I've Decided To Go - For Thanksgiving

"You know that electricity, WiFi and basic services are fully restored in the island..."

this is actually not true, many parts of the island do not have landlines or wi-fi restored yet, as per the post today by Esprit Saline where they are running a restaurant without being able to take credit cards, or reservations on line, but coping... some older people I know do not have cell phones and are cut off without a landline, so people have been lending cell phones to family and friends... fully restored is not yet a reality...

yes a lot of progress and yes definitely come visit this season, but the island is a long way from back to normal...
 
Elgreaux i had dinner at Esprit last Wednesday. True WiFi and credit card machine was unavailable but while driving around the island i had almost perfect internet and phone connectivity throughout my entire stay. What i am trying to say is that people should not be worried to come to an island lacking basic services because St Barth has done a great job reestablishing them. If you read Kevin's initial post you will understand why i wrote such positive remarks. People should understand that St Barth has come a long way since the hurricane hit, an incredible amount of work has been done and the island will be ready for this season. Not perfect, but definitely good enough if you love this island.
Of course you will find some areas where WiFi isn't working, that is expectable. But i believe that those issues will be addressed by December the latest.
I am not aware of the status of landlines as i only used my cel phone.
 
I think there is a big disconnect between the reality of life on the island for people who live and work there and those who come for short periods of time and have the luxury of driving around taking photos and using a cell phone. Don't get me wrong, I am sure the island has made enormous strides since Irma hit and they are very lucky there will be a tourist season this year, compared to other islands, we are in great shape. But many people lost everything and one of the non-profit associations, our friend Helene Bernier and St Barth Essentiel, who many of you know, posted the other day asking why hotels are taking truckloads of usable furniture and appliances to the dump when there are families that could use them. Also it makes me very sad that I posted the photos and call for help for ASCCO, another local non-profit association, who lost two of their buildings entirely in the hurricane and not one single person on this forum responded. Had I posted that there would be no champagne or beer on the island for the next three months there would have been outrage, but the fact that we don't have phones or wi-fi for three months doesn't matter. December, three months after the storm to get you phone line back? for older people who don't use a cell phone, that is a very long time... I can't go home to SBH as I work full time and am sadly dependent on wi-fi for an 8 to 10 hour day, but I hear the exhaustion in my husband's voice every time I speak to him.. and with All Saint's Day right around the corner, the next big clean up and renovation job are the tombs in the cemeteries which will once again be adorned with flowers and candles for the holiday, but it's more work for the weary.

Yes the island will be ready for the season, thanks to the hard work and self-reliance of a lot of dedicated people!
 
:up:

Very very well said.....a disconnect indeed....but no surprise to me having spent my entire adult life living in a resort town .....Tourists boards are paid to spin things no matter what and that’s what they re going to do....

My good friend on St John who runs a charter boat has been told to not even think about electricity until December the soonest ....and meanwhile he gets emails from friends stateside asking when he thinks they can “come down and chill for a while “.....completely clueless as to the reality ......other friends I know on Puerto Rico were told three to six months for electricity ...it’s a mess down there no matter what the unicorns and puppy dogs are saying.
 
:up:

Very very well said.....a disconnect indeed....but no surprise to me having spent my entire adult life living in a resort town .....Tourists boards are paid to spin things no matter what and that’s what they re going to do....

My good friend on St John who runs a charter boat has been told to not even think about electricity until December the soonest ....and meanwhile he gets emails from friends stateside asking when he thinks they can “come down and chill for a while “.....completely clueless as to the reality ......other friends I know on Puerto Rico were told three to six months for electricity ...it’s a mess down there no matter what the unicorns and puppy dogs are saying.

very true...
 
