shout out and thank you!

[thomasj]

Hello everyone

I mostly just lurk here from time to time, I don't travel to SBH as often as I used to, having moved to the Caribbean in 2020.
I have just finished week 1 of a 2 week visit to the island and I wanted to thank everyone who has been posting, kindly sharing all their experiences on the island, restaurant and otherwise. Myself, I mostly cook at the villa, therefore I'm pretty select with the places I'll go to, however in the spirit of sharing and contributing, I want to give kudos to the following:
- Chokola Vany (new discovery for me), lovely owners and best pastries imo, the love handles are loving it!
- Ti' Corail never disappoints, friendly service, easygoing ambiance and great food
- Nyama (new for me also), such sweet owners, nice staff and the food is pretty good!
- Black Ginger TO GO, very solid and pretty authentic flavours
- SO Cuisine, good place to grab and go some healthy eats, parking ain't great
- Le Papillon Ivre (second visit), very charming staff, it's super easy going and the wine selection is obviously great, the food, its good (not great) but it's a nice change of vibe, owner Julie is fun

Places on the list for week 2:
- Pearl Beach
- Manapany
- La Casina
- returns to Nyama and Corail.
- Grain de Sel
- ???

Observations:
- the island is GORGEOUS!
- SO MANY CARS!
- Gustavia, wow, tried twice at different times, however since it's basically impossible to find a parking spot, I've given up on trying again, I am quite happy to stick to the other side of the island.
- that said, the roads are so much more improved - great job! Still TOO MANY CARS!
- Sargassum is pretty light on the beaches I frequent (Saline, Governeur, Toiny), to compare I saw way more in Mexico a month ago, and zero on Anguilla, where I just spent a week before coming to St Barts.
- I am glad I visited this week, the island is pretty busy, but word on the street is this the "quiet" period before the Christmas and NYE Crowds descend (no thank you).
- for those "complaining" about how the island has changed please show me a place that hasn't. Nowhere is the same as it was in 1980 or 1990 or even 2010. I travel a lot for my work, and there are very few places on earth that are untouched - some for better, most for worse. St Bart's isn't the same island it used to be, however, as far as I can tell, it has managed to maintain it's unique style, feel and in some spots, wild nature where one can relax and enjoy the good life. There's still no island like it.

Let's see how week 2 goes...

Thanks again all, appreciate everyone - this board is swell.
cheers,
Tom

 

[amyb]

Hello everyone

I mostly just lurk here from time to time, I don't travel to SBH as often as I used to, having moved to the Caribbean in 2020.
I have just finished week 1 of a 2 week visit to the island and I wanted to thank everyone who has been posting, kindly sharing all their experiences on the island, restaurant and otherwise. Myself, I mostly cook at the villa, therefore I'm pretty select with the places I'll go to, however in the spirit of sharing and contributing, I want to give kudos to the following:
- Chokola Vany (new discovery for me), lovely owners and best pastries imo, the love handles are loving it!
- Ti' Corail never disappoints, friendly service, easygoing ambiance and great food
- Nyama (new for me also), such sweet owners, nice staff and the food is pretty good!
- Black Ginger TO GO, very solid and pretty authentic flavours
- SO Cuisine, good place to grab and go some healthy eats, parking ain't great
- Le Papillon Ivre (second visit), very charming staff, it's super easy going and the wine selection is obviously great, the food, its good (not great) but it's a nice change of vibe, owner Julie is fun

Places on the list for week 2:
- Pearl Beach
- Manapany
- La Casina
- returns to Nyama and Corail.
- ???

Observations:
- the island is GORGEOUS!
- SO MANY CARS!
- Gustavia, wow, tried twice at different times, however since it's basically impossible to find a parking spot, I've given up on trying again, I am quite happy to stick to the other side of the island.
- that said, the roads are so much more improved - great job! Still TOO MANY CARS!
- Sargassum is pretty light on the beaches I frequent (Saline, Governeur, Toiny), to compare I saw way more in Mexico a month ago, and zero on Anguilla, where I just spent a week before coming to St Barts.
- I am glad I visited this week, the island is pretty busy, but word on the street is this the "quiet" period before the Christmas and NYE Crowds descend (no thank you).
- for those "complaining" about how the island has changed please show me a place that hasn't. Nowhere is the same as it was in 1980 or 1990 or even 2010. I travel a lot for my work, and there are very few places on earth that are untouched - some for better, most for worse. St Bart's isn't the same island it used to be, however, as far as I can tell, it has managed to maintain it's unique style, feel and in some spots, wild nature where one can relax and enjoy the good life. There's still no island like it.

