Friday, July 11, 2008
PS
Seems I forgot to mention that when I came back to the villa to see if Paul was there, he in fact was, laying on the couch watching TV. Apparently he had quite a long and exhausting day, and while he was waiting for us outside O Corner, The Ambassador drove by and told him that he looked like a bum and can't dress like that for dinner in St. Barts (he was wearing cargo shorts and a polo shirt) and should go home and change, and promptly gave him directions. What a jerk. It all worked out for the best though, Paul needed some R&R after his day of being tour guide for Kevin in St. Martin. And by the way, he agreed that St. Martin is far from the ultimate vacation destination, and he didn't even see any floral bedspreads.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Work Day - Wednesday July 9
Today Paul took Kevin to St. Martin to see him off on his 3-week sailing/diving trip. This will be Kevin's longest time away from his dad and it was kinda cute to see him get all nervous, but then super excited as soon as we got down to the dock where they were going to catch the Rapid Explorer ferry. Thankfully the water was very calm today so the trip would be smooth sailing.
At the ferry dock:
Ever see a moon in the sunlight?
Given that Suzanne and I (or at least I) have very few motherly instincts, I thought that after a quick hug it was OK for us to bolt out so we could get breakfast at La Creperie, which we did. One ham, egg and cheese and plate of bacon later, I was a very happy camper ready to do some power shopping before the conference call I had to take from the pool at noon. We had heard that the shops in St. Jean were better than in Gustavia (seriously, who really buys stuff at Christian Dior and Gucci other than sunglasses?) and they were definitely a little closer to my price range.
Both Suzanne and I spent the entire afternoon working /reading - Suzanne may have had a nap in there as well - then we had to get ready for our champagne sunset boat trip on the catamaran that we dove from yesterday. I put on my new St. Bart's wear and we headed out, and ended up getting to know some really great people on the boat, including a couple from L.A. on their honeymoon and of course Carol and Annette from yesterday. We sailed out to Columbier beach and settled in to watch the sunset while having snacks and sipping champagne. Nice. Not sure it was worth 80 euros per person though. We should have each also been provided with a hot frenchman to caress our backs while watching the sunset as well.
The Honeymooners:
Sunset, wishing for a hot frenchman:
Showing off my new fashions on the boat, I had to include this because it makes me laugh so very hard:
After having been directed by my sister to try as many of her recommended restaurants as possible, we chose O Corner in Gustavia, conveniently located for us after we docked. One would think that a place called O Corner would be an irish pub or some other casual place. Au contraire mon frere. Quite chic, again with the decor, the music, and as cheesy as I feel using this word - the "vibe". Paul was supposed to meet us there but was not there so I started to get worried and, while I headed back to the villa to see if he might be there and if he was joining us for dinner, Suzanne ran over to Le Strand to quickly meet The Ambassador. I gave her strict instructions that when I sent her a text stating "take a moment, say your goodbyes" she was to return to O Corner sans Ambassador. What do you think happened when we met back at the restaurant. Yes, he was right behind her.
In this blog I have restrained myself from the true descriptions of The Ambassador and his conversations - note I did not say "our" conversations, because he is the only one who talks - but let me try to sum it up here. While he is extremely nice, he thinks he is, um, the Bee's Knees of St. Barts. Or excuse me, St. Barth. But since we are not "in season" he is unable to show us how important and popular he really is. Yes, he does know a lot of people who work in the hospitality industry here, but wouldn't anyone after spending as much time here as he has? I feel kinda bad for him, he really wants people to like him and just goes about it the wrong way. And for me, it was really the wrong way. I get not so nice around people who irritate me and I'm pretty sure that became obvious when I told him at dinner to stop talking about himself and that I would rather sit in silence. I know it was totally rude but I just couldn't hear one more story about his belongings that are stranded in Bel-Air with his porsche at his ex-girlfriends house and how he practically owns the Beverly Hills Hotel, among other things. Anyhow, I think he felt bad because he ended up picking up our tab for another outstanding meal. Momentarily after the bill was paid, I bolted and could not get back to the villa fast enough......
At the ferry dock:
Ever see a moon in the sunlight?
