Trip report

MIke R

Senior Insider
Trip report coming soon..meanwhile here is this years video slide show from Lena who does this every year, as some of you already know.....



 
"My own kind of Paradise!" Wonderful video . . . thanks to Lena for the great job (and for sharing your lovely vacation)!
 
Great job, Lena. As someone who has made several of these videos, I know the work that goes into the production, particularly syncing the photos to the music.

Keep up the good work.

Phil
 
More-Lena I love your braid! And a 3 iguana shot is a winner. I never saw the teepee from your angle. The boats are cool. Hey, I enjoyed this video twice already.
 
Great video.....we so appreciate and agree with your feel and comments about the island...glad you can still find it....as we do also...
 
A few observations and random psychotic thoughts



GETTING THERE ..........First time in forever we we're able to fly AA out of Manchester. Even though it got us in an hour and a half later than if we had flown out of Boston the trade off is huge for us....and ultra modern, never busy, small airport an hour from the house beats Logan by a mile for us....So that was a treat for sure. We always go for Monday to Monday travel to the tropics because it's usually really slow that day , but even this is ridiculous ....36 people on an Airbus!....we each had our own row to stretch out!

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Anyway going down was seamless, drama free, and quick ..but it always is for us .....we landed at 1:32 ...breezed on through In Transit and we were out of SXM at 2:15 on St Barts Commuter.......


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BEING THERE ......The island looks as parched as I have ever seen it ....dangerously parched ......We stayed at Auberge Petit Anse ....we have a monogamous 20 plus year relationship with #17 which we love ......most of you would hate it so I ll spare you the details ...PM me if you want details.

The island is a mess.....traffic and parking is horrible....cement trucks and dump trucks everywhere ...construction noise pollution is over the top in some places .....cars and scooters everywhere .....I had multiple occasions where a mirror to mirror collision on the road was within inches of happening.....this completely changed the way we do vacation there ....afternoon in between beaches diversion to Select for a few pops, like we always do????....forget it..ain't happening ...no way ....no how ...not worth the aggravation of getting there and trying to park .....evenings are much easier however and the pay park lot is working out well it seems. We decided to mostly hunker down in Petit Anse for the week....we have Colombier, Flamand, and Petit Anse as beach options within walking distance, so we were more than good to go .....and as long as we have these patio views without the noise pollution by day and without light pollution at night, we don't need anything else thank you very much


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WEATHER or not ..Forecasts called for pouring rain all week.....didn't happen..and that's why I pay little attention to it ..For us it was perfect weather ....nice mix of clouds and sun and a strong breeze which kept the bugs away and us from overheating .....but they clearly need copious amounts of rain ....just not on my watch please ...LOL*


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THE GREAT BAKERY WARS and R.I.P to the almond Croissant .......Petit Colombe is dare I say... average now .....the baguette is still the best on the island but the other things have really gone downhill .....and they now feature American donuts right up front and center, but please do tell me again how the island is not becoming Americanized ..no more fig bread...no more raisen nut bread ...average

Remember when the almond crosisant on St Barts was a thing of beauty?..that slightly puffy hard exterior that easily crunched into buttery flaky goodness with a nice almond paste inside ?....remember that?....now it's this flat mushy I dont know what, with way way too much almond paste.....just awful ...and Choisy s weren't any better although Choisy was far better for plain croissants, pain chocolate and dessert items ...but absolutely positively the three French bakeries in New England, two of which are on the Cape, are now far better choices for almond croissants and other delights than anything in St Barts ....very sad as Petit Colombe was always the standard we judged all Bakeries everywhere against ....


