If not St Barth, where?

Water is needed for drinking, bathing, laundry and cleaning. PRIORITIES and common sense and thoughtfulness matter. Pools will get filled in time.
 
Water is needed for drinking, bathing, laundry and cleaning. PRIORITIES and common sense and thoughtfulness matter. Pools will get filled in time.

I agree 100%, was just saying that people who go down in November might find a few surprises...
 
Thank you Ellen,
I do not like surprises. Your comments are very welcomed.
I send an email to my villa owner today to inquire about status of repairs prior to our arrival in 4-weeks. As we love to lay out by the pool, soaking up the sun and admiring the vistas. If a pool with brown water or no water at all, not good. If pool deck surround is missing, not good. If fencing is still down and voids privacy from adjoining neighbors, not good. Just need the truth, communication is key to making intelligent and informed decisions...
 
"If fencing is still down and voids privacy from adjoining neighbors, not good"

I think that privacy will be one of the little surprises during the next couple of months. With all the vegetation stripped bare, you can suddenly see neighboring houses that you did not even know were there. Lasts years secluded sanctuary of a villa is suddenly exposed for all to see. Given time, the plants & trees will regrow but this will take a few months.
 
"If fencing is still down and voids privacy from adjoining neighbors, not good"

I think that privacy will be one of the little surprises during the next couple of months. .....""...".......................Given time, the plants & trees will regrow but this will take a few months.

maybe a few years?..
 
SAUR water plant is intact ..but water production is disconnected when a tropical storm or a hurricane is approaching.(as they suck sea water..they need it clean)
Pools are empty today for 3 reasons:clean up (lots of debris landed in pools).Avoid mosquitos.EDF electricity is not stable enough and may damage the pumps.
This is why you don't see updated photos of villas .Pools are empty.Hurricane shutters are down as safety (or slightly damaged) and gardens have been hit hard.
To think you won't have a full pool in your rental in november or december is just ludicrous.

Hurricane season isn't over....and tourists are not arriving before Thanksgiving...IN 60 DAYS.(it takes 1-2 days to fill a pool in SBH)
And if you think supermarkets don't sell (today) water for drinking....well..not much to say.
Approx 25 % of the villas on the island have no damage (or slight).Wimco is about to come out with a list of 175 villas ready for rental in november.In Saint jean,in Pointe Milou,in Gustavia,in Corossol...everywhere.
Bucket is a go,Cata cup is a go.Music festival is a go.
The island is far from dead.
The island is 21 sq km2.It doesn't take long or hundreds of people to make an impact.Sunday,EDF was working all over the island to bring electricity and this morning,they were already busy putting the cables up on the poles.
 
Hurricane season isn't over....and tourists are not arriving before Thanksgiving...IN 60 DAYS.

60 days is, for many, a point at which full payment is due and the percent that is nonrefundable goes up significantly... There are many issues beyond when villas are declared "ready" and the island declared "open for business" that puts those for whom this day approaches in a difficult position... This is one time that I do not envy those whose trip to St Barth is close at hand... I do not know what I would do...
 
Thanks to all for the great info!!!

If you have money to burn...
Petit St Vincent...simply beautiful, very, very private and...expensive!

Thanks, but if I can't do SBH, then I'm looking for something more budget friendly, not less!

That will probably eliminate Mustique as well. Sad face. [Edit: change "probably" to "definitely". I just checked the prices for lodging! :eek: ]


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

Thanks Chris. I really liked the sound of Guadeloupe and the nearby islands, but was having trouble getting any info on the state of things there. Nearly all the articles I found were from a week ago and had very little detail other than, "Maria barrels toward Guadeloupe" or something like that. I can't find any current information on what's happening there now, or how bad the damage was. Is it possible that the damage was minor (by Irma/Maria standards)?



Does anyone have any info on Martinique? The 2017 Fodor's Guide to the Caribbean calls it "Paris in the tropics". They also call it one of the most enchanting destinations in the western hemisphere and rave about the great french food. Yes it has 400,000 inhabitants but 1/4 of them live in Fort-de-France, so I'm hoping that when you get outside of the city, things mellow out a bit.

Sitting here on my couch with the travel guide in hand, Martinique sounds great. What am I missing?
 