Given that Suzanne and I (or at least I) have very few motherly instincts, I thought that after a quick hug it was OK for us to bolt out so we could get breakfast at La Creperie, which we did. One ham, egg and cheese and plate of bacon later, I was a very happy camper ready to do some power shopping before the conference call I had to take from the pool at noon. We had heard that the shops in St. Jean were better than in Gustavia (seriously, who really buys stuff at Christian Dior and Gucci other than sunglasses?) and they were definitely a little closer to my price range.
Both Suzanne and I spent the entire afternoon working /reading - Suzanne may have had a nap in there as well - then we had to get ready for our champagne sunset boat trip on the catamaran that we dove from yesterday. I put on my new St. Bart's wear and we headed out, and ended up getting to know some really great people on the boat, including a couple from L.A. on their honeymoon and of course Carol and Annette from yesterday. We sailed out to Columbier beach and settled in to watch the sunset while having snacks and sipping champagne. Nice. Not sure it was worth 80 euros per person though. We should have each also been provided with a hot frenchman to caress our backs while watching the sunset as well.
The Honeymooners:
Sunset, wishing for a hot frenchman:
Showing off my new fashions on the boat, I had to include this because it makes me laugh so very hard:
After having been directed by my sister to try as many of her recommended restaurants as possible, we chose O Corner in Gustavia, conveniently located for us after we docked. One would think that a place called O Corner would be an irish pub or some other casual place. Au contraire mon frere. Quite chic, again with the decor, the music, and as cheesy as I feel using this word - the "vibe". Paul was supposed to meet us there but was not there so I started to get worried and, while I headed back to the villa to see if he might be there and if he was joining us for dinner, Suzanne ran over to Le Strand to quickly meet The Ambassador. I gave her strict instructions that when I sent her a text stating "take a moment, say your goodbyes" she was to return to O Corner sans Ambassador. What do you think happened when we met back at the restaurant. Yes, he was right behind her.
In this blog I have restrained myself from the true descriptions of The Ambassador and his conversations - note I did not say "our" conversations, because he is the only one who talks - but let me try to sum it up here. While he is extremely nice, he thinks he is, um, the Bee's Knees of St. Barts. Or excuse me, St. Barth. But since we are not "in season" he is unable to show us how important and popular he really is. Yes, he does know a lot of people who work in the hospitality industry here, but wouldn't anyone after spending as much time here as he has? I feel kinda bad for him, he really wants people to like him and just goes about it the wrong way. And for me, it was really the wrong way. I get not so nice around people who irritate me and I'm pretty sure that became obvious when I told him at dinner to stop talking about himself and that I would rather sit in silence. I know it was totally rude but I just couldn't hear one more story about his belongings that are stranded in Bel-Air with his porsche at his ex-girlfriends house and how he practically owns the Beverly Hills Hotel, among other things. Anyhow, I think he felt bad because he ended up picking up our tab for another outstanding meal. Momentarily after the bill was paid, I bolted and could not get back to the villa fast enough......
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
A Day Full of Activity - Tuesday July 8
Holy cow I haven't done this much in one day since, well, Saturday I guess. This was Kevin (my nephew)'s only full day on the island so we wanted to pack it all in. We packed a picnic lunch for the beach (consisting of 4 pb&j's and a roasted chicken with 2 forks), stopping at Petite Colombe to supplement our snacks with some fresh baked goods. Petite Colombe supplies baked goods to the restaurants and has wonderful pastries. One of our purchases was an assorted bag of croissants, including chocolate, which had a life outside the store of about 1 minute.
We settled on Shell Beach because it is in Gustavia which is where we needed to be for our 2pm scuba trip. It was kind of funny to find that "Shell" beach is just at the end of a small road and has 2 areas full of shells (see below) but the rest is regular sand. I'm not sure what I was expecting but the 2 patches of shells weren't it! Cute though, and small in comparison to St. Jean and Flamands.
Shell Beach:
At Shell Beach is Do Brazil, a restaurant that seems to be on everyone's "to do in St. Barts" list. At first I thought it was a simple beach bar but then realized that the upstairs is where the restaurant is, and its quite festive.
Kevin, Paul and Suzanne at the bar:
The restaurant upstairs:
Following a relaxing morning at the beach, we headed to the dive boat, which, not surprisingly, was the nicest dive boat I have ever seen. Frank and the divemaster were so incredibly nice and accommodating, doing pretty much everything for us other than the actual dive. Suzanne and one of the other women on the boat went snorkeling while we dove, and it seems that they saw better fish life than we did, including 2 sharks, a hammerhead and a reef shark. I saw lots of purple sponges and a baby sea turtle, very pretty but not nearly as exciting as a shark. I loved that when we surfaced once again Frank did all the work. The other 2 women who were traveling together invited us to do a champagne sunset cruise with them on the dive boat tomorrow night and, given the VIP status of the boat and crew, we of course accepted the invitation.
