Why here? Why then?

Ok, not withstanding how you got here, why did you decide to come here in the first place? We met many folks last night who have been coming here for far more years than us. What first inspired you to come here? And, let's be realistic and limit it to prior to 1990 for your first SBH trip.

We were on St. Marteen in 1987 and listened to a time share pitch for a cat ride over to St, Barth. Liked it so came back in 1988 and 1990. Coming back Sunday for first time since.

Early 80's.

Short story - We took a day trip from SXM, by ferry to find friends who had extended their week in SXM to a 2nd week in SBH. It was the early 80's, and 3-4 sailing cats made a decent paycheck by doing a day-tripper trip every day. We took the power ferry. We've never willing spent a night on SXM since.

Long story - The important details will never appear online. Over a one month period it includes (for me) constant travel, 5-6 mainland US cities, Disneyland, Rattlesnake Chili and Lone Star long-necks on the North Shore of Oahu, crazy limo rides between NYC-area airports, an unticketed flight on a Pan-Am Helicopter, camping out and singing songs with a local guitar player on the beach in Anguilla, casino winnings, a Medevac, and, again, never willingly spending a night on SXM since. With all of that, and much much more, that one day on SBH blew me away.

1980 ..was living at Divi Hotel in Little Bay, St Martin while on a work project ..was contracted to get a cargo boat off a reef and barged to St Thomas for repairs and then deliver her to Houston......heard about a "little French island nearby with beautiful women and cheap French wine "....we had a work boat so we said let's go for a day and check it out ....took the boat into Gustavia , discovered Select and was warmly welcomed by Marius, and ended up staying three days partying with the locals at Select every night

Read an article in "Travel and Leisure" magazine some time around 1985. Sounded like Caribbean perfection in comparison to some other islands we had visited. We got a reservation at Les Castelets, loved it, and came back another year to stay at the same hotel.

Lost my head completely in 1989 and bought a sailboat, sailed all over the Caribbean including multiple trips to St. Barth. Got sick of sailing and in 1997 bought a hurricane Luis ravaged small home in Vitet. Played architect, contractor, carpenter, and painter to fix up the little home. Sold the much loved home in Vitet in 2014 and am now a renter from my favorite landlord, Rosita Magras.

lune de miel 1988. we had spent a week at the rock house in negril previously as our first caribbean experience and loved it but were looking for the next thing. ran across saint-barth in my research and knew it would be perfect for us. ordered a guide vendôme, booked a villa in gouverneur, a flight and a moke, and we were off. a long hiatus afterwards as we began our peregrinations criss-crossing metropolitan france. starting coming back to saint-barth on occasion 12 or so years ago. don't find it hellholeish du tout.

Had visited many Caribbean islands and settled into an annual stay at Oyster Pond in SXM. One evening, it took us an hour to get to Grand Case on the French side for dinner. Went out sailing the next day with friends who had just come from St. Barth. Hearing our complaints about traffic and congestion in St. Maarten, they waxed eloquent about St. Barth. We went home and booked a stay at the Guanahani for the following year. That was 1988 and we fell in love with the island. The warm Jan-Feb weather (a welcome respite from our New England home), laid-back and restful ambiance, unspoiled beaches, good dining choices, friendly, interesting people we met, etc. Have come every year since. We increased our stays from one week to five weeks after we retired and were escaping CT winters. Now, we find a one-week fix is fine since we spend our winters in lovely Naples, FL. We switched to villa life after three years at the Guanahani and now are fortunate, like Tim, to have the wonderful, incomparable Rosita Magras as our host.

Have not stayed in St. Maarten since 1988. Went on a nostalgia tour around ten years ago when we took the ferry over for a day. Saw the same traffic and congestion plus litter and noise--no regrets on switching our allegiance to St. Barth!

We have seen changes in St. Barth over our nearly thirty years---some changes, such as telephone service and harbor improvements, have benefited both islanders and visitors. However, the increased traffic, larger vehicles (especially trucks), parking issues, and building boom may have brought St. Barth to a tipping point. Hope not--as we still view the island �� as a haven of peace and serenity.

It was 1989, I was reading an insert in the baltimore sun and they had just interviewed Jimmy Buffett, he went on and on about st. barths. he spoke about so many places on the island, it was such an interesting story and the life on st. barths sounded idyllic, so I decided to give it a try. I had looked into many hotels, but finally decided on a villa. I stayed in colombier, met brook lacour as she guided me on the best villa to choose. she was right a little place in colombier called villa dan. its still a lovely place. I loved the island and came back twice a year after that. I finally moved here in 2003 and have not looked back.

julianne said:

Now, we find a one-week fix is fine since we spend our winters in lovely Naples, FL.