Let's see how week 2 goes...

Thanks again all, appreciate everyone - this board is swell.
cheers,
Tom

How thoughtful, Tom. Glad you signed in and posted. Keep enjoying this one special island.

 

[Cwater]

Wonderful report. While change is inevitable people dislike change. First it is ridiculed, then opposed that accepted as reality. As for parking…go behind the church by the anchor. Never a problem!

 

[cassidain]

Probably depends on the season

 

[Beachcomber]

Hello everyone

I mostly just lurk here from time to time, I don't travel to SBH as often as I used to, having moved to the Caribbean in 2020.
I have just finished week 1 of a 2 week visit to the island and I wanted to thank everyone who has been posting, kindly sharing all their experiences on the island, restaurant and otherwise. Myself, I mostly cook at the villa, therefore I'm pretty select with the places I'll go to, however in the spirit of sharing and contributing, I want to give kudos to the following:
- Chokola Vany (new discovery for me), lovely owners and best pastries imo, the love handles are loving it!
- Ti' Corail never disappoints, friendly service, easygoing ambiance and great food
- Nyama (new for me also), such sweet owners, nice staff and the food is pretty good!
- Black Ginger TO GO, very solid and pretty authentic flavours
- SO Cuisine, good place to grab and go some healthy eats, parking ain't great
- Le Papillon Ivre (second visit), very charming staff, it's super easy going and the wine selection is obviously great, the food, its good (not great) but it's a nice change of vibe, owner Julie is fun

Places on the list for week 2:
- Pearl Beach
- Manapany
- La Casina
- returns to Nyama and Corail.
- Grain de Sel
- ???

Observations:
- the island is GORGEOUS!
- SO MANY CARS!
- Gustavia, wow, tried twice at different times, however since it's basically impossible to find a parking spot, I've given up on trying again, I am quite happy to stick to the other side of the island.
- that said, the roads are so much more improved - great job! Still TOO MANY CARS!
- Sargassum is pretty light on the beaches I frequent (Saline, Governeur, Toiny), to compare I saw way more in Mexico a month ago, and zero on Anguilla, where I just spent a week before coming to St Barts.
- I am glad I visited this week, the island is pretty busy, but word on the street is this the "quiet" period before the Christmas and NYE Crowds descend (no thank you).
- for those "complaining" about how the island has changed please show me a place that hasn't. Nowhere is the same as it was in 1980 or 1990 or even 2010. I travel a lot for my work, and there are very few places on earth that are untouched - some for better, most for worse. St Bart's isn't the same island it used to be, however, as far as I can tell, it has managed to maintain it's unique style, feel and in some spots, wild nature where one can relax and enjoy the good life. There's still no island like it.

Let's see how week 2 goes...