A slice of the harbor in Gustavia:
On to St. Jean again, we thought Kevin would enjoy watching the planes, but it turned out that the big attraction was actually the big waves and the boogie boarding. It didn't even look like the same beach as Sunday, and we were loving it.
Taken from the beach at the end of the runway, arriving flight:
Suzanne and Kevin waiting for some waves:
Kevin on the Boogie Board:
best paparazzi photo of the day:
At this point we were dying for cheeseburgers so we thought Le Select would be a great choice, unfortunately, they don't start serving food until 5:30 and it was only 4:45 and we were sadly turned away. Match in St. Jean, however, saved the day. After a quick $100 stop for some grilling essentials, Paul fired up the grill at the villa and made some fabulous cheeseburgers that actually rivaled those from LeSelect. It was shortly thereafter that I think I fell asleep for the evening. Nothing beats a 12-hour night of sleep on vacation.......Little did I know that while I was catching some Z's, The Ambassador showed up at our door wanting to take Suzanne out for a drink. Huh. I cannot recall in my pathetic 20 year history of dating anytime where a suitor actually showed up at my door offering to take me out. But do I want the surprise date? I will have to ponder.
We settled on Shell Beach because it is in Gustavia which is where we needed to be for our 2pm scuba trip. It was kind of funny to find that "Shell" beach is just at the end of a small road and has 2 areas full of shells (see below) but the rest is regular sand. I'm not sure what I was expecting but the 2 patches of shells weren't it! Cute though, and small in comparison to St. Jean and Flamands.
Shell Beach:
At Shell Beach is Do Brazil, a restaurant that seems to be on everyone's "to do in St. Barts" list. At first I thought it was a simple beach bar but then realized that the upstairs is where the restaurant is, and its quite festive.
Kevin, Paul and Suzanne at the bar:
The restaurant upstairs:
Following a relaxing morning at the beach, we headed to the dive boat, which, not surprisingly, was the nicest dive boat I have ever seen. Frank and the divemaster were so incredibly nice and accommodating, doing pretty much everything for us other than the actual dive. Suzanne and one of the other women on the boat went snorkeling while we dove, and it seems that they saw better fish life than we did, including 2 sharks, a hammerhead and a reef shark. I saw lots of purple sponges and a baby sea turtle, very pretty but not nearly as exciting as a shark. I loved that when we surfaced once again Frank did all the work. The other 2 women who were traveling together invited us to do a champagne sunset cruise with them on the dive boat tomorrow night and, given the VIP status of the boat and crew, we of course accepted the invitation.
A slice of the harbor in Gustavia:
On to St. Jean again, we thought Kevin would enjoy watching the planes, but it turned out that the big attraction was actually the big waves and the boogie boarding. It didn't even look like the same beach as Sunday, and we were loving it.
Taken from the beach at the end of the runway, arriving flight:
Suzanne and Kevin waiting for some waves:
Kevin on the Boogie Board:
best paparazzi photo of the day:
At this point we were dying for cheeseburgers so we thought Le Select would be a great choice, unfortunately, they don't start serving food until 5:30 and it was only 4:45 and we were sadly turned away. Match in St. Jean, however, saved the day. After a quick $100 stop for some grilling essentials, Paul fired up the grill at the villa and made some fabulous cheeseburgers that actually rivaled those from LeSelect. It was shortly thereafter that I think I fell asleep for the evening. Nothing beats a 12-hour night of sleep on vacation.......Little did I know that while I was catching some Z's, The Ambassador showed up at our door wanting to take Suzanne out for a drink. Huh. I cannot recall in my pathetic 20 year history of dating anytime where a suitor actually showed up at my door offering to take me out. But do I want the surprise date? I will have to ponder.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Spa Day at Le Toiny
During the low season in St. Barts several hotels offer some pretty good spa/lunch deals, one of which is at Le Toiny, a very exclusive hotel on the far southeast end of the island. The "journee spa" includes a 3-course lunch at Le Gaiac, pool access and a 90 minute spa treatment for 110 euros. After what we have seen so far this was an absolute steal! While I am trying so hard to add humor to this blog, it is just so difficult because there is nothing funny about this place or the service or the people (other than Suzanne and I, who are hillarious), it is ultra-elegant and classy and no matter who you are, you feel like a VIP. I hope that holds true for the rest of our trip. So far, I have been enjoying my new status.
