abs@rdin.UUCP (Andrew Siegel) (06/21/84)
Since I have received no fewer than six requests for information on St. Barth's, I have composed the following little "travelogue". I have tried to address the individual questions already put to me. I would be glad to personally answer any other questions. Andrew Siegel philabs!rdin!abs work: (212)486-9150 home: (212)535-2467 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ St. Barthelemy (usually called "St. Barth's") is a small (8 square miles) island situated about 10 minutes (by air) southeast of St. Maarten, and is part of the French West Indies. Being under French government, its citizens are all French-speaking, and the unit of currency is the French franc. You will need proof of citizenship such as a passport, or a birth certificate along with a picture- ID such as local or international drivers license. The electric mains voltage is 220 volts, 50 cycles, and the plugs are the French continental standard (two round prongs set widely apart). The time standard is Atlantic Standard Time all year 'round (one hour ahead of EST, or equivalent to EDT). I think that the rainy season is in September; don't quote me on it. June is the driest month, as well as being off-season (and therefore inexpensive). To get to St. Barth's, you must first get to St. Maarten. From NYC, the best way to do this is American Airlines flight 667 from JFK. Once on St. Maarten, you take a 19-seat DeHavilland Twin-otter, which drops(!) you on St. Barth's unnervingly short runway in a mere 10 minutes (landing on St. Barth's must be experienced to be appreciated). One-way fare is about $22; good for a day trip from St. Barth's to St. Maarten, or vice-versa. St. Barth's is also accessible by air from St. Thomas (1 hour, $90 round trip), or Guadeloupe (1 hour, $92 round trip). The terrain on St. Barth's is rugged. The island is rather mountainous, and the roads are very steep and hilly. Bicycle riding is out. Mopeds are OK, and you can probably rent them. The most common vehicles we saw were Mini-Mokes (a no-frills car: no doors, no seat- belts, no comfort at $35/day, weekly discounts available) and Gurgels (bigger Mini-Mokes, $40/day, lower weekly rates). These both have standard transmissions, but we were told that we could rent automatics. VW Bugs are also available. The car rental agencies are right next to the airport (which is itself nothing fancy; just a customs shack and a combination bar/ticket-office). You should obtain an international driving permit before your trip (any AAA office can fix one up for you). I recommend that you rent a car for maybe one or two days some time in the middle of your stay (the rental agencies deliver to your hotel for free), so you can drive around on your own and see the sights. Otherwise, call for taxis. Although you must arrange for a taxi ride the night before it is needed (which precludes travel on a whim), taxis are much less expensive than renting. The greatest one-way fare that we paid was $7. We usually spent $10 to $15 a day on taxis. You can have the driver drop you off somewhere (like a secluded beach), and arrange to be picked up later at a given time and place. The drivers that we had were very reliable. The capital (or at least the biggest town) is Gustavia, which is small and quaint, with a lot of history to it. It is built around an excellent harbor, and contains many superb restaurants and boutiques. Almost everything on St. Barth's (except restaurants) closes between noon and 2-2:30pm for a siesta. We made the mistake of going into Gustavia at noon one day. After lunch we trudged around for an hour and a half in the very hot sun waiting for stores to open. There are two tennis courts on the entire island, and no other land sports that I saw. Most of the fun takes place in the water. Some hotels (Filao Beach, St. Barth's Beach, Baie des Flamands) have wind-surf boards and snorkeling gear for rent, and some have sunfish and scuba gear. The island is reputed to have good coral reefs. There is also a shop in Gustavia where you can rent scuba gear (St. Barth's Water Sports), as well as arrange for water-ski towing. St. Barth's permits water-skiing only 75 feet or more from shore. The water around St. Barth's is bright blue, and most of the beaches have soft, white sand. The taxi driver told us that the best beach was Grand Saline, at the southern shore of the island. Governour's Beach is also good, but the taxi drivers won't take you there, because it is accessible only by a very rocky dirt road. Go there on one of the days that you rent a car. The people that we met could be sorted into three categories: 1) American vacationers, 2) French vacationers, and 3) natives (of French descent). Among American tourists was a high concentration of sophisticated younger couples (like me and my girlfriend :-). This is probably because the island is quieter and not as heavily promoted as the bigger islands. Americans were in the minority. The French tourists were also typical, but typically French. They seemed to associate only with their compatriots, sitting at bars or occupying a major corner of a restaurant, just smoking, drinking wine, and talking for hours. We thought they were a cold bunch of people. I found the natives of the island to be friendly but not very outgoing; it probably helps if you can speak French, although almost all the natives can understand enough English to communicate. Also, all