robandlois
SBH Insider
This was our fifth stay on the island. Each time we rented a different villa. For this trip we stayed at Villa Coral, and used Happy Villa to book it. Guillaume and Oliva at Happy Villa were very helpful with all details, and aided in booking our sunset cruise. The villa is small, but the view was fantastic, and a very comfortable outside area. I do wish they had a hammock.
Best breakfast – Chocolate croissants and coffee every morning. The trick I like to add is to warm the croissants in the oven. It makes them even more flaky. Had to bring a dozen home to extend our experience.
Beach: Monday at Saline. Crystal clear, so inviting and refreshing. I spent about an hour just floating and relaxing in the sea.
Best Unexpected Moment: being able to hike to Columbier. Didn’t think I could do it again with my arrhythmia and AVR hips. Beta blocker has worked like a miracle drug, and my hips have been GREAT all week. An amazing day on Columbier walking, taking photos and snorkeling.
Romantic Moment: Nighttime dip in the pool. The villa pool gets sun all afternoon, so it’s very inviting after hours.
Villa Meal: For those abhorrent to bringing food to the island, close your ears. I brought some Costco steak, treated with Montreal Steak Seasoning, vacuum packed and frozen. Grilled on the villa gas grill, they came out amazingly tender, garnished with grilled onions and white potatoes. And the leftover steak made for enjoyable beach sandwiches.
Lunch: The hamburger at La Piment was amazing. Best tasting burger I can remember. We also stopped there on the way to the airport for a quick burger before heading home. It was 11:30 and lunch didn’t start until noon. The cook heard our plight and quickly got up and said he would prepare our burger. Nice service! And the waitress, Benedictine, was great fun and a super hostess. I remember eating there in 2004 when it was relatively new and I had read some negative reviews on line. We had a panini burger and it was fantastic. We’ve gone there each time we were on the island and always enjoyed our meal.
Accident: I hit my head 22 times on the hanging lamp on our outside covered area. Hit it once, shame on you, hit it twice, shame on me. Hit it 22 times – what’s wrong with me?!!!
Cigar: While the Bolivar is my number one, I’ve been trying a host of others. So far I’d say the Partagas figarado was my favorite this trip. Great draw, consistent flavor.
Photo: My wife on the patio overlooking Lorient after a day at the beach.
Photo at Night: Lorient landscape from our villa with a sliver of a moon, town night lights, stars and some clouds for contrast.
Restaurant Experiences:
Eddys was a fun night. Great atmosphere. And very accommodating waiter. After dinner I wanted to enjoy a post prandial cigar. He said “no cigars” but reconsidered and put me in the front away from other guests where we finished with dessert and an espresso. Can’t do that in NJ.
Our dinner at Provence was very good. The portions were excellent, very filling. While we missed the dessert cart The Wall House served, the desserts here did not disappoint. And the service was outstanding. The two sisters that waited on us were very kind, explained everything, and provided a very comfortable environment.
Pipiri Place – Another excellent meal, with a creole flair. Like Eddy’s, the outside vibe was relaxing.
TV – While we don’t watch much of any TV while on the island, I did have French satellite on one morning and found a funny cartoon – Les Lapins Crétins : Invasion (Rabbids Invasion. It was in French (which I unfortunately do not speak) but since these characters only make noises, that was not an impediment to laughing at their antics. Fun!
Mosquitoes – Not an issue. We saw some, killed some, and only got a couple of bites.
Disappointment – Andy not being in town and the pizza offering variable.
Credit Card Warning – I used our Visa card pretty much all week. We got home on Sunday. On Tuesday I got a call from Visa security that my card was used in Wilkes Barre, PA. I can’t say for sure it was a result of using it in St. Barth, and this hasn’t happened before. But take note.
I'll try to post some pictures after I get their size reduced.
Rob
Best breakfast – Chocolate croissants and coffee every morning. The trick I like to add is to warm the croissants in the oven. It makes them even more flaky. Had to bring a dozen home to extend our experience.
Beach: Monday at Saline. Crystal clear, so inviting and refreshing. I spent about an hour just floating and relaxing in the sea.
Best Unexpected Moment: being able to hike to Columbier. Didn’t think I could do it again with my arrhythmia and AVR hips. Beta blocker has worked like a miracle drug, and my hips have been GREAT all week. An amazing day on Columbier walking, taking photos and snorkeling.
Romantic Moment: Nighttime dip in the pool. The villa pool gets sun all afternoon, so it’s very inviting after hours.
Villa Meal: For those abhorrent to bringing food to the island, close your ears. I brought some Costco steak, treated with Montreal Steak Seasoning, vacuum packed and frozen. Grilled on the villa gas grill, they came out amazingly tender, garnished with grilled onions and white potatoes. And the leftover steak made for enjoyable beach sandwiches.
Lunch: The hamburger at La Piment was amazing. Best tasting burger I can remember. We also stopped there on the way to the airport for a quick burger before heading home. It was 11:30 and lunch didn’t start until noon. The cook heard our plight and quickly got up and said he would prepare our burger. Nice service! And the waitress, Benedictine, was great fun and a super hostess. I remember eating there in 2004 when it was relatively new and I had read some negative reviews on line. We had a panini burger and it was fantastic. We’ve gone there each time we were on the island and always enjoyed our meal.
Accident: I hit my head 22 times on the hanging lamp on our outside covered area. Hit it once, shame on you, hit it twice, shame on me. Hit it 22 times – what’s wrong with me?!!!
Cigar: While the Bolivar is my number one, I’ve been trying a host of others. So far I’d say the Partagas figarado was my favorite this trip. Great draw, consistent flavor.
Photo: My wife on the patio overlooking Lorient after a day at the beach.
Photo at Night: Lorient landscape from our villa with a sliver of a moon, town night lights, stars and some clouds for contrast.
Restaurant Experiences:
Eddys was a fun night. Great atmosphere. And very accommodating waiter. After dinner I wanted to enjoy a post prandial cigar. He said “no cigars” but reconsidered and put me in the front away from other guests where we finished with dessert and an espresso. Can’t do that in NJ.
Our dinner at Provence was very good. The portions were excellent, very filling. While we missed the dessert cart The Wall House served, the desserts here did not disappoint. And the service was outstanding. The two sisters that waited on us were very kind, explained everything, and provided a very comfortable environment.
Pipiri Place – Another excellent meal, with a creole flair. Like Eddy’s, the outside vibe was relaxing.
TV – While we don’t watch much of any TV while on the island, I did have French satellite on one morning and found a funny cartoon – Les Lapins Crétins : Invasion (Rabbids Invasion. It was in French (which I unfortunately do not speak) but since these characters only make noises, that was not an impediment to laughing at their antics. Fun!
Mosquitoes – Not an issue. We saw some, killed some, and only got a couple of bites.
Disappointment – Andy not being in town and the pizza offering variable.
Credit Card Warning – I used our Visa card pretty much all week. We got home on Sunday. On Tuesday I got a call from Visa security that my card was used in Wilkes Barre, PA. I can’t say for sure it was a result of using it in St. Barth, and this hasn’t happened before. But take note.
I'll try to post some pictures after I get their size reduced.
Rob
