Returning to paradise for 20th anniversary-a few questions

J

jmp1968

SBH Insider
Hi all,

My wife and I have not been back to the island in nine years or so. We have been busy raising children and paying the bills but are planning to return in June!!! We are so excited to return to our honeymoon spot and favorite place on earth!😜

It has been a real pleasure to see some of the same names and faces still active on this board as many of you were helpful in the past helping to plan our last few trips.

We are trying to decide between a villa or staying on the beach. We are considering Les Ilets on St. Jean and I am concerned that there may not be much beach left in front of it? I was also wondering if the beach is still divided or barricaded somewhat? I have seen many references to that in past posts but also that it may be completely open now?

As always, thank you for any help or ideas.

Michael
 
I agree with Kevin. There was not a lot of beach last year and there might be more restrictions on the walk from beach through airport to beach. You could also check out hotel Le Village in St. Jean. We always stayed in Sereno or Filao or Emaruade Plage and last year we stayed in a villa and were incredibly happy with our choice. We will be there at the end of May and a couple of days in June hopefully we can hook up. Wherever you decide paradise awaits.
 
For a hotel, also consider The Christopher. It’s a beautiful setting and they usually have summer deals. Have fun planning!
 
I like Le Chris too. If you want to choose a hotel that is a bit more upscale, the Christopher is one to consider. It is on the water, and has a beautiful pool area, but it has no real beach. https://www.hotelchristopher.com/en

If you really want to be on St Jean, have a look at Pearl Beach, which was Tom Beach when you were last there. It's on the other side of the runway from Les Islets, avoids that "crossing the runway overrun" problem, and has a good restaurant. https://pearlbeachstbarth.com/
 
More on the expensive side, le Barthelemy and Sereno on Grand -Cul -de Sac- nice beach, snorkeling with sea turtles and colorful fish, diving pelicans, windsurfing, seadoos, kayaks, small sailboats, parasailing- all available within a protected bay.
 
Thanks all! We have previously stayed at Le Guanihani and Villa Azu in the hills of St. Jean, as well as the old St. Barts Beach Hotel after a terrible one night stay in a villa in the hinterlands (wild story about that one:) paid double on that trip).

A recent post discussing waking up on the beach (before sleeping-in spouses awake) really got me thinking how nice it would be to be beachfront. However, we definitely prefer the villa lifestyle with the private pool and views. We are also looking at Villa Perchoir and trying to make our dates work in mid-June when our kids are otherwise occupied.

It sounds like a lot has changed on the island yet many things have stayed the same. Other than planning on where to stay, our usual plan is to have no plan and see what each day brings us. We like to have long leisurely lunches at beachfront restaurants and chill on the beach afterwards, followed by a rest in the late afternoon and dinner somewhere in Gustavia usually or take-out. Sounds like that plan is still doable and the island has pretty much recovered from Irma.

I will probably have a million questions between now and June and will be on this Board daily getting fired up for our return visit. Thanks again for chiming in. BTW, what happened to MikeR? I miss seeing his posts.
 
We have only visited the island 3 times. We have never stayed at a hotel and more than likely never will (even though I am sure they are wonderful). For my wife and I, nothing can match a villa experience. We have previously stayed at:

VDD: on Flamands
MJS: high up in Flamands
Passage: On a hill above Corossol

Each villa was unique in every way.... including price. I don't think we could choose between the two of them. We actually tried to rent Azu for our Honeymoon but were turned away by the owner. We ended up with VDD which was all we could have asked for.

Do you have a specific budget you are working with or any particular area you are trying to focus on?
 
Azu was incredible. We have a modest budget. $500 or less a night. Don't really have a preference for areas but would prefer to be closer to Gustavia. Thanks for the recs. I will look at those.
 
steelpe said:
We have only visited the island 3 times. We have never stayed at a hotel and more than likely never will (even though I am sure they are wonderful). For my wife and I, nothing can match a villa experience. We have previously stayed at:

VDD: on Flamands
MJS: high up in Flamands
Passage: On a hill above Corossol

Each villa was unique in every way.... including price. I don't think we could choose between the two of them. We actually tried to rent Azu for our Honeymoon but were turned away by the owner. We ended up with VDD which was all we could have asked for.

