January 2017 Trip Report

thomasj

SBH Insider
Hello everyone!
I've just finally sat down long enough and enough time has passed that I've been able to digest my latest SBH trip (January 15 to February 5) to note down a few of my thoughts of my recently finished visit to our beloved Caribbean paradise.

I'm aiming for easy reading and some brevity here ;), so won't go into tons of detail, however any questions shoot! I like lists and categories myself so I hope that all works for you all.

TRANSPORT
1st time ever I went via SJU with Tradewind (due to travelling with a small dog and new regs to transit SXM with them).
Thoughts? Not worth the money IMHO. SJU airport is a lot larger and busier than SXM, however the walk from arrival gate to Tradewind lounge was a very easy 5 minutes. Airport not too crowded but its pretty hot in there and people move real slow. On return - Security (Priority Access) was slow as molasses. Airline Check in staff also super slow. Plus? Customs was empty and took less than 5 minutes. Tradewind is "nice" but not what I would call upscale or posh in any way (call me jaded). The 1 hour flight from SJU is a big minus compared to 10 minute SBH Commuter hop. Unless NA to SXM fares are crazy or flights are sold out (and money is no object) I don't see a reason or justification to use Tradewind (especially if its a bigger party) I wouldn't use Tradewind again. Then again if money was no object I would just recommend charting a private plane (or megayacht).

Travelling with a dog (in cabin)
SJU only asked for a valid rabies certificate (within 6 months)
SBH did not ask anything and completely oblivious to a dog coming in.

Welcome Car SBH. First time using this company, I usually use Gumb. Our car was fine, clean and Welcome provides prompt, good service. Minus is that, unike Gumb, they are not located at the airport.

WEATHER
It was very windy when we arrived (around the time that boat was beached at Nikki Beach) and cool brrrr! but within days it warmed up and can say that the weather was pretty much perfect - the best of all the times I've visited (Nov, Dec and Feb). Just enough wind, a light smattering of rain (maybe 2 days?) Absolutely amazing. I highly recommend mid January to February for a visit. November is nice too, however being the tail end of the hurricane season, rain is more possible. If I come back it will be January again.

PEOPLE
2 things: Way more traffic however much less people. Go figure. The road at St Jean is pretty nonstop all day but a lot of it is construction vehicles. Beaches are never crowded in SBH however Gustavia did not seem as busy to me as in previous trips, with the exception of cruise visit days. Beaches were heaven, like I remember. Saline is my personal fave. Did the hike to Colombier and that was the only beach that was busier than I remember on previous visits.

MOSQUITOES
LOTS. To my recollection, numbers were pretty much the same as my previous visits in 2015,13,11,10,09
This time I was ready with something new and came with a product called Natrapel. The reviews were mixed but I hate DEET products so fingers crossed and it worked! Not a single bite all 3 weeks.
https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5038-081/Lemon-Eucalyptus-Insect-Repellent---74ml-Pump
I bought it at MEC but should be available at Walmart and other stores.

ACCOMMODATION
1st week at the "new" (actually more like repainted and refurnished) Tropical Hotel. Plus? Overall friendly service, very chill, great location in St Jean so you don't have to drive to get to a beach and restaurants. Minus? Rooms were not renovated in any way, are TINY and walls are thin thin thin. A few nights some heavily liquored up NYers checked in next door and yeah, not a happy camper. Seaview rooms have no sea view. None of the rooms here have a view, unless you consider a parking lot a view. Pool is cute, beside a very busy street that was pretty nonstop. Lots of construction noise from 7am to evening. BIG MINUS? The rates are obscene (even for St Barts) well I hope that works out for them. Normandie, Salines Garden are better choices for a less pricey hotel stay.
2nd and 3rd week were at a self catering private rental very near Saline Beach. Not as much construction and noise in that area (yet) and not as much traffic so BLISS obviously. I never wanted to leave.

