Well, sister two finally arrived today at 4:55 pm after a two-day ordeal trying to get here from the states. So now our annual sisters trip is in full swing. Sister one and I arrived Saturday around 4:45 after experiencing a few delays ourselves but in the end not so bad.
We picked up our little Hyundai from Avis (wow, that poor car has zero horse power and really groans trying to get up some of these hills). It doesn't help we left the lights on while we swam and ate dinner and currently sits in the public lot across from Tom Hotel with a dead battery. Oops.
anyway, we checked in at Les Ilets de La Plage and our two-bedroom garden villa is quite lovely and peaceful. The pool is nice, the small beach near the airport fence is a mess of sargasso, and the other "beach" area built on a rock retaining wall is nice but the rocks and steps are covered with the stinky weeds as well. It's completely out of control. There's just more there than they can begin to deal with.
But no big deal. Still le our villa and location is so convenient. Once we were settled in our room, we took a drive around the airport and had a nice swim at St. Jean, in front of Emeraude. The water was refreshing and the beach was mostly free of seaweed, just a bit here or there but completely manageable. Afterward we stopped at Marche U and picked up some pate, cheese and crackers and ate back at the villa enjoying our complimentary bottle of rose left by the hotel staff. We were spent from a day of travelling so called it a night.
Today, after enjoying our daily delivery of chocolate croissants and nice strong coffee served poolside, we ventured out to get the lay of the land while awaiting the arrival of sister 2.
we hit four different beaches today and loved every one. First stop before 10 am was Gouverneur. There was some sargasso on the left side and more here and there along the beach, but very little in the water. It is a beautiful beach. We swam for a while - I was a little surprised by the strength of the undertow- and then moved on to destination 2 - Saline. Saline had a continuous strip of sargasso along its entire length but very little in The water. We enjoyed a swim here and then we picked up our towels and moved on again. By this time we were starting to get a bit hungry. We decided to take a ride into Gustavia knowing it was Sunday and that most businesses and restaurants would be closed but figured with the low traffic it would be a good opportunity to drive through and figure out where things were. What a pretty town. We tried to stop at Le Repair - it's very pleasant and I can understand why it's a popular destination. Unfortunately lunch wasn't being served for another half hour and we didn't feel like waiting so we moved on. We drove over to Shell Beach. The water was crystal clear and the sand was clean, save for a small sprinkling on seaweed hear or there. We loved our swim here, and then Went in for a very nice lunch at Shellona. It was a very relaxed cool vibe in there. I loved my snapper in some kind of a red lobster bisque with a side of rice. Sister 1 had nicoise salad. We each had a glass of rose. Bill was about $100 euro for the two of us. We then took a drive through the charming fishing village of Corossol. We drove by the beach but did not stop for a swim. We then headed for Flamands. I loved this beach. The sand was pristine and soft, no seaweed, the water crystalline, with some nice gentle waves - enough to keep it interesting but no undertow. We swam for a while and then took a stroll through Chevalier Blan and Le Case de L'Isle. It was of course very pretty but a bit stiff and formal. I also took at peak at La Langouste which was way more casual, filled with French families. I could see this as a potential lunch spot sometime this week when we return with sister 3.
Back to our villa for a swim in the pool and awaiting the arrival of sister 2. She finally got to St Marten and was able to get on the 4:35 Win Air flight. Hooray! We went to collect her brought her to the villa to unwind briefly and then drove over to St Jean beach for a stroll and a drink at La Plage. By then we were hungry and she was worn out from two days of travel so we decided to stay for dinner at La Plage as well. Dinner was tasty but pretty overpriced. We shared a large lobster and one prix fixed meal of some grilled skewers of beef, fish and chicken and veggies and salad. The atmosphere was mellow and relaxing. But too expensive for what it was. I would have chosen another location but we were there, and we were tired. Got back to our car in the public lot to realize we'd left our lights on. Dummies. So the battery is deed. Fortunately the airport fence gate was open and we had a pleasant walk back to Les Ilets and left the car to deal with tomorrow morning.
so there we are. So far we are loving St. Barths. I love the craggy, landscape and bursts of color from the sea and flowers. the views are spectacular as you wind your way through the crazy roads. looking forward to another day of exploring once we get the car sorted out!