Lunch poolside at Le Gaiac:
Chic decor:
The food of course was again outstanding, and probably one of the healthiest meals I have had in a very long time. We felt a bit odd being that we were the only people in the whole place, but then were glad about that fact when we found out that the "pool" that we could lounge at all day as part of our "journee spa" was right smack in front of the restaurant. Literally. It is actually part of the restaurant decor and is quite small. There were only 6 pool chairs available facing away from the pool toward the sea, but we later figured out why the accommodations seemed so short-handed: because each villa at the hotel has it own pool. I guess then there isn't really a reason to have a big community pool like at our fab hotel in St. Martin. If what we saw today was the lower end of VIP status I'll still take it.
Poolside:
I was a bit disappointed in the spa and the spa treatment for 2 reasons: (1) the spa was actually a small hut in the middle of a hill and (2) the facial didn't hold a candle, or even a match for that matter, to the ones given by Drita at Dita Day Spa in Chicago. I had expected a waiting area with fresh water, lounge chairs and incense but instead had to wait outside of the hut for the prior treatment to end. It was just odd. Then when my treatment was over, the woman never said anything and began packing up her things in the hut while I just laid there. Finally after 5-10 minutes I raised my head and said "um, excuse me, are you done?" and she said "oh yes" and had already filled out my bill. Maybe I should go to a spa in France to see if that is the protocol, but as far as I know, when your treatment is done they either tell you its done of give you some sort of signal like a pat on the head or something. I felt so violated....
I believe I failed to mention that while we were at Le Toiny, The Ambassador had agreed to arrange for transportation to the villa for my brother and nephew, who were arriving from St. Martin today via the Rapid Explorer Ferry. The ferry trip takes about an hour, compared to the 10 minute flight, but you don't have to deal with the airport hassle at Princess Juliana airport, so the extra time may be worth the lack of hassle, so long as there are no major swells that day. It was during my facial that it began to rain very, very, very hard (which sounded pretty darn cool on the tin roof of the hut) and while I was trying to relax, all I could think of was "oh great, they are on that ferry in the middle of this huge storm, they are either not going to make it or they will be so sea sick when they do". Apparently that thought was only a fleeting one because shortly thereafter I found that I had fallen asleep in the middle of my facial.
After my facial was done Suzanne informed me that The Ambassador had emailed and was already at the bar at Isle de France with my brother and nephew, waiting to take us out for dinner. We rushed home and threw on some non-poolwear and headed out for pizza at Le Bouchon, a casual locals hangout with a small outdoor dining area at a strip mall in L'Orient. I must say I was surprised at seeing a strip mall here, but its not like it was anchored by a TJMaxx or full of minivans in the parking lot.
On the drive over we saw lots of neat boutiques and shops in St. Jean that have made it to the top of our priority list for Wednesday. Its a much different feeling than Gustavia, which is full of the high-end french designer stores, I am very curious to see what they have to offer. The question now is, will Suzanne be joining me?? My brother, nephew and I left her with The Ambassador after dinner ........... (cue dramatic soap opera music here)
Lunch poolside at Le Gaiac:
Chic decor:
The food of course was again outstanding, and probably one of the healthiest meals I have had in a very long time. We felt a bit odd being that we were the only people in the whole place, but then were glad about that fact when we found out that the "pool" that we could lounge at all day as part of our "journee spa" was right smack in front of the restaurant. Literally. It is actually part of the restaurant decor and is quite small. There were only 6 pool chairs available facing away from the pool toward the sea, but we later figured out why the accommodations seemed so short-handed: because each villa at the hotel has it own pool. I guess then there isn't really a reason to have a big community pool like at our fab hotel in St. Martin. If what we saw today was the lower end of VIP status I'll still take it.