Do you have a specific budget you are working with or any particular area you are trying to focus on?
Click to expand...
My only issue with MJS was the mosquitos. Even though there was a nice breeze there were still a lot of mosquitos in the "main building". Since it only had roll down screens instead of doors that seal, it seemed the mosquitos came and went as they pleased and the dark wood for hiding seemed to make it worse. But, it was a very nice villa with a great view and we loved sitting out at the little covered, outdoor table looking out over Flamands for breakfast or wine and cheese. Outdoor shower (was very private) only if that is an issue. The pictures of the villa on the Wimco website are very accurate
 
jmp1968 said:
Thanks all! We have previously stayed at Le Guanihani and Villa Azu in the hills of St. Jean, as well as the old St. Barts Beach Hotel after a terrible one night stay in a villa in the hinterlands (wild story about that one:) paid double on that trip).
Click to expand...

I'm super intrigued by this...never heard of a villa gone so wrong. Don't want to dredge up bad memories but it has to be a wild story indeed.
 
Oh boy. Here goes. While planning our honeymoon, an old law partner at my firm whose name is on the top of the doorplate and letterhead, came into my office and said that he heard that we were planning to go to St. Barts for our honeymoon. I confirmed that was the plan and he told me that he had a lovely "villah" in the countryside of St. Barts with a pool and a jeep that came with it. My wife and I were all set to go to the Carl Gustaf where our sister and brother in law went for their honeymoon a few years before and they obviously loved it. The geezer said that he would love for us to use his "villah" for next to nothing and he would give us the friends and family rate. Being a second year lawyer at the firm and also dirt poor, I reluctantly agreed (did not want to reject said offer of the lovely villah from a name partner).

Thus, arriving in St. Barts in the dark, after multiple flights, speaking no French and having no idea where the hell we were or how to get to the villa, we finally were able to get a taxi there using landmarks only per the partner's directions. It was certainly over the hills and far away it seemed. Upon arrival, we realized that the villah was un-airconditioned (first deal breaker, it was June), had no view at all and the pool was actually a hot tub overlooking what seemed to be pasture land. Not a promising start.

I told my wife not to unpack but we would see what it looked like in the daylight although I was not feeling it, AT ALL. Opening the (screen-less) doors to get some type of air moving, we finally tried to sleep. It did not go well. Sweating and swatting bugs all night, I finally got up with the roosters howling around 5:00 a.m. with my mini "St. Barts Alive" book (pre-internet days) to try and find other lodging before my wife even woke up. I was really disappointed with myself after changing the Carl Gustaf plans to appease a law partner.

Around 6:00 a.m. as day broke, I also saw a note from the owner in the kitchen that said, sorry, the jeep is broken down but there is a bottle of wine in the fridge and make yourself at home. The pitiful white zinfandel was no salve (yes, I poured a glass at 7:00 am) and tried making a few calls. The Carl Gustaf was booked, Le Guanihani was $1200 a night and I did not know that other villas existed or had the first clue in how to rent one. Finally, after my wife awoke and saw the non-existent view and me sweating profusely and scratching like an 8 year old summer camper with poison ivy, she told me to rent the first thing available. Alas, the St. Barts Hotel "at the Cul de Sac", had a few rooms and we were welcome to come any time. The hotel even sent a van to pick us up. We could not get there fast enough.

We arrived with our bags, sight unseen and ended up having a blast for the rest of the trip. Got a mini-moke, raced around the roads, ate the best food of our lives and vowed to return, albeit next time with a better plan for our lodging.

I ended up resigning from the firm two weeks after returning from St. Barts (for a better paying job) but still to this day, I want a dang refund from the old geezer.

I still do not know where that "villah" was located but I am pretty sure it was over yonder in the Toiny region.

Michael
 
steelpe said:
We have only visited the island 3 times. We have never stayed at a hotel and more than likely never will (even though I am sure they are wonderful). For my wife and I, nothing can match a villa experience. We have previously stayed at:

VDD: on Flamands
MJS: high up in Flamands
Passage: On a hill above Corossol

Each villa was unique in every way.... including price. I don't think we could choose between the two of them. We actually tried to rent Azu for our Honeymoon but were turned away by the owner. We ended up with VDD which was all we could have asked for.

Do you have a specific budget you are working with or any particular area you are trying to focus on?
Click to expand...