We picked up our little Hyundai from Avis (wow, that poor car has zero horse power and really groans trying to get up some of these hills). It doesn't help we left the lights on while we swam and ate dinner and currently sits in the public lot across from Tom Hotel with a dead battery. Oops.
anyway, we checked in at Les Ilets de La Plage and our two-bedroom garden villa is quite lovely and peaceful. The pool is nice, the small beach near the airport fence is a mess of sargasso, and the other "beach" area built on a rock retaining wall is nice but the rocks and steps are covered with the stinky weeds as well. It's completely out of control. There's just more there than they can begin to deal with.
But no big deal. Still le our villa and location is so convenient. Once we were settled in our room, we took a drive around the airport and had a nice swim at St. Jean, in front of Emeraude. The water was refreshing and the beach was mostly free of seaweed, just a bit here or there but completely manageable. Afterward we stopped at Marche U and picked up some pate, cheese and crackers and ate back at the villa enjoying our complimentary bottle of rose left by the hotel staff. We were spent from a day of travelling so called it a night.
Today, after enjoying our daily delivery of chocolate croissants and nice strong coffee served poolside, we ventured out to get the lay of the land while awaiting the arrival of sister 2.
we hit four different beaches today and loved every one. First stop before 10 am was Gouverneur. There was some sargasso on the left side and more here and there along the beach, but very little in the water. It is a beautiful beach. We swam for a while - I was a little surprised by the strength of the undertow- and then moved on to destination 2 - Saline. Saline had a continuous strip of sargasso along its entire length but very little in The water. We enjoyed a swim here and then we picked up our towels and moved on again. By this time we were starting to get a bit hungry. We decided to take a ride into Gustavia knowing it was Sunday and that most businesses and restaurants would be closed but figured with the low traffic it would be a good opportunity to drive through and figure out where things were. What a pretty town. We tried to stop at Le Repair - it's very pleasant and I can understand why it's a popular destination. Unfortunately lunch wasn't being served for another half hour and we didn't feel like waiting so we moved on. We drove over to Shell Beach. The water was crystal clear and the sand was clean, save for a small sprinkling on seaweed hear or there. We loved our swim here, and then Went in for a very nice lunch at Shellona. It was a very relaxed cool vibe in there. I loved my snapper in some kind of a red lobster bisque with a side of rice. Sister 1 had nicoise salad. We each had a glass of rose. Bill was about $100 euro for the two of us. We then took a drive through the charming fishing village of Corossol. We drove by the beach but did not stop for a swim. We then headed for Flamands. I loved this beach. The sand was pristine and soft, no seaweed, the water crystalline, with some nice gentle waves - enough to keep it interesting but no undertow. We swam for a while and then took a stroll through Chevalier Blan and Le Case de L'Isle. It was of course very pretty but a bit stiff and formal. I also took at peak at La Langouste which was way more casual, filled with French families. I could see this as a potential lunch spot sometime this week when we return with sister 3.
Back to our villa for a swim in the pool and awaiting the arrival of sister 2. She finally got to St Marten and was able to get on the 4:35 Win Air flight. Hooray! We went to collect her brought her to the villa to unwind briefly and then drove over to St Jean beach for a stroll and a drink at La Plage. By then we were hungry and she was worn out from two days of travel so we decided to stay for dinner at La Plage as well. Dinner was tasty but pretty overpriced. We shared a large lobster and one prix fixed meal of some grilled skewers of beef, fish and chicken and veggies and salad. The atmosphere was mellow and relaxing. But too expensive for what it was. I would have chosen another location but we were there, and we were tired. Got back to our car in the public lot to realize we'd left our lights on. Dummies. So the battery is deed. Fortunately the airport fence gate was open and we had a pleasant walk back to Les Ilets and left the car to deal with tomorrow morning.
so there we are. So far we are loving St. Barths. I love the craggy, landscape and bursts of color from the sea and flowers. the views are spectacular as you wind your way through the crazy roads. looking forward to another day of exploring once we get the car sorted out!