I think there is a big disconnect between the reality of life on the island for people who live and work there and those who come for short periods of time and have the luxury of driving around taking photos and using a cell phone. Don't get me wrong, I am sure the island has made enormous strides since Irma hit and they are very lucky there will be a tourist season this year, compared to other islands, we are in great shape. But many people lost everything and one of the non-profit associations, our friend Helene Bernier and St Barth Essentiel, who many of you know, posted the other day asking why hotels are taking truckloads of usable furniture and appliances to the dump when there are families that could use them. Also it makes me very sad that I posted the photos and call for help for ASCCO, another local non-profit association, who lost two of their buildings entirely in the hurricane and not one single person on this forum responded. Had I posted that there would be no champagne or beer on the island for the next three months there would have been outrage, but the fact that we don't have phones or wi-fi for three months doesn't matter. December, three months after the storm to get you phone line back? for older people who don't use a cell phone, that is a very long time... I can't go home to SBH as I work full time and am sadly dependent on wi-fi for an 8 to 10 hour day, but I hear the exhaustion in my husband's voice every time I speak to him.. and with All Saint's Day right around the corner, the next big clean up and renovation job are the tombs in the cemeteries which will once again be adorned with flowers and candles for the holiday, but it's more work for the weary.

Yes the island will be ready for the season, thanks to the hard work and self-reliance of a lot of dedicated people!

Merci beaucoup Ellen ��
Tu as dis tout ce je pense tout haut
 
I agree that there is definitely a big disconnect between tourists including foreign Villa owners like myself and locals who are working tirelessly to get back to normal. I cannot begin to imagine what is like to loose your home and belongings. Unfortunately i wasn't able to stay longer and help more. But i am doing what i can remotely and reporting good news helps the island. I believe that we should cherish progress and reassure future visitors that are misled into thinking that the situation in St Barth is comparable to St Martin's or that they won't have basic services available.
I spent a few days in San Juan and i sadly cannot report much good news from Puerto Rico.
 
Kevin, it breaks my heart that I had to cancel my stay at EMM. I hope you have a wonderful visit, and I look forward to returning to this magical place soon. Please give Rosita a hug from me.
 
Kevin, it breaks my heart that I had to cancel my stay at EMM. I hope you have a wonderful visit, and I look forward to returning to this magical place soon. Please give Rosita a hug from me.

For sure on the hug. With luck, next Thanksgiving you’ll be in Les Jardins d’Emmanuel, and I’ll be back in Les Basses.
 
Nothing negative or positive at all about that

Just stating the facts as they are

No differently than saying the sun will set in the West tomorrow
 
Kevin....for you and Pat there is a saying, FROM YOUR MOUTH TO GOD’S EARS. I hope your wishes come true.
 
IMG_1270.jpg[

Doom and gloom is so attractive.
Let's have a check at the internet speed on the island today.
 
We are villa/ homeowners in Saline, and had planned for a long awaited family Thanksgiving this year with our kids all out of school. In the aftermath of the storm, and with knowledge of additional family affected on Saint Thomas, it was hard to get in the vacation mood, when there was so much that so many did not have, so we opted to not go at Thanksgiving as a celebration. Instead we opted to go sooner.
My husband is there now, having arrived last Friday and I will meet him there on Friday. The Jet Blue flights to SJU from DCA were great, and landed early enough so he could get on an earlier Tradewind flight to SBH. The RT fare on Jet Blue was significantly less than what it would normally be, and the baggage allowance was generous (two free bags) the Tradewind folks were great, (and now have a lot more company up in their lounge).

The insurance adjustor is visiting the property as we speak, and as many that we know on island have told us, we are some of the lucky ones who still have a roof, a habitable home, with just some bumps and bruises.... eminently fixable. None of our year round tenants in their apartments are homeless, and they are all preparing for the season, getting their shops open, and are working hard and we are thankful for all of that.

As I said to my husband, we just have to go back to the way we came to the island over 30 years ago, and pack that way. Tossing mosquito rackets, batteries, work gloves, a bathing suit, some flip flops and a cooler of frozen food together and seeing what we see.

So glass half full, so far so good here is the news I can report from as recently as this past Friday: Gumb's had a car for us, the grocery store had food, the little Costco was open, you can now see Saline from the porch and the car park had cars there yesterday, so people are using the beach, and the little baby leaves are starting to sprout from the branches of all the trees. The internet,telephone and cable workers are scheduled to be in the neighborhood on the 28th (unplugging is old school too), the power is on and we will be ready to welcome guests to the villa by the time we go home in a few weeks.

#stbarthstrong
 
Top