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The FOOD

This is where I really disappoint you because we dont go to SBH for the food....not even in our top three reasons and we dont think the high end joints are worth the coin ....only so much even a great chef can do with frozen food .....fresh ingredients are the cornerstone to truly great dining in my opinion and without that the ceiling is low........however...... we had some good meals at Eddys, Tamarin, Creperie ( mulitiple times ) Gloriette, Bananiers, and of course Select...... and Chez Mikes was rocking as well....best meal was clearly Tamarin...they had three fresh fish options and we got two of them and they were very well done ...their 99% Chocolate dessert was the best dessert I ve had on the island in quite some time ..... Eddys was also solid ..the wahoo in ginger was terrific .....very strange to have a trip to St Barts that didnt involve multiple meals at the Hideaway ...but it is what it is and we move on ...no tipping drama any where ...we pay in cash for our meals however so can't tell you what credit card slip looked like in terms of a tip line or not

Kevin scored us fresh local eggs and the poached egg over an open face slightly toasted Croissant with a little melted greyure and Parma prosciutto were highly regarded at Chez Mikes ..as well as the mushroom and Brie frittata.

The new butcher and specialty food store behind Marche U are both outstanding ......AMC in Gustavia is still my favorite grocery store of them all with the best produce ...they had tomatoes and cukes from Dominca that were just bursting with flavor ...and they still do cheese the French way ...cut to order....not the American way - prepackaged like Super Marche does .... low and behold the island which is marchng towards Americanization now has Half and Half so American tourists no longer have to endure the drama to figure out what the French equivalent is......kinda sad


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WEST INDIES REGATTA. AND ST BARTS FILM FESTIVAL

For the most part, with us living and working in event filled resort towns, we try to avoid "events" ( and people for that matter ) like the plague when on vacation but these two events we love.....West Indies Regatta had some terrific live music on the quay and of course the hand crafted island built boats to admire as well and the local arts and crafts on display ....funny thing is I walked on the quay to look at the boats, and the first boat I came across was a boat and crew I know very well from the Cape who just happened to be sailing through on their way north ...a small world indeed.

We really enjoyed watching Film Festivals Havana Moon film on the quay too.....nicely done. Two terrific laid back unpretentious island events that are perfect for our tastes ....


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SO NOW WHAT ?


All in all a good week although a bit different from our typical St Barts vacations due to changes in the island dynamics ....but we made it work... So the girls want Jost and a few days in Anegada next year so that's what I am working on.....I think I am going to do a solo long weekend trip again to St Barts in November as that was just what I needed to recharge and get mentally and physically ready for our extremely busy stressful winter season ....after our BVI trip in 2018 we will re evaluate what is going on with St Barts and decide if we want to go back in 2019.....but I suspect as long as Petit Anse remains the perfect little quiet step back in time respite for us, we will want to return...


.OH AND ONE MORE THING ( playful but somewhat serious tease warning )

The two new Gendarme cars say POLICE on them instead of Gendarme ...and I saw multiple restaurants with CLOSED signs ( one in neon ) instead of FERME signs....but tell me again how the island isn't becoming Americanized at all :wink2:
 
I spoke of the positives and negatives like I always do and like many people have told me through the years ....they appreciate ...:wink2:
 
I always enjoy your reports, Mike, and Lena's video is fantastique! Thanks for sharing.
 
Mike, an honest and thoughtful report. I did not expect anything else.
St Barths still remains my favorite island, warts and all. There is no destination like it anywhere, IMHO.

God willing, I look forward to many more happy days to share there with Phil and our island family and friends.
 
As others have written, Mike . . . a great report, in your succinctly personal, informative style.

A couple of thoughts: The pull of night sky, without light pollution, is one of the truly alluring island attractions – especially at Grand Fond; as you suggested, the “Great Bakery War” is something of a standoff, and I think the choice between Choisy & Petit Colombe in Lorient has largely become a matter of availability of parking; glad to see your “outstanding” recommendation for the butcher behind Marche U – I also have found it to be excellent; is Half & Half really used on the island? and . . . finally . . . I wanted to hear about your boat trip. Fun, I’m sure . . . and Kevin and Lena highlighted some great views. Any other “color?”
 
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