FOOD
(Caveat: I won't talk money, cause as we all know SBH is expensive, consistently overpriced and the cost has zero relevance to quality of food and service) I think I've covered them all, I might have forgotten a few forgettable ones.
Maman at Hotel Tropical - cute setting (sit beside the turtle pond), terrible coffee, nice service, tiny portions of uninspired food. We have a branch in Toronto and the SBH version didn't win me over at all.
Maya's to Go - was a fan before but this trip noticed food quality has gone way down and its very repetitive. It's popular but I stopped going after 2 chances on the first week. Noticed they were very very understaffed.
Kiki e Mo - surprisingly this trip was my first time and they won me over. The menu isn't super exciting by any means, but the food quality is solid and even when busy with annoying day trippers, staff did well. The Happy Hour was great too with nice mixed drinks.
So Cuisine - love the owner/operators and the food. The menu, raw and organic, certainly isn't for everyone, but as someone who eats little meat and junk food, having this as an option on SBH is wonderful.
Tom's Juice - staff is very friendly and informative about their menu. Again I love to eat clean and the options here are pretty good, especially considering its SBH. Their ginger drink is a great wakeup in the morning and they sell them in markets as well if you don't go to Gustavia.
Nikki Beach - a chain, a slightly gaudy one at that, and the target market is the chic, want to see and be seen crowd but you know what? The service was the best of all the restaurants we went to. Food is well prepared and fresh.
Le Grain de Sel - waited an eternity for a server to notice us, so forget it. I'm done.
Orega - service was off the night we went, staff kinda pissed off and snarky. Food was just ok IMO, dishes were well plated (not always the case in SBH) and trying to be inventive but again call me jaded I wasn't impressed.
Isoletta - staff here quite friendly and touchy/feely Italian, Roman style pizza tastes great and its enjoyable if you forget they are charging 10x what they do in Rome :cool:
Le Vietnam - the trilingual owner/operator here is really nice and the place was empty however the food was only ok. Asian dishes prepared for a European palate all the way.
Black Ginger - impressed with the super friendly service and love the design (the take out is also a nice space) however again the dishes are prepared more for a European taste (almost inedible and really sweet curry) as opposed to spicy. Tiny portions.
Le Select - love to drink here. As always skip the burgers - they are horrible.

I like to cook and to shop on SBH so after the gloss of going out wore out, I shopped Marche U, JoJos, Boulangerie Choisy, etc to self cater. SBH stores have such a great selection of wines and French products (and prices aren't out of control) that its a shame not to partake.

Overall, this time, the restaurants seemed less busy with patrons and less staffed in my observation. Also there was some kind of illness all over the island (locals musing about "le gastro"). Let's not talk smoking anymore cause obviously the French never got the memo that smoking kills and restaurant owners can't be bothered to say anything. As much as I hate the smoke, I do my best to ignore and just enjoy the fact I am on SBH. A plus of this carefree 'tude is also that SBH restaurant owners don't care about little dogs everywhere either. Live and let live right?

FINALLY let's talk.
As I've seen already discussed on this board, the construction on SBH is out of control. I mean I don't live on the island, so ultimately I don't have any skin in the game pro vs. con, however as a just having hit 40s traveller (I've been super fortunate to have visited 70+ countries in my life, including some pretty gorgeous islands that can certainly compete with SBH) I can already see the vast change in the vibe and feel of the island just from 2009, when I started coming here. I assume those coming since the 70s and 80s see even more and can only cry. I am able to see advantages of modernizing some elements of the island however I can also see where this is heading if the development and sell out to the richest folks continues unchallenged and I don't like it. Don't get me wrong, a vacation in SBH (for me) is a million times more relaxing, still, than anywhere else in the Caribbean however the trek to get here and the cost won't be worth it to me anymore once SBH succumbs to beach/resort/villa development to the extent that it's no longer as relaxing as it was, and still can be. I am only consoled by the fact that the locals (the ones that I talked to) are generally not happy with the current state of affairs. Not that that will change anything, nothing talks louder than money in this world it seems. It was nice while it lasted. The Editors note in the Pure Magazine was a sobering wake up call the first morning.

