember William taking his first real steps there) Four Seasons Maui, and we paid a bit more there. So, in comparison, the money is not bad.
 
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