St. Barths 2010

Sorry it’s taken me so long to post this. We returned late and I was back at work EARLY the next morning. I’m not sure if it was the jeg-lag or the fact I feel like I’m coming down with a cold, but I’ve had a real difficult time with “re-entry” after this trip. I wrote most of this on our way home, but justgot it finished and ready for posting …


We’re on our long journey home. I am hoping you understand that I didn’t post everyday because we were busy enjoying our time on this wonderful island. That isn’t to say we didn’t have time each day for checking e-mail, but the villa was so open and light that computer screens are really only readable from the small kitchen island; and I preferred to spend as much time as possible enjoying the view and sunshine.

We had a wonderful time on this vacation and will most definitely be returning.

After we picked up our rental Jimny (think Rav4-like) we took off exploring the island. I have to give kudos to Tony for driving as these have to be some of the scariest roads we’re ever traveled. They were windy, steep and often only 1 ½ cars wide … even on the two-way streets. It was crazy to look out my side of the car down the steep cliffs that dropped unprotected from the side of the road. Occasionally I would see a thin (6”-8”) strip of pavement about 10’ long that had been added to make the road slightly wider. Although I’m sure it should have gave me comfort, I definitely got the feeling it had been added because too many cars had gone off the road in that location. And you’d think that with these road conditions, drivers would be cautious, but no. Most drivers drove as if they were on the Grand Prix circuit!

There was one thing that was a pleasant surprise … it doesn’t have to be as expensive as everybody says. Yes, everything is in Euros (and right now the dollar isn’t too strong), but if you were smart about where you ate and what you ordered, fantastic meals (including a bottle of wine) could run $140 - $160 for two. And if you wanted pizza (which is fantastic at both Le Bistro and Andy’s) it could be nearly half that price.

Staying in a villa is definitely the way to go and there are literally 100s available ranging from 1- to 8-bedrooms. Not all are on the beach, or have a pool, but what a villa offers you is the opportunity to eat in for breakfast, make lunches for the beach and eat in a couple of nights.

The nightlife on the island is amazing, but as we found it can be hit-or-miss. Friday night we went the Le Yacht Club and found a fun party that really only got started around 11:00p. Other friends of ours went to another hotspot, Le Ti, and found it to be completely dead. Saturday night we went to Le Ti and it was definitely hopping. Sunday night we returned to Le Yacht Club and it was completely dead. So you have to be prepared to move-on if a night-life is what you’re looking for. It’s worth noting that the reason things get going so late is because the local restaurant staff are the biggest patrons of the nightclubs. So the attendees early are the young rich and the late partiers are the locals. The later is definitely more fun.

I must take a moment to talk about Le Ti. We had heard about it from friends and I couldn’t wait to give it a try. Technically, it’s a restaurant (and although the food is fine, its not the best on the island) but once all the people have eaten, the waiters clear off the tables and the DJ fires up the music. Because it’s a restaurant, the space is filled with tables … so what do people to do? Dance on the tables!! It was so much fun! Unfortunately, because it’s located in a “neighborhood” they have a noise restriction and have to close at 11:30p.

What we learned early on was that one must on the island is Sunday lunch at Nikki Beach. It’s the place to see and be seen (from what we were told). So reservations were made (also a must on the island). It definitely wasn’t our cheapest day, but how can you put a price on fun? Recently people have taken to bringing the Le Ti experience to Nikki Beach and as the crowd loosens up on wine and the DJ’s music starts pumping the dancing begins. Once again we closed the place down (6:00p) and made some fantastic friends along the way.

Someone at the San Juan airport asked me about people being stuffy. It became clear early on that there are two types of people that come to St. Barths. Those that come to be seen, and those that come to enjoy all the island has to offer. The least social people we ran into were Americans (but definitely not all the Americans we met). Oh, I’m sure the people on the yachts had their own level of stuffy, but we didn’t typically hang out with them (as their role was more to be seen sitting on the decks of their yachts while in the harbor). However, we met so many nice Americans and French that who needs to worry about those that don’t know how to have fun? My #1 observance would be the friendliest Americans were those that have been coming for years, and have made local friends. They’re the ones that come to have a good time … not to be seen.

I think Tony and I both were trying to put off the packing as long as possible and trying to think of ways to stay a few more days. If we hadn’t been on so many airlines (and I didn’t have to get back to work) we probably would have tried to stay a few more days.

In the end I was really surprised by St. Barths … on so many levels. My concerns over the cost of things were mostly unnecessary and if the dollar had been stronger against the Euro the prices would have been like anywhere else. As well, I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun could be had … and in such a variety of ways. I think Lance and Libby were concerned that the island would be to quite for us, but the reality is that we love a nice relaxing day on the beach and a nice quite dinner with friends. So St. Barths offered just the right mix of both.

We’re already talking about how we can get back this summer … so I guess you can say it was perfect.