shopkeepers, taxi- drivers, restaurants, etc. that we encountered accepted dollars and francs interchangeably, with the usual exchange rate being 8 francs to the dollar. Unlike other islands in the Caribbean that I've heard of, St. Barth's seems to have no beggars and very little poverty (relatively speaking). We ate at several very excellent restaurants. In fact, I don't think that we had a bad meal once on the whole trip. The food was generally French, Creole, or a combination. Prices were moderate to expensive, but were inexpensive relative to other islands. Make sure you try some lobster (called "langouste"); they cook it in many delicious ways. I recommend the following restaurants: La Langouste, in Gustavia, which had the best atmosphere of all, and where the dinner we had was very good (smallish portions, though). The Beach Club, at St. Jean, is a small place right on the water (you can go for a swim between the appetizer and the main course). It had absolutely the best langouste; try it cold with mayonnaise (freshly made mayo, of course; no Hellman's or Best Food's here). The Pelican, also at St. Jean, had great fish and a good assortment of creole specialties, in particular: boudin noir (spicy blood sausage), stuffed crab, and acras (cod fritters). Some places we heard about: Au Port (in Gustavia, good French food), Castelet (in the hills, fairly fancy), Presquile (in Gustavia, good creole). Even our hotel, which left a lot to be desired in other areas (see below), had a good dinner menu with very good food. Dinner prices ranged from $12 to $25 per person. As far as hotels are concerned, stay AWAY from the St. Barth's Beach Hotel. It was very poorly run, and was located at Grand Cul de Sac, not a great beach. In fact, I would stay away from any hotel at Grand Cul de Sac. It is a major bay at the eastern end of the island, with cloudy, brackish water and very coarse sand (not to mention swarms of mosquitoes). It was VERY secluded, however, and the scenery was gorgeous. It is also directly on the beach. In the morning we rolled right out of bed and onto the sand. It also has a lot of shady palm trees. Very restful. Unfortunately, only five hotels had package deals with the tour group that my travel agent used (Cavalcade Tours). These hotels were Tropical, Grand Cul de Sac, St. Barth's Beach, Baie des Flamands, and PLM Jean Bart. Baie des Flamands is run by the same guy who runs St. Barth's Beach. It's on a much nicer beach, but it's reported to look run-down, so caveat emptor. I never saw the hotel Grand Cul de Sac, but I believe it's located in a better part of the bay than was my hotel. I never saw the Tropical, either, and I don't know where it is. The PLM Jean Bart is supposed to be very nice, but it is closed during off-season. Prices for a double room in off-season ranged from $56-$100. I understand that this is rockbottom when compared with other islands. If you want seclusion, try Grand Cul de Sac (despite the mosquitoes), or Baie des Flamands. Any hotel in St. Jean is in the middle of everything, as well as being right by the main road. Don't forget, though, that by the standards of most of the other Caribbean islands, ALL of St. Barth's is secluded. We heard of and saw some other nice hotels that are worth mentioning. Castelet, which is supposed to be the best hotel on the island, in situated on the top of a very steep hill, and is reputed to have spectacular views. It also has a fine restaurant. Since it is not near a beach, a car is essential. Of the hotels at St. Jean, some of the better looking ones were Filao Beach, and Village St. Jean. The latter offers villas with kitchens for those who like to cook for themselves. Eden Rock, also at St. Jean, is perched on a rock rising dramatically out of the water. The views are tremendous, and the rooms are furnished with antique furniture. Sereno Beach Hotel, located at Grand Cul de Sac, looks to be a very classy place, but has the disadvantage of being located on a bad beach. Hibiscus is located directly in Gustavia, overlooking the harbor, and has a pool, cooking facilities, A/C, restaurant, and free beach transport. St. Barth's is NOT the place to go if you're into gambling, land sports, or just general carousing. It is extremely quiet, and from what I could tell, wants to stay that way. St. Barth's is for relaxing. In the off-season (mid-April to mid-December), restaurants tend to close down with little notice; make sure that you call ahead. Taxi-drivers know what's open and what's closed; our hotel's desk clerk did not (but thought she did). Some of the standard Caribbean guide books describe the island and its restaurants and hotels with greater detail. I recommend one by a fellow named Bernstein (I think), the title of which escapes me, and also the Frommer Guide to Caribbean and Budget Guide to the Caribbean. Fodor also has a chapter on St. Barth's. You absolutely MUST read these books both before and during your trip; we found them invaluable. For traveling, just xerox the St. Barth's sections out of the books to carry with you. One more word of advice: don't purchase any sort of meal plan (even breakfast). You will want the flexibility of being able to eat anywhere, and meal plans on St. Barth's do not give any discounts or special priviliges at all (I learned this the hard way). Anyway, there are so many good eating places on the island that you won't want to eat every meal at your hotel.