Poolside:
I was a bit disappointed in the spa and the spa treatment for 2 reasons: (1) the spa was actually a small hut in the middle of a hill and (2) the facial didn't hold a candle, or even a match for that matter, to the ones given by Drita at Dita Day Spa in Chicago. I had expected a waiting area with fresh water, lounge chairs and incense but instead had to wait outside of the hut for the prior treatment to end. It was just odd. Then when my treatment was over, the woman never said anything and began packing up her things in the hut while I just laid there. Finally after 5-10 minutes I raised my head and said "um, excuse me, are you done?" and she said "oh yes" and had already filled out my bill. Maybe I should go to a spa in France to see if that is the protocol, but as far as I know, when your treatment is done they either tell you its done of give you some sort of signal like a pat on the head or something. I felt so violated....
I believe I failed to mention that while we were at Le Toiny, The Ambassador had agreed to arrange for transportation to the villa for my brother and nephew, who were arriving from St. Martin today via the Rapid Explorer Ferry. The ferry trip takes about an hour, compared to the 10 minute flight, but you don't have to deal with the airport hassle at Princess Juliana airport, so the extra time may be worth the lack of hassle, so long as there are no major swells that day. It was during my facial that it began to rain very, very, very hard (which sounded pretty darn cool on the tin roof of the hut) and while I was trying to relax, all I could think of was "oh great, they are on that ferry in the middle of this huge storm, they are either not going to make it or they will be so sea sick when they do". Apparently that thought was only a fleeting one because shortly thereafter I found that I had fallen asleep in the middle of my facial.
After my facial was done Suzanne informed me that The Ambassador had emailed and was already at the bar at Isle de France with my brother and nephew, waiting to take us out for dinner. We rushed home and threw on some non-poolwear and headed out for pizza at Le Bouchon, a casual locals hangout with a small outdoor dining area at a strip mall in L'Orient. I must say I was surprised at seeing a strip mall here, but its not like it was anchored by a TJMaxx or full of minivans in the parking lot.
On the drive over we saw lots of neat boutiques and shops in St. Jean that have made it to the top of our priority list for Wednesday. Its a much different feeling than Gustavia, which is full of the high-end french designer stores, I am very curious to see what they have to offer. The question now is, will Suzanne be joining me?? My brother, nephew and I left her with The Ambassador after dinner ........... (cue dramatic soap opera music here)
Recovery Sunday
Notwithstanding our late night, we got up early to take on the beautiful day. Sorry, but in comparison to yesterday today is going to be pretty boring. First was a breakfast of fresh fruit and crepes at La Plage in St. Jean, followed by several hours of sun and beach time at St. Jean beach, which is located right at the end of the airport runway. Its kind of fun to lay in the water and watch the tiny planes take off literally right in front of you. To the right of us was Eden Rock, one of the nicest hotel properties on the island.
La Plage:
St. Jean Beach:
Eden Rock:
After a lazy morning, we headed back to the pool at the villa for more lounge time and naps.
Relaxing at our private pool in our Finistere robes and celebrity sized sunglasses (Suzanne refuses to have her picture taken so I guess its just me):
After an even lazier afternoon, we headed out for dinner, looking to find any place that was open on a Sunday evening. The task was not an easy one, but finally we came upon La Mandala in Gustavia, which has Thai-French fusion food. We walked in to a stunning atmosphere scented with the perfect combination of incense and food, and were seated at a candle-lit table overlooking the moon slice and the harbor. Too bad Suzanne and I are not dating because it was probably one of the most romantic places I had ever been, and the food of course, was amazing. We ate WAY too much and came home and crashed.
From Frommers:
"This is one of the most exciting restaurants on St. Barts. It occupies a house on the steepest street in Gustavia, high above the harbor, with a dining deck overlooking a swimming pool. The owners and chefs are partners Kiki and Boubou (Christophe Barjetta and Olivier Megnin), whose nicknames belie their formidable training at some of the grandest restaurants of France."
La Plage:
St. Jean Beach:
Eden Rock:
After a lazy morning, we headed back to the pool at the villa for more lounge time and naps.
Relaxing at our private pool in our Finistere robes and celebrity sized sunglasses (Suzanne refuses to have her picture taken so I guess its just me):
After an even lazier afternoon, we headed out for dinner, looking to find any place that was open on a Sunday evening. The task was not an easy one, but finally we came upon La Mandala in Gustavia, which has Thai-French fusion food. We walked in to a stunning atmosphere scented with the perfect combination of incense and food, and were seated at a candle-lit table overlooking the moon slice and the harbor. Too bad Suzanne and I are not dating because it was probably one of the most romantic places I had ever been, and the food of course, was amazing. We ate WAY too much and came home and crashed.
