If not St Barth, where?

We went for a quickie (5 days) last April to Eleuthera, a Bahama out island. It was Very quiet. Some nice beaches, but not many restaurants. An easy ferry ride to Harbor Island if you need more eating options, but We found Hi a little crowded and not really our cup of tea.

I will chime in, but as you (and we all) know, nothing can compare with SBH.
Places we have been and really like: Turks and Caicos, Virgin Gorda(not sure if it was affected) and Harbour Isand.
These 3 are all safe and fun, but English, fwiw.

Bart -my real name- said:

It pains me to write this but with a late November travel date to SBH and in light of recent reports, I need to start thinking about a Plan B. Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately) my only experience in the Caribbean is the SXM airport and SBH, so I’m turning the wisdom of the forum for guidance. Hopefully this info will be useful to others in a similar situation this fall and early winter.


I know the “What’s most St Barts-like island?” question has been asked many times, but in looking through other threads, many of the popular responses/locations have also been hard hit this year.


Some suggestions that were spared hits by Irma and Maria were:


Mustique
Bequia
South Caicos
Barbados
Grenada
Culebra
Grenadines


I broke out my 1994 (!!) Fodors Guide to the Caribbean (which was how we discovered SBH in the first place) and after a brief perusal, the following islands look interesting:


Grenada
Guadeloupe (took a minor hit from Maria, but it seems like it’s more of a clean up effort instead of a rebuilding effort, from what could tell)
Martinique
Montserrat (not sure the extent of hurricane damage here)
St. Lucia
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Tobago
Turks and Caicos


What I’m looking for in an island is:


A safe place
No hassles from the locals (not interested in turning down 20 offers a day to get my hair braided!)
Beautiful beaches
Natural beauty
Good food
Relaxed vibe
A French island would be preferable, but not required


What I don’t need or care about:


Golf
Casinos
Night life
High end shopping
Big hotels
Big cities


I don’t care if the island has those things, I’m just going to avoid them.


Our typical SBH day is: coffee and croissants at the villa, then all morning on the beach, then lunch, then another beach or back to the villa, then dinner, then bed. Lots of reading, swimming and eating! Sometimes we’ll do a hike/walk, and we’d probably do more if there were more nature trails on SBH. (An intriguing aspect of some of the islands above is the hiking and rainforests, so an island that has some of that would be a plus)


Sorry for such a long winded post, and I’m really sorry that I have write it at all, but if anyone has insight or suggestions, I’m all ears.


Thanks!

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Check out Palm Island.

So many islands, now few choices. Before SBH 1st visit 20+ yrs ago, we rented houses on Elbow Cay, one of the cays off of Great Abaco...idyllic, great beaches, snorkeling...rent a boat or golf cart, not cars for this cay, not many restaurants & couldn't take our boat at nite to any>SBH became our go to for all these years. On a WindStar cruise Feb. 2017, we were @ Bequia again after 20+ being there years ago along with Les Saintes/Terre de Haute...told yrs ago that was what St Barths was like yrs ago before we all discovered what a wonderful place it was/is. We still liked Les Saintes, more restaurants, Bequia not for everyone, primitive I thought. St Lucia was another place on the most recent cruise as it had been years ago on other cruises...never again. You must stay in one of the lovely resorts, & stay there, as in not driving at nite, like another island not naming here. Before the most recent WindStar we spent a week on Nevis after seeing the island so many times from being at Gouverneur, we enjoyed our time @Nisbet Plantation, reminded me of old Bermuda in some ways, safe, nice beaches. Don't forget Antigua, especially Curtain Bluff & the Barbados coast..not the Atlantic side. Have travelled to many islands including Culebra...laid back, not so much to do, think has to have damage from Irma or Maria or both. Having lived on St Croix years ago, my heart breaks for STX & her people as well as the other USVI's where have been numerous times. And dear St Barths, we hope will come back strong, but think will take more time than other years. Only once did we follow a hurricane early in our villa rentals, palm trees looking like cigars stuck in the sand, the brown hillsides, fewer restaurants to choose from then than now. Wishing all we met there the very best in their recovery, & we'll be back, most likely in spring.