Thanks again all, appreciate everyone - this board is swell.
cheers,
Tom

After years of searching for a place as special as SBH as it was in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s I finally found a corner of the Caribbean that checks all the boxes. I’d been to Terre de Haut, Marie Galante, Deshaies, Martinique, and many other places looking for something at least similar but nothing measured up. It turns out it was hiding in plain sight; Terre-Basses. It was purchased by an American from St Croix in 1955 and divided into 1hectare building plots which is almost 2.5acres. It has not been and cannot be sub-divided any further. My wife and I just got back from a week long trip over the Thanksgiving break. It was perfect. Our villa was incredible and probably half the price as a similar villa on SBH would be. It had a panoramic view of the Caribbean with Saba in the distance. It’s a fully gaited community with almost no through traffic. The main road leading to Marigot had essentially zero traffic the entire time we were there. There was slightly more traffic heading up to Grand Case during daylight hours but it thinned out at dinner time. Restaurant prices are very reasonable considering the quality of the food and are certainly on par with SBH and we were never asked for a tip. I checked out the prices specifically for a bottle of Clicquot as a comparison and there wasn’t any price gouging as one of the members recently posted about experiencing on SBH. I had a conversation with a Maitre de telling him we usually go to SBH but thought we would try something different. In his very French way he said to me that the waitstaff on SBH view Americans as a stack of 100 dollar bills with legs and the game is to extract as many of them for the House as possible during the evening. Sounds about right. Our villa was a stones throw away from la Samana and the beach, Baie Longue, was as nice as any beach you will find in the Caribbean and there were never more than 3 cars in the parking lot for a beach over two miles long. There are two other beaches, Plum Bay and Bay Rouge and given the geography I don’t think it would be possible for all three to experience Sargassum at the same time. After our third day I felt like I was truly in SBH. It was peaceful and impossibly quiet at our villa with no construction or traffic to disturb the peace. If someone had told me 20 or 30 years ago I would be purposely be booking a vacation to St Martin I would have said you’re just as likely to see me staying at a Holiday Inn in Newark, New Jersey for a vacation. I was wrong. Terre-Basses is a time capsule owing to the generous sized parcels that were laid out in the 1950’s. I have not given up on SBH but I think I will do things differently going forward. I will probably stay on T-B for the bulk of the trip with an excursion to SBH for a few days just to hit Saline and a few favorite restaurants. Two islands on the same trip will make it more of an adventure while I learn about all the restaurants I’ve been missing on SXM.

 

[cassidain]

Hmmm. Glad you found a place you like. A gated development on Saint-Martin would not be what we're looking for.
To each his or her own makes the world go 'round.

 

[Beachcomber]

Hmmm. Glad you found a place you like. A gated development on Saint-Martin would not be what we're looking for.
To each his or her own makes the world go 'round.

That’s exactly what I thought…until I tried it. It’s St Barts in the 1990’s.

 

[Jim A]

I had a conversation with a Maitre de telling him we usually go to SBH but thought we would try something different. In his very French way he said to me that the waitstaff on SBH view Americans as a stack of 100 dollar bills with legs and the game is to extract as many of them for the House as possible during the evening. Sounds about right.

While I do agree (and it has been a more and more frequent criticism on here over the past few years) that a lot of the newer places and the "St Moritz" type multi-conglomerate owned places and the temporary seasonal staff may more often than not unfortunately fit this description, I do think the staff that have been on the island year after year and many of the restos that have as well, do not. Yes, the ratio may be shifting more and more towards the former but the latter are still around as well. If you check the OPs list for example I think he gives a list of places that are quite the opposite from that Maitre De's description. My point being nothing other than pick what works for you and avoid what doesn't. And of course if that is a gated community in St Martin, then that's awesome that you found something perfect for you and you should stick with it. It sounds great!

One could also do as the OP and go to St Barth and not visit the "beach clubs" on St Jean, stay out of Gustavia at night and stick to the more casual beaches and restos and get a similar experience. Personally we like a mix of both. We love our JoJo burgers and Ti Corail lunches as well as our Pearl Beach/Nao lunches. We usually will leave our amazing villa over looking the beach (thanks Rosita ) and spend a day or two at either Cheval Blanc or Guanahani or by the Pool at Mananpany. Then we will spend days at the much quieter Colombier or Saline or Gouverneur. Some of the restos have just become ridiculously priced so we tend to stay away from them for dinner and will instead often have a nicer lunch and then takeout or a casual dinner. Last trip we found L'Epicurien in Lorient for amazing meats and cheeses and bread to pair with some bubbly for a dinner one night at the villa - inexpensive but awesome. To Go pizza from Luigi wherever he may be...always at least once. We will go to L'Esprit for the offseason prix fixe menu which I personally find to be an amazing quality to price deal (and the polar opposite of the service that the maitre de mentioned). We even watch a movie or show on Netflix (sacrilege on St Barth I know!!!) sometimes to wind down the night. So, it still works best for us because we love the ability to choose "both".

Happy travels!

 

[Beachcomber]

Don’t get hung up by the fact that there is a gate. There are not hoards of people trying to get past the gate to assault you. There’s literally nobody on that side of the island. Just peace and quiet and a quick 5 minute drive to Marigot. I understand your reservations about a gated community but it did not feel confining at all. It felt like South Hampton in the Caribbean. It took me many years to overcome my prejudices and give this a try but we truly feel like we stepped back in time.