We, too, tried renting Villa Azu and we also were turned away by the owner. Apparently they were using their villa at the time we were interested in renting it. It then fell off my radar. We wound up staying right below it at Villa La Maison on St Jean hillside. Spectacular view. This was pre-Irma and it’s since been redone. Worth looking into in my opinion. AC in bedrooms only...

https://www.stbarth.com/villas/detail/suite/maison-la
 
I had Villa La Maison booked for the end of this April with Anita through Happy Villa Rental. We were excited and looking forward to our upcoming stay at Villa La Maison. Thankfully, Oliva and Guillaume of Happy Villa Rental recently alerted us to the fact that there was going to be construction next door, commending in March and extending well into 2021. The Owner of Villa La Maison passed along that information to Happy Villa Rental regarding the upcoming construction. Olivia and Guillaume once again are lifesavers and cheerfully moved us to another Villa. Hopefully, one day in late 2021 we can enjoy Villa La Maison once the construction is completed next door.
 
We stayed at La Maison. It is a beautiful villa. When the construction is finished I definitely recommend it.
 
Hello JMP1968,
I would recommend Villa Le Perchoir. I have stayed there on two separate trips. Michel and Jany are wonderful Owners, you will be very well cared for. The views are excellent.
 
jmp1968 said:
Oh boy. Here goes. While planning our honeymoon, an old law partner at my firm whose name is on the top of the doorplate and letterhead, came into my office and said that he heard that we were planning to go to St. Barts for our honeymoon. I confirmed that was the plan and he told me that he had a lovely "villah" in the countryside of St. Barts with a pool and a jeep that came with it. My wife and I were all set to go to the Carl Gustaf where our sister and brother in law went for their honeymoon a few years before and they obviously loved it. The geezer said that he would love for us to use his "villah" for next to nothing and he would give us the friends and family rate. Being a second year lawyer at the firm and also dirt poor, I reluctantly agreed (did not want to reject said offer of the lovely villah from a name partner).

Thus, arriving in St. Barts in the dark, after multiple flights, speaking no French and having no idea where the hell we were or how to get to the villa, we finally were able to get a taxi there using landmarks only per the partner's directions. It was certainly over the hills and far away it seemed. Upon arrival, we realized that the villah was un-airconditioned (first deal breaker, it was June), had no view at all and the pool was actually a hot tub overlooking what seemed to be pasture land. Not a promising start.

I told my wife not to unpack but we would see what it looked like in the daylight although I was not feeling it, AT ALL. Opening the (screen-less) doors to get some type of air moving, we finally tried to sleep. It did not go well. Sweating and swatting bugs all night, I finally got up with the roosters howling around 5:00 a.m. with my mini "St. Barts Alive" book (pre-internet days) to try and find other lodging before my wife even woke up. I was really disappointed with myself after changing the Carl Gustaf plans to appease a law partner.

Around 6:00 a.m. as day broke, I also saw a note from the owner in the kitchen that said, sorry, the jeep is broken down but there is a bottle of wine in the fridge and make yourself at home. The pitiful white zinfandel was no salve (yes, I poured a glass at 7:00 am) and tried making a few calls. The Carl Gustaf was booked, Le Guanihani was $1200 a night and I did not know that other villas existed or had the first clue in how to rent one. Finally, after my wife awoke and saw the non-existent view and me sweating profusely and scratching like an 8 year old summer camper with poison ivy, she told me to rent the first thing available. Alas, the St. Barts Hotel "at the Cul de Sac", had a few rooms and we were welcome to come any time. The hotel even sent a van to pick us up. We could not get there fast enough.

We arrived with our bags, sight unseen and ended up having a blast for the rest of the trip. Got a mini-moke, raced around the roads, ate the best food of our lives and vowed to return, albeit next time with a better plan for our lodging.

I ended up resigning from the firm two weeks after returning from St. Barts (for a better paying job) but still to this day, I want a dang refund from the old geezer.

I still do not know where that "villah" was located but I am pretty sure it was over yonder in the Toiny region.

Michael
Click to expand...
That is worthy of a chapter in a book. A wonderful rendition of everything that can go wrong. Being a former geezer in a law firm I can relate to you wanting to appease a named partner but thankfully no one in my firm ever heard of St Barts.
 
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