Maya said:

Generally felt very unsafe, constantly being pestered by the hawkers, although Marigot Bay was ok, the rest, no thanks

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We felt that when we were at Ladera, it was all great and safe. Once we were out of this oasis, not so much.
The beaches are nice, but mostly volcanic and imho not as charming as beaches on st barth. The restaurant scene is totally different. There are a few good restaurants, but getting around was not safe and easy, so we ended up eating a lot at Ladera.
Ladera is not on the beach, but has a great view. The plus is there are mini pools that come with the suite.

Spent a week in Mustique a couple of years ago. Very, very quiet, nice beach at Marconi. We stayed at the Firefly which was awesome. Food there was out of this world good. It's not St Barths though in terms of restaurants and vibe but we liked it. Bequia too small and not much there. Spent 7 vacations in St Lucia. If you want peace and quiet I'd think twice and they are having more crime there too. Anyway, hope this helps you!

We also loved loved Mustique , stayed at the Firefly as well, and loved the island and the people. But it is quiet....they also have a special, stay a few nights on Bequia and a few on Mustique.
Another option, although hard to get to, and also nothing to do but eat, sleep , drink, hike, snorkel, sail (loved it) was the private island of Petit St Vincent .
We also had reservations to go to SBH in early November, got a full Delta refund....and decided to go see the small village where my husbands father was born on the eastern coast of Italy and do a road trip around Puglia, and Amalfi.

In my mind, Italy is always a good destination. Enjoy LindaP and Bill.

I have nothing helpful to add but am grateful for this thread in case we do rebook. Right now I'm too busy with work/life to research other options.

Linda, I agree with Amy, Italy sounds great!

Linda, the Amalfi coast is wonderful, try and make dinner reservations at Le Sirenuse in Positano. It's a most beautiful and memorable setting. The dinning room is only lit by candle light. They light 436 tea lights and it takes one man over an hour to light them all. For us it's one of our most cherished travel memories.
Also regarding an above mention of Virgin Gorda and the recent hurricanes. It suffered serve damage from Irma and Maria. We had planned a week in St Barth in Nov/Dec followed by sailing 10 days in the BVI. Have canceled both legs of the trip. Chartered boat destroyed and all the places that made us love sailing there no longer exist. Have rebooked St. Barth for April 2018, but unsure when we'll be able to return to the BVI waters....we will sail there again but not for a year or so. So sad for the islands and all the people who have lost homes and jobs.

Turks and Caicos (Provo) is one of our favorite places aside from SBH. From what I have read there was some damage from Irma, but nothing like the other islands. We are thinking of going the first week in November but I'm afraid some of the restaurants may be closed.

We've been on a little break with St Barth after going annually for about a dozen years, have spent the last three Christmases in Puerto Rico with the family and have taken three trips in the last two years to St. John...and I fell in love. Right now, I have a mid-November trip planned for the hubby and I to Cruz Bay, and then a villa stay planned for Christmas with the whole family, adult children. Post-Irma and pre-Maria, we decided that we'd rebook both trips from St. John to St. Croix, so that we could keep our tourist dollars in the USVI, but I decided to wait to cancel and rebook until after Maria...and now after Maria, we're cancelling, but searching for another destination, so I appreciate this post. Our family trip is a bit more complicated because it's Christmas/NYE and we need three bedrooms. I've emailed our rental company on St. John to see if they'll hold our deposit for a 2018 rental, same time next year, but I'm a little pessimistic that they won't want to charge the 15% cancellation fee because I read a review from last week that someone else did not get their full deposit back, so we'll see. If not, I'll consider it another donation to St. John. For our family trip, we've decided on Belize. Not the same Caribbean, but it seems like a good option for our family right now. I haven't begun to work on the November trip yet, so I appreciate all of the comments and suggestions in this thread.

We've been to St Kitts once and found it quite nice. It's got similar terrain as SBH. Dining options are pretty good though the French food and style is obviously not there. One benefit is you can fly direct from NYC. Prefer SBH to St Kitts, but if you are looking for alternatives in the area, I think St Kitts should be in consideration. From what I read, Irma and Maria didn't cause much damage there.

Also look into Nevis. We haven't been but we have friends who go there regularly.

Hello to all of you

Guadeloupe Basse terre has been badly hit by Maria..:les saintes also...That is clearly not an option today.