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sssh :wink1:

1978 . . . living in Washington, DC, & looking for an Easter trip, a friend in Cleveland & her archeologist husband had been to St. Barths & insisted that we go. She was an interior designer who had befriended Brook Lacour in the small boutique, La Caleche, out of which Brook & husband Roger operated a nascent villa rental / sales business (now Sibarth) in the back room of the boutique. They were among a small handful of people on the island with telephones . . . probably fewer than 12.

An expensive phone call to Brook . . . she said that there was nothing available EXCEPT a small place on a hillside next to a hotel (Le Village St. Jean) owned by her sister-in-law & husband. "We'll take it." When I asked if we could bring anything to her, Brook memorably replied, "Oh no, everything we need is right here." And so it was!

It was the mid 1980s staying at the Oyster Pond Yacht Club on the eastern Shores of SXM and we decided to take a ferry ride to SBH. A nice lunch in the Villa Creole and resting on St Jean and later watching Prince Charles waving to everyone as his boat "King" (dreamer) left port we decided a few years later that SXM had had it and started our visits to SBH. I must say tho that the traffic is the worst I have seen. I will leave it to my wife to say whether we will be back.

No fair cutting it off at 1990. I'm not young anymore but in 1990 I'm was still in my 20s and didn't even know St Barts existed.

Kind of the point, actually. Sorry, but my friends started coming in 1992, and they still glorify the "St. Barth that was then." I had to reach back a bit farther, because (I think) by the early 90's St. Barth was starting to gain visibility that made it more mainstream. Just a thought.

Oh, and if you were in your 20''s in the 90's-even the early 90's-you're still a young'un. Embrace it now; it is fleeting!

Researching honeymoon destinations via Andrew Harper's Hideaway in 1997. Decided on St Barth and the Carl Gustaf Hotel and have never looked back. I'm so happy that I got St Barth in that divorce. :slap-wink:

tomb1954 said:

...my friends started coming in 1992, and they still glorify the "St. Barth that was then."

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we started coming in 1988, and for our tastes and preferences the island wasn't better then than now. à chacun son goût (un peu de wanna be français).

Hadda be mid 80's. Fellow homeowner told us "if you like Fire Island, you'll love St Barts" so we rolled the dice. Rented Villa Polo just off Pointe Milou. Met Carole, who had just opened Le Ti...there was still a bakery down and around the back from which I would buy fresh croissants and bread each morning.

Big mistake? Took the kids. I've told the story before, but we were on the far side of the harbor one evening and literally had to look at 6-7 restos before we found one that had something the girls would deign to eat. They were probably 4 and 8 at the time...

Anyway, we left the girls home next time and booked the IDF...met nice folks from Pittsburgh there (had dinner with one of em last Thurs in Baltimore) and ended up in a villa for the next few years. Continued with villas with a Fire Island couple, extended our stay when we just couldnt bear to leave via Annie's, Francois Plantation, Saline Gardens...wherever we could find a bed...
Was annual, til we started spending a few months over the winter in FL, split between Sarasota and Lauderdale.

The next time the girls saw the island was for a major Bday celebration for LS in 2013. This time, they appreciated the cuisine.

Missed the last 2 years. Still on the radar, but my Bro in law (who's also in the 20+ year villa club) tells me the traffic in Gstavia is abominable.

Oh, well.

GramChop, you keep me in stitches.

dadto6 said:

GramChop, you keep me in stitches.

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Happy to be of service. :wink2:

Saw an article in my Moms Bon Appetite magazine late 80´s loved the beautiful pics and decided this would be my first solo trip as a young adult I think I was 20 or 21...After years of family vacations to St John and Tortola I wanted to go somewhere new by myself so I made reservations at Hotel Presquile and off I went cant remember the year but Autour du rocher was still in business in its last year and I never went for a drink...The island was so different from USVI and BVI that I hated it and left after 3 days silly me I flew Air St Thomas from SBH non stop STT talk about duct tape on planes I watched the rivets rattle around and spin on my wing side but got there safely...Went to St John to finish my trip and caught my connecting flight home on SJU...Crazy trip for a 20 year old first time solo traveler...Later in life I became in love with the island from little trips over from AXA

Like Tim, I read that same article in Travel & Leisure and booked a few months later for the 1986 Guanahani opening, then switching to the lovely family run El Sereno, before migrating to villas. Having been to many islands, I had never experienced anything like the St Barths of old and fell in love instantly.

Thankfully, I too retained custody Missy;-)