From Frommers:
"This is one of the most exciting restaurants on St. Barts. It occupies a house on the steepest street in Gustavia, high above the harbor, with a dining deck overlooking a swimming pool. The owners and chefs are partners Kiki and Boubou (Christophe Barjetta and Olivier Megnin), whose nicknames belie their formidable training at some of the grandest restaurants of France."
Saturday, July 5, 2008
First 18 Hours in St. Barts
Saturday started out to what most people may describe as a bit of a disaster, but Suzanne and I seem to have found quite a bit of humor in it. We arrived at Princess Julianna Airport at 10:15 a.m., an hour before our inter-island flight to St. Barts, and were immediately informed upon check-in of Winn-Air's new luggage policy of one checked bag (max 21kg) and one carry on (max 3kg). As we scrambled to figure out which unread periodicals (e.g., People, Us, Life & Style) would make the trip, we were informed that we could check a bag standby for $40. Whew! We not so quickly prioritized our items into 2 categories and repacked our bags on the floor near the check in desk, while getting very many dirty looks. In the process, we observed a very angry Frenchman who was informed of the same policy and who insisted that his rollaboard only weighed 3kg. When he was proven wrong, he screamed “FAAAK” and started pacing in a panic. “Bot I am onlvy goving to Sant Baats” (French accent) “I vill pay vatever, I yust need to go”. It was quite the spectacle.
We then checked in with a smile and ventured to the security line only to hear our names being paged to proceed to our gate immediately. We asked if we could skip ahead of everyone but the security chick wasn’t buying it given that another (very snobby) woman did the same thing at the same time and tried to even skip in front of us. Thus the security chick asked if we asked every single person in line if they approved, so I turned around and shouted out “hey everyone, is it OK that we skipped you?” and got a resounding “YES” from the crowd. Another “whew” from our side. We then ran to the gate (after Suzanne got held up again at the second security checkpoint by snobby woman) where the Winn-air staff was waiting for us. They escorted us via bus to our plane, and we were a bit surprised to see our pilot standing outside waiting for us with the door open. Remember when I said I only like to travel to destinations that are a little hard to get to? This is the kind of transportation you must be prepared for:
Suzanne and I immediately both fell madly in love with our pilot, whom we shall call Andy, looking somewhat dapper in his pilot uniform and aviators, asking us if we would like a nice view for our flight. He opened the door for us and as we climbed in to the teeny plane, we turned around to find 3 other passengers, one of which was the angry frenchman. We actually had quite a pleasant 15-minute flight to St. Barts without incident, even with the scary landing strip that I had heard so much about. We arrived to 2 little girls at the end of the runway on the beach waving at us. So cute.
Andy, before takeoff and after a fab landing:
a selection of nice views from the plane:
After a quick stop at Match right across from the airport for some snacking essentials, we found our way to Villa Finestere in Flamands, literally a stone’s throw from Hotel St. Barth Isle de France. Fi, the housekeeper was there to greet us with a smile and she had made us some snacks (including a wonderfully seasoned whole chicken!) and supplied some beverages for us. This is my fourth experience with an online villa/apartment rental and this one surely did not disappoint. I have yet to have a bad experience with this kind of vacation accommodation and this is the ONLY way to go, trust me. The villa has everything we need and more, including a private pool and a guest house, and is stocked with every pool and beach toy one could possibly need.
We ventured to Isle de France for lunch and some beach time. I’m sure I will say this over and over but the food was excellent (chicken salad – but not the American fatty kind swimming in mayo, the fresh French kind, with fresh thinly sliced chicken among tons of fresh fruit and vegetables), although not cheap. Lunch for the 2 of us with a glass of wine was about $100 US. I know it could be worse but for those of you reading this who want real numbers about cost there it is. The perk, however is that if you have lunch there, you can use their beach chairs and beach service. We took advantage and treated ourselves to some pina coladas on the beach, each of which was almost as much as our lunch entrees…. but so so good!
The right side of the beach, more beautiful pictures of the hotel to come:
One would think by now that after our day of travel, lunch and beach time, we would be ready for some R&R. We at this point we thought we would just run out for a casual dinner and come home and crash. We opted for LeSelect in Gustavia, home of the famed “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. Given that we were going to a pretty casual spot I opted for a cute outfit from my new favorite UK mail order catalog, Boden. This is relevant later, just so you know.
