etx
SBH Insider
Just returned from 8 nights on the island, our longest trip yet. We had a wonderful time and remarked that it was close to a perfect vacation: smooth travel days, research that paid off, restful, restorative, and amazing food. I think it is safe to say this has become my favorite place in the world.
Travel: DFW-SJU-SBH via AA and Tradewind. Had planned a night in San Juan with a flight out the morning of the 8th. We did not book anything before we got there, crossing our fingers that Tradewind would be able to sneak us onto the last flight of the day on the 7th, which we did not book initially in case there was a delay with AA that would've led to us missing a night in St. Barts. Can't miss a planned night in St. Barts - but a bonus night? Now that's worth a shot. We checked in at the desk when we landed, and after initially being turned away a bit brusquely, I decided to ask a more pointed question about the possibility of "standby" and this time got a much more receptive and friendly staffer who said that there was 1 seat left, but that we were welcome to wait in the lounge just to see if anything opened up. So that's what we did and to our amazement they were able to accommodate us. Their level of customer service, as compared to some of the horror stories I've heard recently from my folks and otherwise with WinAir, is worth consideration of the price - which is steep. But as I told them after they were so kind to help us out, when you're going on vacation, things just need to work. And Tradewind just works.
Car: Mini Cooper with an audible to a Jimny through Odile/Gumbs. No reason to go with any other agency. We got the convertible to experience the island with the top down, but after seeing our driveway up to the house needed to make a change. Odile was very helpful and the whole swap process took less than 10 minutes. The Jimny is a blast to drive and has much better visibility than the Cooper did. Of note, when it came time to pay I was fully expecting to pay the Mini rate which was higher as that's what we had reserved, but Odile would hear none of it. "That's not how I do business," she said, or something of the like. Wonderful. Car rental through Gumbs just works.
Villa: Aloes, in Lurin, through Corcoran. Very pleasant experience. Our concierge Helene was exceptional and the best we've had. She handled everything beforehand, all reservations and the like, and was quickly responsive and invaluable on-island with changes and questions. Aloes was beautiful. 180-270 degree view overlooking Gustavia all the way around to up the hill in Lurin. A/C only in bedroom but it was very windy, and opening all of the large doors allowed for plenty of ventilation throughout the kitchen and living area. Location can't be beat. We were quite happy with this choice. If thinking about staying there, and I'd recommend it without reservation, shoot me a PM and I can pass along some tips.
Bonus night lodging: Le Village on Thursday night. 250e a night! Hard to beat. Great A/C. Wonderful breakfast in the morning. We weren't there long so didn't get to enjoy the pool but it sits up on a nice vista. Great location. We had thought about the Sunset Hotel in Gustavia and had also gotten a few recommendations from an esteemed forum member, but he recommended Le Village and it was perfect for what we needed.
Dining: Will do a separate post on restaurants in the Restaurants forum as this one is already long enough.
Did transats at LTBC and Le Barthelemy. LTBC will definitely return. Le Barth was good too but was ruined a bit by a loud and very un-self aware American couple. And GCdS beach is just not in great shape right now. A lot of sargassum mostly on western/left side, construction at Le Sereno, still nothing in La Kala/Le Rivage, which I know is irking Yann to have this unsettled nature on both sides of his perfect little spot.
General thoughts: it seemed a bit of a sleepy week on the island. Fine by us. Parking was still a challenge in Gustavia but didn't have a problem anywhere else. Weather couldn't have been better. No haze, rained only overnight, very breezy all week. I ordered at Carambole one morning completely in French and the lady behind the counter never tried to change over to English for me - a feather in the cap for this (deep) East Texas boy. Massages at Manapany were just okay. We had wonderful therapists but overall didn't enjoy the overall experience as much as the Christopher last trip and won't be back. The last day after we were sunned out I drove the Jimny around the island for about an hour and a half, the roads are so much fun to drive and that's a fun little car. Had seen signs for Merlette on the way to Flamands - seems mainly a locals neighborhood? But stumbled across some different lodging options I'd never heard of. It was just fun to explore areas I'd never been. Had some excellent wine this trip - love La Cave in Public for the villa needs. Did a walkabout one day, explored all of Gustavia, went up to Fort Karl (decent view but not worth a special trip), found the old Swedish clock tower by mistake, walked in the church, walked by the hospital, and wondered who the owners were of the massive homes in Gustavia. Road construction was really not that big of a deal at all. A few minor inconveniences. Gouverneur reeked of sargassum. Saline we got sandblasted for about 30 minutes then packed it up. Really enjoyed Lorient, Flamands. So many unfinished/ruined/empty lots beachfront on Lorient, GCdS, Flamands. Choisy has better baguettes than LPC. Listened to a lot of Bonnie Raitt, Tudeschi Trucks, and John Mayer (hot take - my generation's Eric Clapton). Finished 2 books, The Persian by David McCloskey (4/5) and Safe Houses by Dan Fesperman (3/5). Sadly didn't get the chance to meet up with any forum acquaintances, hopefully next time.