I wanted to share this about St Barth,as i am on the island today.
Here's an update from the island. As you know,Irma was a fierce hurricane and it did lots of damage in several areas of the island.
But the island is working hard to get back on its feet,targeting Thanksgiving as step 1,and Christmas for another step forward.
Island is starting to slowly turn green again...Which will help with the perception of the island.
I have good news regarding the restaurant scene on the island.Maya's,Tamarin,Bonito are planning to reopen before thanksgiving.Orega and Isola didn't sustain any damage and will reopen normally end of october.Bagatelle is targeting an opening before Christmas.

Situation is more complicated for the beach restaurants,because of the damages done by the sea..Shellona's building is intact but all the outdoor space is gone and the beach has moved lower.Tom's beach will reopen ..but not sure yet when the kitchen will be fully operational.All the 5 star hotels will remain closed.Flamand hotels will need full reconstruction.
The restaurants in Saline should also reopen before Christmas.


The Ti Saint Barth is also mainly intact.So are the bars in town.
Lots of villas are reopening 1st of november for the season.Hurricane shutters are all down and pools are empty because of aftermath of the hurricane.This is why you don't see updated photos of villas for the moment.It doesn't mean they are badly damaged.
Some areas were badly hit...but many houses did escape the hurricane.
People planning holidays in the caribbean during winter 2018 will be fine.Bucket is on,music festival is on.

Chris, your report is completely different to a few that I have seen who were written by people who live on the island. Here we have villa agencies, tourism agencies and others who are saying everything is fine. Then we have a few people who are saying that everything is not fine as the markets are running out of food and electricity/water is not reliable. If I had to chose one group of people I would side with more I would side with those who live on the island because they are not trying to sell me something.

steelpe said:

Chris, your report is completely different to a few that I have seen who were written by people who live on the island. Here we have villa agencies, tourism agencies and others who are saying everything is fine. Then we have a few people who are saying that everything is not fine as the markets are running out of food and electricity/water is not reliable. If I had to chose one group of people I would side with more I would side with those who live on the island because they are not trying to sell me something.

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Well, i am on the island today...
The island is still a mess...but we are the 25 th of september..19 days after Irma.
It is clear the 5 star hotels will be closed for a while.
But the restaurant scene is up to date...I saw Herve from cote Port today...and he has been busy making plans to reopen.He will know next week.And might be able to reopen in 6 weeks.
I saw Maya at the bar de l'oubli and she is planning to reopen for the season.
It is clear today "It's not fine".But you can go to AMC and buy a cold bottle of Ruinard or get fresh bread every morning.
You must keep in mind the size of the island.approx 8 x 4 kilometers for 21 square kilometers.Fixing the grid for 12.000 people is quite different than fixing it in Puerto Rico for 3.5 millions people.
3 months to Christmas....enough to do a lot of work


Massive clean up days are planned every week...The 30th of september for the beaches,for example
AMC in front of the harbor is cleaning up and ready to open.
Teams of workers are working in luxury shops in front of the harbor to get ready for Christmas,and trying to be ready for Thanksgiving.
Coming in town this afternoon,two trucks,each with 5 guys,were picking up debris along the road in Saline.
There's a massive fire day and night next to the airport to burn all the broken trees.
Everybody is working to be ready.

A big thank you/merci/gracias to all the workers for their long work days and heavy buckets of sweat dripped while making the island whole again.

To chime in, we've also spent a week in Mustique (and also at the Firefly!). The beaches were mostly untouched, and we often found ourselves either the only ones or one of only a handful of people on each beach. The Firefly is one of cheapest options, but I think the prices have gone up a bit since we went in 2011. To spend a week on the island, you'll be looking at about $9-10k minimum (between airfare, food and lodging). The villas start at about $6500 for the week (most are higher), but do typically include some amount of staff (cook, gardener and housekeeper). The Firefly was one of only two hotels on the island. It's actually a B&B with only 5 (as of 2011) rooms. The prices per night I think are up in the $1000 per night range now (were about $700). The vibe of the island is very upscale, but also very laid back. We haven't been back yet, but do plan to at some point. I still prefer St. Barth though. It's a bit too quiet on Mustique.

We're booked for St. Barth for late December this year, and don't intend to change our plans. As long as our villa is ok (getting confirmation soon), and we can get there, we'll be there.

so far there are water restrictions and villas cannot refill their pools, hard to tell how long that might last, so some pools might be empty for a while....

With a broken heart, and on the advice of our villa rep, we rebooked our vacation to the Cayman Islands. I know it is nowhere as near as authentic as SBH, but we found a lovely villa directly on the beach, and, most importantly out of the path of most hurricanes.