Le Select has a great, super casual (the only plastic chairs I have seen on the island thus far) outdoor patio with no waitstaff, part of the charm is that you order your food and drink from the grill and the bar directly and pick it up when it is ready. The bacon cheeseburger was out of this world, I could have actually had 2 of them…
Yes, the story continues:
We chatted it up with one of the semi-locals who told us we should go to Le Strand for an after dinner drink . We were both kinda tired but I said to Suzanne “come on, we are in St. Bart, lets just check it out.” So we did, only to find that it was very much on the opposite end of the spectrum from LeSelect, with everything from dim lighting, velvet curtains and chandeliers to sexy house music and couchside bottle service. I immediately regretted my outfit choice, knowing there was no way to pull of hip and chic in that “cute” ensemble. Lucky for me Suzanne was wearing a colorful strapless number from Old Navy that managed to attract some local talent. This is where the evening took an unexpected turn. After having an unproductive conversation with the young Frenchman sitting next to me, an American who is working down here came over to talk to us, we shall refer to him from here on out as “The Ambassador”.
Although his southern accent was somewhat painful at times (as a Midwestern gal I do not like southern accents on men, even if its Matthew McConneghey - or however you spell it - sorry, but its true) he was quite entertaining and suggested after buying us some more wine that we head down to Casa Nikki, which is right underneath Le Strand and has a great club atmosphere. I believe it was there that the champagne bottles began to flow tableside, only to continue later at the Yacht Club. I am not quite sure how or when the evening ended but I do know that The Ambassador made sure we made it home safely, probably due to his ulterior motive to spend some more time with Suzanne…………..
We gave The Ambassador a tour of the villa and could not find the lights to the pool area, but walked out there anyway – you know where this is going, right? Yea, I fell in the pool in my stupid outfit. It turned into a bit of a teenage pool party for a while until we gave up and went to sleep around 5-ish. If the rest of the trip is going to be like this I don’t think I am going to make it!
We then checked in with a smile and ventured to the security line only to hear our names being paged to proceed to our gate immediately. We asked if we could skip ahead of everyone but the security chick wasn’t buying it given that another (very snobby) woman did the same thing at the same time and tried to even skip in front of us. Thus the security chick asked if we asked every single person in line if they approved, so I turned around and shouted out “hey everyone, is it OK that we skipped you?” and got a resounding “YES” from the crowd. Another “whew” from our side. We then ran to the gate (after Suzanne got held up again at the second security checkpoint by snobby woman) where the Winn-air staff was waiting for us. They escorted us via bus to our plane, and we were a bit surprised to see our pilot standing outside waiting for us with the door open. Remember when I said I only like to travel to destinations that are a little hard to get to? This is the kind of transportation you must be prepared for:
Suzanne and I immediately both fell madly in love with our pilot, whom we shall call Andy, looking somewhat dapper in his pilot uniform and aviators, asking us if we would like a nice view for our flight. He opened the door for us and as we climbed in to the teeny plane, we turned around to find 3 other passengers, one of which was the angry frenchman. We actually had quite a pleasant 15-minute flight to St. Barts without incident, even with the scary landing strip that I had heard so much about. We arrived to 2 little girls at the end of the runway on the beach waving at us. So cute.
Andy, before takeoff and after a fab landing:
a selection of nice views from the plane:
After a quick stop at Match right across from the airport for some snacking essentials, we found our way to Villa Finestere in Flamands, literally a stone’s throw from Hotel St. Barth Isle de France. Fi, the housekeeper was there to greet us with a smile and she had made us some snacks (including a wonderfully seasoned whole chicken!) and supplied some beverages for us. This is my fourth experience with an online villa/apartment rental and this one surely did not disappoint. I have yet to have a bad experience with this kind of vacation accommodation and this is the ONLY way to go, trust me. The villa has everything we need and more, including a private pool and a guest house, and is stocked with every pool and beach toy one could possibly need.
We ventured to Isle de France for lunch and some beach time. I’m sure I will say this over and over but the food was excellent (chicken salad – but not the American fatty kind swimming in mayo, the fresh French kind, with fresh thinly sliced chicken among tons of fresh fruit and vegetables), although not cheap. Lunch for the 2 of us with a glass of wine was about $100 US. I know it could be worse but for those of you reading this who want real numbers about cost there it is. The perk, however is that if you have lunch there, you can use their beach chairs and beach service. We took advantage and treated ourselves to some pina coladas on the beach, each of which was almost as much as our lunch entrees…. but so so good!