60 days is, for many, a point at which full payment is due and the percent that is nonrefundable goes up significantly... There are many issues beyond when villas are declared "ready" and the island declared "open for business" that puts those for whom this day approaches in a difficult position... This is one time that I do not envy those whose trip to St Barth is close at hand... I do not know what I would do...

Hello Izzy
To put things into perspective,Sibarth rental,Icietla,terre de St Barth and others all had their offices badly damaged.No one is going to ask you for full payment upfront today.You can ask for more clarity before deciding..Few villas have updated photos as pools are empty and gardens need a few weeks to turn green again.
The restaurant/bar list is up to date at least.All food shops operate normally.The beaches are still intact (just a few meters lower).
SXM airport will probably reopen in october.
Don't stress....Villa owners and agencies are too happy to see visitors.Problem might be to find a nice villa to rent in november as many suffered enough damage to require a few weeks of work.
Weather isn't stable yet and more tropical storms are expected.People are extra cautious.
You will get clarity mid october .
 
With a heavy heart today we reached out to our villa agency and asked to postpone our trip to 2019. Between the flight cancellations and uncertainty of how much the island would have recovered by the time we arrived (really a 50/50 split between the two) there were just too many questions. We were also not interested in "being in the way" of the recovery too. We are now going to take a few weeks to decide where we go from here.... but will be back in 2019.

Thank you to those of you who have posted daily about how the island has been doing. I have looked at every post and update while trying to decide what to do.
 
I was coming to SBH in November and cancelled.....they need to take care of themselves first...not needy tourists...I was also booked in Anagada for the spring and cancelled ...it's a wasteland ....so I then booked Vieques and then along came Maria and made it a wasteland as well so I cancelled .....

I ve been to many of the islands mentioned in this thread ......wouldn't go back to most but particularly Martinique and St Lucia.....a LOT of crime .....Bequia I loved but it's really hard to get too......Grand Cayman is a sell out but Cayman Brac is cool....Isle de Mujeres is very cool and not at all typical Mexican resort

Belieze is beautiful and cheap

one place that wasnt mentioned was Trindad ....really cool place.....so is Barbados

We re just going to lay low with the Caribbean for a while and do Florida Panhandle ( Rosemary Beach ) in the spring .....no big deal ..

I used to go to Sicily every year to see family pre 9/11 and stopped after 9/11 and this might be a good time to re visit because that island blows away every single Caribbean island as far as I m concerned


FWIW none of the actual reports I get from people on a few islands who don't have huge loss of cash risk exposure is completely different from reports coming from people and organizations who are out on a financial limb .....surprise surprise

happy hunting ....great big wide world out there and no place is be all end all
 
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.
We were hoping to go back to SBH next year, too. We stay at the Guanahani. But we have been traveling to other places as well, and our other "home away from home" is Le Sirenuse in Positano. I can't recommend enough this perfect little hotel and all of the activities in the area including Capri. It is overly crowded and expensive in July, August, and September, which is when we usually go, but you will never be sorry taking a trip to the Amalfi coast. A couple of other places we just traveled to on a long Mediterranean trip were Sardinia and Mallorca. We only had the day on Sardinia but we want to go back..very sweet island with fabulous, inexpensive wine, and wonderful residents, little restaurants, lovely winding roads, beautiful beaches, incredible historical things to see. Mallorca was fun and interesting as we visited the artists in the mountain towns. This is just to say that for us, there is nowhere like SBH but there are many places that can give you enormous amounts of pleasure of great food, bakeries, small villages, interesting historical dialects, beaches, etc. (Actually for me, the funniest part of the trip was how Davesdad kept "comparing" each place we went to SBH...and I was the one who was always pushing to go back to SBH every time! It made me so happy to know that he loves SBH as much as I do.) SBH will be back, I am confident, and when it is ready for us, we will be, too. Happy travels in the interlude. (Also, I have spent a number of trips on many other Caribbean islands starting in 1979, and having been to quite a number of the places you mention (St. Lucia, for instance), I can honestly say that the rise in crime in many of these islands has made me hesitate to return. Turks has become dangerous with tourist murders recently. In the past, I have spent a fair amount of time in Guadeloupe and Martinique (vacation and dialectology research), but it has been at least 15 years since, and between 1980 and the 1990s, I noted a very positive change toward tourists in the late 90s for what it is worth. That being said, it is very helpful to speak French and a little créole there, but the food is amazing. Wherever you go, you will learn something, try something new, and gain an appreciation for wonderful things in the world. It makes coming back to SBH only sweeter..:D
 
DM, you'll find us there if you and DD revisit SBH in the last half of November or the last half of April. Come on by for un coupe. We'll be there.

