How crazy is Christmas/New Year’s?

nicoleshein

SBH Member
I’ve been on island during the Bucket and President’s Day weekend and it felt busy, but I’m wondering how crazy the Christmas/New Year’s time period is? If we make our restaurant reservations in advance, is the traffic and parking going to be maddening? Would love to hear your thoughts, thank you!
 
We've spent 1 Christmas and New Years (2weeks) and 1 Just Christmas week.

We loved both trips.

The Christmas-New Years trip remains my favorite trip to St Barts.

Is it more crowded? Yes.

Do you need to plan a head on some dining choices? Yes, and be flexible too.

Having said that the holiday buzz is fantastic. Very festive.

He had NYE dinner at the late, great Wall House...an amazing dinner that ended just before midnight followed by fireworks over the harbor.

Magical.

It's not for everyone...some don't like the crowds, parking issues, need for pre-planning, etc.

But it's not overwhelming and, for us, a most memorable holiday vacation.
 
We have been to St Barths for christmas and New Years several times and just love it.
Yes, it is very busy and sometimes hard to fina a parking spot at the beaches and Gustavia. So we usually go early to the beach- no prob to find a parking lot between 8 and 9, gets busy at 11.Restaurant reservation during that time I make several weeks in advance, which I would strongly advice.
I like the atmosphere during that season a lot. The christamas time on St Barth is more fun, but a bit less relaxing than during Easter, I think.
 
Counterpoint. I've visited the island about 15 times and only once over Xmas/New Years. Usually prefer low season, so you can see where this comment is heading.

St. Barths over Xmas was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences where once was enough for me. Yes, the celebs were even more in force than usual. Most restaurants added "festive" menus or items (caviar, truffles, DP at huge markups) or offered crazy expensive prix-fixe menus on holiday evenings. Parking a nightmare. Driving a nightmare. Noise. Crowds. Restaurants rarely seat an 8pm or 9pm reservation on time. More "beautiful people". It's a "scene", and if you like that sort of thing and your wallet can take it, then you'll probably be very happy (provided that you've planned reservations and rental cars well in advance as others have said).

If you're not looking for a "low-season" quiet/calm experience, bucket week is a good alternative to Xmas. The Island tends to be pretty full/busy but not like Xmas and of course you have all the beautiful sailboats, the race around the Island, etc.
 
everyone should do it once. an unusual experience for sure. lots of celebrities with yachts, some will even welcome you onboard if they have had enough to drink. fireworks are better than any other time. my favorite is going to eddy's for dinner where he usually has live music and then out into the crowds to watch the fireworks at midnight.

I no longer am on island for the festivities, as been there, done that, but if you have not been here during that time, its worth the visit. I will be skiing in utah.
 
We have not been for Christmas- New Years but several times during the Bucket week. How do the two times compare in terms of crowds, prices, parking etc.?
 
We went for NYE in 2012, that was my 50th. I had read a lot comments saying how crowded it is etc..
First off, we were there in Nov. 2009 for Select's big party. I would compare the crowds to that.
We expected even more volume in every aspect of the island. We didn't see it. Loved seeing all the boats in the harbors. Only saw 1 celeb. I think most of them stick to their charter yachts or villas. We were all over the island. However, we did not go to Nikki or Eden Rock. Both of those places had huge parties on NYE. Yes, almost all restos have a set menu with inflated prices. We only made our reservation a little more than a month in advance..which they charge your card for.
From everything we had read prior, I didn't think we would be able to find a parking spot for the big night. We thought maybe we would have to park at the airport or rent a scooter. Nope, just parked in front of Repaire (which is where we ate) no problem.

On NYE we loved walking around after dinner and fireworks just people watching, seeing everyone celebrate. It was the first time we saw a Cadillac on the island!
So, just go into it thinking it is a totally different ballgame than usual. Otherwise you probably will be disappointed.
 
Top