TRIP REPORT NUMBER QUATRE

NorCalCpl

SBH Insider
Our life has been rather hectic since our return from St. Barth a month ago. I conducted the burial ceremony for my father at the local VA cemetery (during which we hosted 18 family members for a three day weekend). Also, a friend was murdered. Furthermore I had a crisis at work. I wanted to post a trip report sooner but was otherwise engaged. That said, things have calmed down a bit so here it is!

First of all, this was our fourth trip to St. Barth and four years since our last. Why so long you may ask? Well I’ll tell you. 2 college loans, 2 weddings, as well as trips to Paris/Côte d’Azur and Hawaii managed to get in the way. We have come to our senses and returned to our favorite place. Enough background.

I won’t bore you with the entire story but just a few observations and anecdotes.

First of all, we decided to try a hotel for the first time. We really enjoy staying on St. Jean Beach but most of the affordable villas on the beach no longer seem to be available. We stayed at the Tom Beach Hotel because it sounded fun. We saw some mixed reviews but pulled the trigger on the deal that included: a rental car, daily breakfast, and VIP transfer at SXM (which was amazing!). We had a Deluxe ocean front room which is basically right on top of La Plage Restaurant. We were a bit concerned about noise and kitchen odor but found it to be no problem (well more about this later).

Reports about the death of La Plage/Pink Parrot are greatly exaggerated! We are happy to report that the staff, the food, and the fun all seemed as we remembered it from our last trip. We were there for 9 days so had a good statistical sample. The wait staff and bartenders were friendly and lovely. The fashion show models were beautiful. The owner was hard working and friendly. Each morning our waitress greeted us with a hug and kiss on both cheeks.

We did the La Plage Friday night party and Saturday Bikini Brunch twice during our visit and enjoyed them. The first BB was exceptional with a fun vibe and beautiful people everywhere. The second was a bit different. There was a large birthday party at La Plage with a group of 30+ folks from NYC. They drained many, many magnums of champagne during lunch and before you knew it the bikini tops were coming off in the restaurant while enthusiastic ladies demonstrated their mad dancing skills! I was observing festivities of this human zoo as a student of anthropology. The silly ladies ended up in the pool although their bikini top whereabouts remained unknown. This was all fine, I am a tolerant person. Things took an unfortunate turn later at 1:30 AM that night. The group returned from Le Ti with considerable party spirit left so several jumped into the pool minus any swimsuits whatsoever. This was fine but they were extremely loud so it wasn’t OK. Oh well. One of group sheepishly apologized the following morning. This was the only bad experience we had with staying at the hotel.

We did the Sunday party at Nikki Beach but almost didn’t. I made a reservation 3 weeks in advance using their website. What I failed to notice was the booking calendar has Monday as the first day of the week, not Sunday! Oops. As it happened that Sunday included a very large group of soccer players from the French World Cup team as well as a famous executive (with his posse) who was hosting events at Eden Rock. Long story short, we were screwed. After sitting in the bar and watching more human zoo (see photo) we were able to get a table and share a plate of hamburger sliders for 30 Euros! What a country!

We met up some friends we haven’t seen in years who were staying in St. Maarten but wanted to come over to St. Barts for the day. We took them to Colombier Beach, then lunch at Do Brazil. They decided next time they will skip St. Maarten and come to St. Barts instead.

I’m not exactly an outgoing guy but when on vacation I make a point to meet people. This is actually the highlight of the trip for me. We met people from many countries and became friends with a young couple from Switzerland. They were travelling with a 5 month old baby! The kid was the easiest baby we have ever seen who seemed to love everything he was doing. We took them to Colombier Beach as well and had a grand time.

I got the chance to meet Ric Ocasek, frontman from The Cars who was there with his model wife Paulina Porzikova and their children. Mr. Ocasek seemed very gracious and happy to get some fan love from the few (older) folks on the beach who recognized him. They seemed to like La Plage because they spent several afternoons there on the beach and in the restaurant. Another two-time Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover girl, Carol Alt was staying at Eden Rock at the same time! What a country!

Other:
We did the Washing Machine/Natural Pools hike which was great but please heed the advice about sea urchins. I had some swim goggles which helped us successfully avoid them.
During our visit to Saline Beach the water and sand were free of seaweed which seems to come and go I understand.
We went scuba diving with Plongee Caraibes which was great except that instead of taking us out on the Blue Cat we were met by a tiny dinghy which was not as spacious and comfortable.

Restaurants:
Bonito: Wins prize for best meal. We sat on the balcony facing the harbor and lights of the village. The wait staff was great, the people were beautiful, and the food was sublime.
Eddy’s: Honorable mention. Very friendly, great food, good value.
Santa Fe: Amazing lunch. Duck served two ways in orange sauce was probably the best duck I have ever had.
Black Ginger: Cool vibe and good food.
La Plage: Friendly and fun, DJ and fire show on Fridays.
Le Select: Same as always.
L'isola: Was not so great in our opinion.
Do Brazil: Great spot for lunch on Shell Beach.
Our deck at Tom Beach: Wine, bread, cheese, and pate and clothing optional!

We won’t wait four years to return.
 
The Photos:
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Norcal you guys did great after all the drama prior to this trip.
Sorry for your sad times, but thrilled to see you bounced back with such happy times.

Your report is entertaining and a great way to start the day.
 
Norcal you guys did great after all the drama prior to this trip.
Sorry for your sad times, but thrilled to see you bounced back with such happy times.

Your report is entertaining and a great way to start the day.

Thanks Amy. Actually we have had all the drama since​ our trip!
 
John, you and Mollie made some incredible memories that will last a lifetime. Thanks for sharing the highs and lows of your trip. Intel like this is valuable stuff!

I'm so sorry for your losses. You and the family are in my thoughts and prayers.
 
First off, so very sorry about the loss of your dad and your friend. Too much all at once.

Thanks for your trip report - it was a great read and glad you had such a memorable trip! Also great to make new friends and St.Barth is the best place to do it! Hope you both can make it back sooner than later!
 
Enjoyed your trip report of time on the island (condolences for the bad personal items). It's good to read that you plan to return soon!
 
Very nice trip report. So sorry to hear of all of the unfortunate things that happened since you returned. Good to know about the rooms at
Tom's. I've always wondered if it would be noisy and smelly to stay there. We, too, enjoy meeting new people and as a result have many friends we've met in St. Barths. Hope to see you two there sometime in the future.
 
Thank you all for the kind words. I appreciate it.

One item of explanation is that my father actually passed away a year ago. His final demise was very quick and the memorial was held shortly after. We decided to schedule the interment of his ashes on the 1 year anniversary in part to allow more family members a friends join us. The service at the VA cemetery was really great with full military honors, flag ceremony, 3 gun salute, etc. He was a bombardier on a B-17 in WW2.

John
 
The military funerals at the National Cemetery are quite stirring. A nice farewell and thank for their military service.

You would have really enjoyed the Air Show here for the March Bucket Race. Try to make one of these. some day.
 
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