OH AND 1 last thing: LOVE LOVE LOVE the new parking lot and park/sunset overlook behind the Gustavia hospital. A hidden gem that so far seems to only be used by locals. This is an example of something new and modern actually serving a purpose for the locals that probably didn't diminish anything in return.

Cheers and happy travels everyone! :peace-sign1::pray1:
 
Nice report, with some points which aren't often raised. Merci!

Noting your interest in Sophie's food at So Cuisine, and for Tom's Juice Bar in Gustavia, I have two grocery store suggestions for your next visit.

Back behind the airport gas station, a few hundred yards back in Les Mangliers, is Le Rendez Vous, an organic grocer from the AMC group of markets.

In the heights of Anse des Cayes is La Vie Claire, the St Barth outpost of a French chain of organic grocers.

Rumor has it that Le Rendez Vous wasn't meeting expectations, and was slated to close. The arrival of La Vie Claire has given it a second chance, but their sales numbers will eventually rule the day.

I guess that the message regarding organic grocery stores is that you need to support them by shopping there regularly if you want them to be there at all.
 
Spot on about Kiki et Mo and Nikki Beach. Thanks for the observations. I wish I could stay for 3 weeks. You are a lucky man.
 
Nice report and I agree with most of your sentiments . accept I do wish the ocean would swallow NB...but it's easily ignored while it still exists...but you are right......a chain restaurant which attracts the narcissist

kiki y mo is a winner for sure ....
 
Thank you, Thomas. I appreciate your candid report.

Just out of curiosity: What was "the Editor's note in the Pure Magazine", if you care to elaborate?
 
Great trip report. Honest and unbiased.

Editors note in Pure was an unbridled indictment of the greed that has encompassed the tranquility of the island with a particular emphasis on what many on the island to be the illegal and corrupt development of the beach club at Toiny by its new owners, an investment group as I understand it led by the former Anglican Vicar. It is not as you know a beach for swimming, but they have brought in sand, built cabanas and have a dining area on the, "beach." They have also dubiously turned historic case structures into restroom (quite nice) and as usual over priced fashion shops. Before we understood it was green space, according to PURE, developed under somewhat dubious permitting (again according to PURE), we dined there for lunch twice. First time last year, the food was inedible reheated steam table pablum. it had been prepared and with usual french speed (not) delivered to the beach. This year, all at our table had very good salads and grilled lobster. We were as usual treated to an indifferent, "fashion show," of skimpy beach wear modeled by a blase' pre pubertile model and designed for pre-pubertile teens. But some were probably impressed since they were rich elderly uncles obviously entertaining their pre pubertile nieces with much groping and affection. (oh no, a friend has told me they were actually couples?). My bad!

A large part of the pure article talks about the desecration of this land that has seen many drowning deaths over the years and the danger of suggesting that this is a swimming beach with concern that more lives will be claimed by what we witnessed were waters dubiously safe for only the strongest of surfers and swimmers. Who knows if allegations are true. I love PURE and hope he is not prevented from publishing another issue, but, I will tell you, we found it only in a few scattered stands and not everywhere as before, almost as if it had been scarfed up by parties unknown.:angel1:

"He who controls the press, controls the people"
 
"Back behind the airport gas station, a few hundred yards back in Les Mangliers, is Le Rendez Vous, an organic grocer from the AMC group of markets."

Hi Kevin, thanks much. I actually did visit Le Rendez several times over the 3 weeks. I didn't mention it because a. I didn't think it would be much of interest to SBH Board members and b. I seriously doubt they will last past this winter.
Shame. Its a nice, clean bright space, selection is OK (Great considering its SBH actually) prices are not crazy when compared to similar shops in Toronto/NYC and the coffee there actually is drinkable and organic to boot. Location is not any more inconvenient than going to Marche U however Le Rendez was empty every single time I visited except for staff. This alone tells me that visitors and locals are not shopping there and its days are numbered. Side note: They carry a line made by a local (American) vegan chef called "Plant Based Daily" which was quite well prepared and tasty however they didn't seem to stock it on a regular basis. Staff there did not speak English also so they are aiming for locals here. I hope they can make it but have doubts.
La Vie is part of a larger chain from France so they have the money and resources to stick it out longer, however I found the prices there outrageous and the location a little bit of a pain. Stock was fresh and again very good selection of organics on a little rock in the Caribbean where you cannot grow a single fruit.
cheers!
 
