The First 48

Our first two days in St. Barths have been filled with beautiful sights, extravigant sights, outlandish sights and lots of surprises. 

Our first stop after "checking-in" at our villa was a visit to some friends from Fantasy Fest that were leaving the next day.  Admittedly, I was really just looking forward to unwinding when we landed, but seeing their filla and the view was enough to put my travel weary thoughts aside. 

Their villa was AMAZING and every bit the type of style we adore.  Sleek, white and silver metals adorned the hilltop retreat.  The "compound" consisted of two buildings, one on each side of the pillared entrance that lead to the pool overlooking the ocean.  We'll post pictures later, but this place was not to be believed!

Our next stop was downtown Gustavia where we took in the sights of the super yachts in town for Carnivale (or just the long weekend).  Several of the yachts in port I've seen featured in TV shows, but to see them up-close-and-personal was amazing.  The excess cannot be believed!

For dinner we went to a local restaurant downtown.  Yes, the prices are high (the exchange rate on the Euro doesn't help), but decent prices can be found.  The night ended with a nightcap of local vanilla rhum on the deck of our villa.

Where we're staying isn't one of the "super villas" on the island, but it's absolutely lovely.  The only downside is that it doesn't have a pool, but that's what the beach is for, right?

Tuesday morning we woke to a strong breeze and sunshine.  The breeze is great because it keeps the mosquitos at bay and keeps the temperature just a bit cooler.  After the ritual of coffee downtown and buying bagettes at the local boulangerie we returned to the villa to make lunch and head out to one of a handful of nude beaches on the island. 

After only a couple of hours in the sun we had to pack up and get ready for carnivale, in Gustavia.  The parade was very entertaining and it seems everybody on the island came out to celebrate.  Jimmy Buffet was even sighted in the crowd (although not by us).  If I had realized how much fun it was, I would have packed a Fantasy Fest costume ... although I'm not sure I have many that would have been appropriate.  :)

One of the surprises on the island is how many kids there are.  We have learned that the local kids can stay on the island until they are through Jr. High ... then they have to either return to France or go to St. Martin to finish their education.  Of course, some of the locals are wealthy enough to hire tutors, but mostly what you see around town are young kids between 1 and 10. 

Our second day we got a bit of a late start (it's a 4 hour difference for us) so the morning ritual was more of an early lunch jaunt downtown for coffee and bread.  After our first day in the sun (without proper sunscreen) a break from the beach was in order so we walked around downtown, did some shopping, picked up our rental car and returned to the villa for lunch and a nap.  Early evening we went to the local "see and be seen" spot, Nikki's Beach. 

Now, with our own car, Tony and I made a couple side-stops on the way back to prepare for dinner.  We definitely want to fine a "local" bar where we can have a couple of drinks for less than 40 Euro ... and we found it (I'll have to tell you the name later ... sorry).  For the first time since we landed, we found a place for a Mojito and beer only cost 11 euro ... such a steal!

Dinner was at The Wall on the far side of the harbor overlooking the super yachts.  Although we rarely do this, we went for the Prix Fix menu ... and boy were we glad!  The shredded crab cake and salad was to die for and I'm sure we'll be returning before we leave for a lunch of the same.

Our host and hostess, Lance and Libby, have been wonderful giving us the lay of the land (not hard to get lost as there's really only one road) and showing us the best spots for bread, coffee, etc.  But now that we have our own car we're looking forward to taking the next few days to discover the island for ourselves.