If not St Barth, where?

Bart -my real name-

Senior Insider
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]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. [/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]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.[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Some suggestions that were spared hits by Irma and Maria were:[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Mustique[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Bequia[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]South Caicos[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Barbados [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Grenada[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Culebra[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Grenadines[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]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:[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Grenada[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]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)[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Martinique [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Montserrat (not sure the extent of hurricane damage here)[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]St. Lucia[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]St. Vincent and the Grenadines[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Tobago [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Turks and Caicos[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]What I’m looking for in an island is:[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]A safe place [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]No hassles from the locals (not interested in turning down 20 offers a day to get my hair braided!)[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Beautiful beaches[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Natural beauty [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Good food[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Relaxed vibe[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]A French island would be preferable, but not required[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]What I don’t need or care about:[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Golf[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Casinos [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Night life[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]High end shopping[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Big hotels[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Big cities [/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]I don’t care if the island has those things, I’m just going to avoid them. [/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]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)[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]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. [/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Thanks![/FONT][/FONT]
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The answer is no island is like SBH. Which is wonderful and special of course, but it's always nice to try something different.

I've never been to St. Lucia, however I have 2 pairs of friends that go almost every year and they love it! From what I hear, it's very safe, the locals don't hassle visitors too much, its a little more upper class (like Barbados) than the other English Caribbean islands. Even though it was a French possession for a while, its more British in manner so not sure how good their croissants are... ;)

From the French islands, Guadeloupe could be of interest - there are little islands off their coast called Les Saintes, which I've heard is kind of "St. Barth Lite" - very French (bakeries, smoking) not developed at all (no casinos or chain hotels) and the population are 95% French Whites. No flights, so only boat or yacht to get there.

Martinique and Guadeloupe (I've been) are physically gorgeous islands, very French however they are big, both are quite populated, the capitals are fairly large cities and the locals are quite poor (there are a lot of social problems on these islands) which you can avoid as the locals tend to leave visitors alone (unlike Jamaica, Cuba or Dominican). My understanding is that Martinique and Guadeloupe are also easier to get to these days from the US compared to years past. Maybe give that a try?

this article might be of interest for you: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/travel/guadeloupe-caribbean-food-french.html

a trip report comparing Les Saintes to SBH circa 2017 would be awesome.... ;):cool:

Good Luck!
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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A poster here canceled SBH and is going to St Lucia. Check it out- looks very nice

We were booked on St John Christmas week, We cancelled and are now booked at Ladera on St Lucia.

It's one of those 3 walled rooms with a private pool overlooking the Pitons.
 
We spent last Christmas on the Saints and Marie Galante. Les Saintes reminded us of St Barth and we enjoyed it very much. Charming islands, little traffic, nice beaches and restaurants. But no, it is not the same and we would always choose SBH over the Saints due to the beaches,
restaurants and atmosphere.
Marie Galante was great. One beach is close to perfect with a lovely lunch option. There are some nice restaurants and it is very laid back. But both islands suffered a lot from Maria.
so, to answer your question: I would go to Bequia.
My second choice would be Harbour Island, Bahamas. Or maybe St Lucia, which is nice too.
 
I still don’t know if I’ll be spending time on St Barth later this year. If I don’t go, or if I go for a short trip, then I’m more likely to spend some time somewhere in the US. Perhaps Hilton Head, perhaps the Florida panhandle.

Les Saintes is not SBH 20 years ago.
Culebra is an unlikely option due to Maria.
Mustique could be interesting.
St Vincent and the Grenadines would be an option.
 
I called a travel agent who I deal with for my non St. Barts trips. I told her that I intend to go but wondered what was going on elsewhere in the event that I can't get back because of villa or air travel issues. She said she's overwhelmed with clients booking frantically anywhere that hasn't been affected by Irma and Marie. She also said that many clients are booking South America. When you think about how many people vacation in St. Maarten and St. Martin alone you can understand how availability elsewhere is tightening up.
 
Well, I just had a similar conversation today. We are going to try to delay for 1 year and then add in a trip somewhere else. I'm thinking I don't want to be in the way or take up resources that might be used by a resident. In our contract it says this is allowed however I'm not sure what the agency will think.

Never been anywhere else, I want St Lucia but the mrs does not. I'm looking for a place much more economical than st barts as we will be squeezing in vacations in back to back years.
 
Look into Isla Mujeres....Fly to Cancun take boat to Isla its a really cool little island with beautiful beaches no car rentals but golf carts..Amazing food and a bargain compared to SBH...

If you want to stay in caribbean I would try Bequia but its a hassle to get to...

What about the out islands in the Bahamas
 
Thanks Daniela for the descriptions.
I've been to Harbour Island, loved it (I would kind of describe it as a "English St Bart's" - quiet, no development, lots of UK jetsetters and celebs however does anyone know how Bahamas is faring? Also HI is a LOT quieter than SBH bit wonderful for beach bums.
We spent last Christmas on the Saints and Marie Galante. Les Saintes reminded us of St Barth and we enjoyed it very much. Charming islands, little traffic, nice beaches and restaurants. But no, it is not the same and we would always choose SBH over the Saints due to the beaches,
restaurants and atmosphere.
Marie Galante was great. One beach is close to perfect with a lovely lunch option. There are some nice restaurants and it is very laid back. But both islands suffered a lot from Maria.
so, to answer your question: I would go to Bequia.
My second choice would be Harbour Island, Bahamas. Or maybe St Lucia, which is nice too.
 
Maybe take this as an opportunity to try an island that is completely different? (After all nothing will ever compare to SBH amiright?) I went to Bonaire 2 winters ago and it is probably my 2nd favourite Caribbean island.

PROs? - Not easy to get to for sure however Delta and United do fly limited jets in so no 3rd turboprop is required.
- use USD as official currency. While not super cheap at least no exchange is required. Its about Miami prices for food.
- its the most European of the ABCs. Lots of Dutch spend winters there, locals voted to stay in NL. Locals leave tourists alone. Not.once in 2 weeks did anyone approach me to hassle or sell anything.
- amazing snorkeling, scuba diving and kite surfing. Its definetly an island for more active types.
- the colour of the water.
- Dutch grocery stores with good.selection of European goods.
- lots of Sun, pretty dry little chance of being rained out.
- seems to have a very large return visitor rate (like SBH) I met many Americans that have been going to Bonaire every year for a long time, in some cases decades. That says something.

CONS
- expensive and limited flights.
- subpar beaches, they exist but this is not a place that will rank best beaches in the Caribbean.
- driving is boring. It's a flat island, you will miss all the hills, twists and turns :)

Good Luck with your choices everyone!

If anyone ever considers Bonaire, I stayed here and highly recommend: http://www.pietboonbonaire.com
 
We were booked on St John Christmas week, We cancelled and are now booked at Ladera on St Lucia.

It's one of those 3 walled rooms with a private pool overlooking the Pitons.
We stayed at Ladera in 2000. It's a great place. St Lucia is beautiful. Not St Barth though.
 
I think, considering that some members here are considering St Lucia, that you specify at least a little why you "hated" it. Only fair no?
Side note: I've had friends visit SBH and "hate" every minute. Different strokes... :cool:QUOTE=Maya;981015]We went to St. Lucia 3 years ago, hated every minute. Never again.[/QUOTE]
 
Generally felt very unsafe, constantly being pestered by the hawkers, although Marigot Bay was ok, the rest, no thanks
 
Do not go to Guadeloupe. We went for a number of years ..... granted sometime ago ..... but it wasn't safe then (road blocks with police for example) and I cannot imagine it
has gotten any better. Not to mention beach vendors !!!!!!
 
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