For this year, I have alternatives, but I haven't completely given up on SBH yet.
 
DM, you'll find us there if you and DD revisit SBH in the last half of November or the last half of April. Come on by for un coupe. We'll be there.

For this year, I have alternatives, but I haven't completely given up on SBH yet.

We are with you, Kevin! We have not given up our dreams to come back and we usually come at your time in April, so if we are there, we totally owe you a Veuve party! (Rosé oblige..!) We think of you every time we drink a rosé wine somewhere in the world, as you and your very knowledgeable colleagues on this blog have really taught us quite a bit. First things first with putting the lives of this beautiful island back together, the repairs to be made. Those of us, new and old, who are passionate visitors, feel as though that even a terrible event can not destroy what is truly unique to SBH. There are beautiful palm trees and beaches around the world, nightclubs, villas, and 5 star resorts, but in SBH it is the essence of the people and the pleasure of the simple high quality of French influenced life that so many have beautifully expressed in their posts, which make this island irreplaceable in the Pantheon of great islands. No one can destroy the connections to the people you meet, past, present and future, who give the gift of friendship when you come. Hector will have his successors, but this little palm will always belong to the island, and has taken its place in SBH history. Le Select isn't going anywhere. We lost Andy but gained Hafida. Hopefully, we haven't lost Manu and Missy's beloved profiteroles and Davesdad's Thursday mussels! Each member of this blog has his/her personal list, but all feel as though it is the "person" in personal in SBH, who will always come first, before the rest. Gift giving goes both ways and the gift of our individual memories given to us by SBH should be reciprocated by what this island needs from us to make it whole again. Let us know, SBH. The people on this blog will help to make it happen.
 
Dreamt posting Davesmom. You too have NAILED it. :up:

The locals and other visitors make this island unique. I have made some strong friendships with folks met on SBH. TRAVEL IS WONDERFUL. It is people that make it so.
 
We also cancelled our December 22- Jan 6[SUP]th[/SUP] and rebooked to Barbados. It took us several calls to AA and many hours on the phone but we finally got our tickets last night. Our villa owner in St Barth told us that the Villa was ok, as of now she has no power and Wi-Fi. Turbe had a car for us, but with the uncertainty of St Maarten airport and getting to St Barth we made our decision.

I grew up in Trinidad and remember the days when we had no power/water after a storm or heavy rains. We would all be up early and go to bed early it was the way of life like the people of St barths and many of the islands today, also I remember what it was like to have to take your shower with one bucket of water that was your limit.

When I go home to Trinidad we are always concerned that the power would go, it is the way of life on the island at least now my parents like most of the ppl in Trinidad have 5 water tanks so we always have water.

So I do feel for the ppl what they are going thru and a lot of them don’t have homes to live in, the nights are hot with no fan or AC, mosquitos I am sure are horrible. I think that we would only be a burden to them and the limited supply that they have and that is not the vacation that I want to have either.
 
I'm in for the Veuve party. ������ I think anyone visitor or resident who were present when Irma hit will never forget the night and morning and days after. It will be one of the memories that stay with you for the rest of your life. Hasn't in anyway put us of coming to the island again. Absolutely can't wait to come back... Were grounded for now though as our first grandchild is due anytime... Lol
 
Congrats on pending grandparenthood, Belinda. One of the best things that ever happened to me.
 
So since we booked our flights to SXM using milage, we were not limited to the 350 mile radius for changing flights. I was zeroing in on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, but they didn't have any flights on our outbound travel day (Thursday), so we're going to going from DC to Barbados with the goal of Bequia as the main destination.

So once again, I have to turn to the wisdom of the forum.

Is it worth spending a day or two in Barbados on either end (or both ends) of the trip? Or is it better to get to Bequia as soon as possible? And stay there as long as possible.

Is Bequia going to be enough to cover for a week or should we look into day trips to Mustique or Canoun? Mind you, we're not looking activities other than beach, books, food, repeat. (Maybe a snorkeling trip since it seems to be better there than in SBH)

Thanks!
 
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