"Just out of curiosity: What was "the Editor's note in the Pure Magazine", if you care to elaborate?"

its on page 36 of the current Pure Magazine - sadly it is not available online at the moment on the Pure website. Thanks for the reply Carmen, unlike your experience I saw Pure all over the island in mid January and took a bunch of copies for friends back home. I also saw lots at Airport on way out. It didn't look like (to me) that they were hiding it at all. That said, who knows - SBH doesn't seem like the kind of island where locals would censor opposing viewpoints, I know for a fact that quite a few locals are more upset that there are plenty of naked breasts and behinds on artful display in PURE. ;)
 
"accept I do wish the ocean would swallow NB...but it's easily ignored while it still exists...but you are right......a chain restaurant which attracts the narcissist"

well you almost had your wish, It was mighty windy when we arrived on Jan 15 and that beached boat could just as well ended up in the NB dining room (closing it for a few weeks if not season at least). :eyes-roll1:
 
"I wish I could stay for 3 weeks. You are a lucky man"
thanks for the reply! One of the benefits of having your own company and reliable wifi on SBH (finally). It took 5 trips to reach this milestone (my first visit was 4 nights). However, if one can swing it, vacation time wise and mainly financially, 2 weeks is the minimum I suggest for a SBH visit from now on. 3 weeks is perfect. After 1 week one is not fully relaxed, 2 weeks one is relaxed but still kinda lusting for more sun filled beach days, after 3 weeks you are well tanned, sufficiently relaxed, and just about ready to head back to reality.
 
"Back behind the airport gas station, a few hundred yards back in Les Mangliers, is Le Rendez Vous, an organic grocer from the AMC group of markets."

Hi Kevin, thanks much. I actually did visit Le Rendez several times over the 3 weeks. I didn't mention it because a. I didn't think it would be much of interest to SBH Board members and b. I seriously doubt they will last past this winter.
Shame. Its a nice, clean bright space, selection is OK (Great considering its SBH actually) prices are not crazy when compared to similar shops in Toronto/NYC and the coffee there actually is drinkable and organic to boot. Location is not any more inconvenient than going to Marche U however Le Rendez was empty every single time I visited except for staff. This alone tells me that visitors and locals are not shopping there and its days are numbered. Side note: They carry a line made by a local (American) vegan chef called "Plant Based Daily" which was quite well prepared and tasty however they didn't seem to stock it on a regular basis. Staff there did not speak English also so they are aiming for locals here. I hope they can make it but have doubts.
La Vie is part of a larger chain from France so they have the money and resources to stick it out longer, however I found the prices there outrageous and the location a little bit of a pain. Stock was fresh and again very good selection of organics on a little rock in the Caribbean where you cannot grow a single fruit.
cheers!


I don't know how organic and it's prices will fly with the locals. I would not have seen it if I didn't need some rental equipment back there so the
Problem as always is location.
20170221_095923_resized.jpg
 
I have to admit, I like the menu at Nikki Beach.

Many "foodies" would snicker but I too find the food, service and presentation to be above many of the restos frequently praised on this forum. My suggestion for non believers would be to NOT go on a Sunday and to go prior to 2:00 before the noise takes over. The prices are reasonable by SBH standards if you don't go crazy on the hootch. I have never been a "chain resto fan" but I do like tons of choices executed well with portion sizes I would call generous. Great steak, ribs, rotisserie chicken and pretty good sushi as well as numerous other offerings.
 
Top