Time to start planning our next trip! Hoping to be able to make this an annual affair going forward. St. Barts just works.
Travel: DFW-SJU-SBH via AA and Tradewind. Had planned a night in San Juan with a flight out the morning of the 8th. We did not book anything before we got there, crossing our fingers that Tradewind would be able to sneak us onto the last flight of the day on the 7th, which we did not book initially in case there was a delay with AA that would've led to us missing a night in St. Barts. Can't miss a planned night in St. Barts - but a bonus night? Now that's worth a shot. We checked in at the desk when we landed, and after initially being turned away a bit brusquely, I decided to ask a more pointed question about the possibility of "standby" and this time got a much more receptive and friendly staffer who said that there was 1 seat left, but that we were welcome to wait in the lounge just to see if anything opened up. So that's what we did and to our amazement they were able to accommodate us. Their level of customer service, as compared to some of the horror stories I've heard recently from my folks and otherwise with WinAir, is worth consideration of the price - which is steep. But as I told them after they were so kind to help us out, when you're going on vacation, things just need to work. And Tradewind just works.
Car: Mini Cooper with an audible to a Jimny through Odile/Gumbs. No reason to go with any other agency. We got the convertible to experience the island with the top down, but after seeing our driveway up to the house needed to make a change. Odile was very helpful and the whole swap process took less than 10 minutes. The Jimny is a blast to drive and has much better visibility than the Cooper did. Of note, when it came time to pay I was fully expecting to pay the Mini rate which was higher as that's what we had reserved, but Odile would hear none of it. "That's not how I do business," she said, or something of the like. Wonderful. Car rental through Gumbs just works.
Villa: Aloes, in Lurin, through Corcoran. Very pleasant experience. Our concierge Helene was exceptional and the best we've had. She handled everything beforehand, all reservations and the like, and was quickly responsive and invaluable on-island with changes and questions. Aloes was beautiful. 180-270 degree view overlooking Gustavia all the way around to up the hill in Lurin. A/C only in bedroom but it was very windy, and opening all of the large doors allowed for plenty of ventilation throughout the kitchen and living area. Location can't be beat. We were quite happy with this choice. If thinking about staying there, and I'd recommend it without reservation, shoot me a PM and I can pass along some tips.
Bonus night lodging: Le Village on Thursday night. 250e a night! Hard to beat. Great A/C. Wonderful breakfast in the morning. We weren't there long so didn't get to enjoy the pool but it sits up on a nice vista. Great location. We had thought about the Sunset Hotel in Gustavia and had also gotten a few recommendations from an esteemed forum member, but he recommended Le Village and it was perfect for what we needed.
Dining: Will do a separate post on restaurants in the Restaurants forum as this one is already long enough.
Did transats at LTBC and Le Barthelemy. LTBC will definitely return. Le Barth was good too but was ruined a bit by a loud and very un-self aware American couple. And GCdS beach is just not in great shape right now. A lot of sargassum mostly on western/left side, construction at Le Sereno, still nothing in La Kala/Le Rivage, which I know is irking Yann to have this unsettled nature on both sides of his perfect little spot.
General thoughts: it seemed a bit of a sleepy week on the island. Fine by us. Parking was still a challenge in Gustavia but didn't have a problem anywhere else. Weather couldn't have been better. No haze, rained only overnight, very breezy all week. I ordered at Carambole one morning completely in French and the lady behind the counter never tried to change over to English for me - a feather in the cap for this (deep) East Texas boy. Massages at Manapany were just okay. We had wonderful therapists but overall didn't enjoy the overall experience as much as the Christopher last trip and won't be back. The last day after we were sunned out I drove the Jimny around the island for about an hour and a half, the roads are so much fun to drive and that's a fun little car. Had seen signs for Merlette on the way to Flamands - seems mainly a locals neighborhood? But stumbled across some different lodging options I'd never heard of. It was just fun to explore areas I'd never been. Had some excellent wine this trip - love La Cave in Public for the villa needs. Did a walkabout one day, explored all of Gustavia, went up to Fort Karl (decent view but not worth a special trip), found the old Swedish clock tower by mistake, walked in the church, walked by the hospital, and wondered who the owners were of the massive homes in Gustavia. Road construction was really not that big of a deal at all. A few minor inconveniences. Gouverneur reeked of sargassum. Saline we got sandblasted for about 30 minutes then packed it up. Really enjoyed Lorient, Flamands. So many unfinished/ruined/empty lots beachfront on Lorient, GCdS, Flamands. Choisy has better baguettes than LPC. Listened to a lot of Bonnie Raitt, Tudeschi Trucks, and John Mayer (hot take - my generation's Eric Clapton). Finished 2 books, The Persian by David McCloskey (4/5) and Safe Houses by Dan Fesperman (3/5). Sadly didn't get the chance to meet up with any forum acquaintances, hopefully next time.
Time to start planning our next trip! Hoping to be able to make this an annual affair going forward. St. Barts just works.