 

[Dennis]

Extolling the virtues of ST. Martin on this forum makes you Carol Sturka of Pluribus.

 

[cassidain]

what's in Marigot ?

 

[Beachcomber]

Extolling the virtues of ST. Martin on this forum makes you Carol Sturka of Pluribus.

I knew that was coming but I still felt the need to share.

 

[Dennis]

I knew that was coming but I still felt the need to share.

I just looked some villas in that area. Sweet!

I support your new vaca spot.

 

[Amery]

We only went to St Martin once, 20+ years ago, and actually rented a villa in Terre Basses. We didn't know the island at all, I had recently started visiting St Barth with friends so had only been through Juliana. Friends had taken their young family to the French side of St Martin the year before and loved it so invited us to join. All children were young, between 6 and 9, and the villa we rented was beautiful and perfect for 2 families. We loved being near a beach, followed our friends' lead, spent time at Marina Port Royale, explored other beaches and enjoyed affordable french restaurants. My memory is a bit fuzzy but I understand the allure and very happy for you to have found your place!

Re: Jim's comments, I completely agree. We too stay on the beach at a quiet time of year though also enjoy other beaches and a high/low mix of restaurants. This past trip, not on a beach but quietly perched at a villa no one wanted to leave, during 2 weeks, we didn't visit a single beach club. Not that we don't ever (we do occasionally and early ; ) we generally prefer lower key lunches and only went into town 2 nights, again, mostly dictated by places our family enjoys. Other trips, just the 2 of us or with friends, the agenda changes. St Barth is what you make of it, high/low or in between. People tend to only think of it as the "high" and while that end is ever-increasing, if you know where to go (and not) it is still unmatched in my book. (Changes can certainly be debated separately.)
After many years and many trips my heart still skips a beat upon landing and eyes tear as we depart. For me, that tells the story

 

[Beachcomber]

what's in Marigot ?

If it’s on St Barts it came through Marigot. All of those yachts in Gustavia Harbor get provisioned in Marigot after the Air France jets land. One such company is Epicerie-de-Marie. If you are looking for acorn fed pork from the Iberian peninsula, milk fed veal from France, Wagu beef from multiple sources or Petrossian Beluga Caviar then Marigot is your place. Check out the catalog on their website. They are open to the public and even have a restaurant out back. They are by no means the only source of exceptional foods from around the globe.

 

[le_reve]

Terre Basses is very nice, but, it the end, it is still St Martin - - which is too big and too busy for me. But, to each his own.

 

[Beachcomber]

Terre Basses is very nice, but, it the end, it is still St Martin - - which is too big and too busy for me. But, to each his own.

I fully understand what you are saying. I used to live in Island Harbour and only reluctantly left Anguilla for the reasons you stated;too big and too busy. T-B is not like that. It was blissfully quiet and there was no traffic on that end of the Island.

 

[le_reve]

I fully understand what you are saying. I used to live in Island Harbour and only reluctantly left Anguilla for the reasons you stated;too big and too busy. T-B is not like that. It was blissfully quiet and there was no traffic on that end of the Island.

You found Anguilla too busy?

 

[Cwater]

Fascinating thread.

 

[Beachcomber]

You found Anguilla too busy?

No. I love Anguilla but when I needed something I couldn’t get on Island I would head over to SXM. I dreaded the trip and could not wait to get back home to AXA. Back then I would never had considered actually staying on SXM if I could avoid it. In my mind it was a place you went through, not to. I have been completely overlooking the best part of the Island. This time I went from my nice big comfy seat on the plane straight through to concierge pick up and was whisked away to the villa where the rental car was waiting. We found a great Italian restaurant a few minutes from the villa in Port Cupecoy that first night and had an interesting goat cheese and honey pizza. Stocked up at the Super U the next morning and started looking for interesting restaurants for the duration. The prices were so reasonable I felt guilty. The main reason we did not push on to SBH was that I only had 7 days off. That’s just not enough time for a proper SBH vacay so we decided skip the commuter flights and try something different. Usually when we have a longish weekend we would go to the Standard in South Beach but we did that so many times during Covid that it just seemed old and we wanted to mix things up. We will still go back to SBH but will probably split our time with T-B.