The right side of the beach, more beautiful pictures of the hotel to come:
One would think by now that after our day of travel, lunch and beach time, we would be ready for some R&R. We at this point we thought we would just run out for a casual dinner and come home and crash. We opted for LeSelect in Gustavia, home of the famed “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. Given that we were going to a pretty casual spot I opted for a cute outfit from my new favorite UK mail order catalog, Boden. This is relevant later, just so you know.
Le Select has a great, super casual (the only plastic chairs I have seen on the island thus far) outdoor patio with no waitstaff, part of the charm is that you order your food and drink from the grill and the bar directly and pick it up when it is ready. The bacon cheeseburger was out of this world, I could have actually had 2 of them…
Yes, the story continues:
We chatted it up with one of the semi-locals who told us we should go to Le Strand for an after dinner drink . We were both kinda tired but I said to Suzanne “come on, we are in St. Bart, lets just check it out.” So we did, only to find that it was very much on the opposite end of the spectrum from LeSelect, with everything from dim lighting, velvet curtains and chandeliers to sexy house music and couchside bottle service. I immediately regretted my outfit choice, knowing there was no way to pull of hip and chic in that “cute” ensemble. Lucky for me Suzanne was wearing a colorful strapless number from Old Navy that managed to attract some local talent. This is where the evening took an unexpected turn. After having an unproductive conversation with the young Frenchman sitting next to me, an American who is working down here came over to talk to us, we shall refer to him from here on out as “The Ambassador”.
Although his southern accent was somewhat painful at times (as a Midwestern gal I do not like southern accents on men, even if its Matthew McConneghey - or however you spell it - sorry, but its true) he was quite entertaining and suggested after buying us some more wine that we head down to Casa Nikki, which is right underneath Le Strand and has a great club atmosphere. I believe it was there that the champagne bottles began to flow tableside, only to continue later at the Yacht Club. I am not quite sure how or when the evening ended but I do know that The Ambassador made sure we made it home safely, probably due to his ulterior motive to spend some more time with Suzanne…………..
We gave The Ambassador a tour of the villa and could not find the lights to the pool area, but walked out there anyway – you know where this is going, right? Yea, I fell in the pool in my stupid outfit. It turned into a bit of a teenage pool party for a while until we gave up and went to sleep around 5-ish. If the rest of the trip is going to be like this I don’t think I am going to make it!
Short Stint in St. Martin
I’m sure there are areas of St. Martin that would make a wonderful vacation but the Sonesta Maho Beach Hotel is not in one of them. Our journey on the island began with a less than friendly cab driver who huffed and puffed when we told her where we were headed. She said to herself like a 5-year old “but I don’t want to go that way! I just went that way and I want to go the OTHER way!” and stared at the cab attendant as if to ask if she could ditch us. She then refused to help with our luggage until I got a bit hostile with her. After our 5 minute ride through what reminded me of Spring Break, I was inclined not to tip on the $9 tab but I didn’t want any bad karma coming back to me.
The line at the check in desk at the hotel at 11pm was longer than we had hoped it would be, and it overlooked one of the many bars full of loud drunk tourists. Apparently there are such bars all over this massive hotel campus because as I type this I am listening to the “boom boom boom” of the music coming from at least one of them. This, together with floral bedspreads and curtains, is exactly why I choose not to vacation in places to which one can easily get and ones that have large resorts and casinos. Sorry to those of you reading this who like that kind of stuff, you have no idea what you are missing. Hopefully the descriptions in the days to come will shed some light as to why I prefer the harder-to-get-to places.
See floral bedspread and curtains:
see bathroom:
The line at the check in desk at the hotel at 11pm was longer than we had hoped it would be, and it overlooked one of the many bars full of loud drunk tourists. Apparently there are such bars all over this massive hotel campus because as I type this I am listening to the “boom boom boom” of the music coming from at least one of them. This, together with floral bedspreads and curtains, is exactly why I choose not to vacation in places to which one can easily get and ones that have large resorts and casinos. Sorry to those of you reading this who like that kind of stuff, you have no idea what you are missing. Hopefully the descriptions in the days to come will shed some light as to why I prefer the harder-to-get-to places.
See floral bedspread and curtains:
see bathroom:
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