Anyone been to St. Bart's / Barths?

[carolinagirl831]

We are going to st. Martin early November and thinking about doing a day trip to St Barths. I know you can take a ferry or a 10 min plane ride. we are thinking about taking the plane , it sounds exciting and a little scary! Any suggestions on what to do for the day or off you have been do you think it's worth checking out for a day?

[gapeach]

We are headed to SBH for our 3rd trip in just a few weeks. We're leaving our son with the grandparents though for our first couples getaway post baby My avatar pic was actually taken on the island at the Carl Gustaf.

We love the island so I would say yes it is worth a trip over. Is there any way that you could spend one or two nights though? After the time and expense to get over there it would be worth it to stay longer and really experience the island.

If you can only do one day I would rent a car. There are many options right inside the airport-Europcar usually has very good prices. Reserve in advance though so someone will be there to help you. Taxis are few and hard to come by as well as expensive.

There are so many options but I think with only one day I would head into Gustavia for breakfast. Either head to one of the bakeries (Choisy, Petit Colombe) or if you want a full restaurant you can head to Repaire with a view of the harbor. After breakfast I would do some shopping. There are the normal designer shops (LV, Cartier, Bulgari, etc.) as well as some wonderful local shops (Laurent Eiffel, Fabienne Miot, Sabina Zest).

After shopping I would do one of two things. The first would be to head back towards the airport in St. Jean and go to one of the beach front restaurants for lunch. This beach is your best for people watching and you can watch the airplanes take off and land (don't worry though this is nothing like doing the same on SXM!). Sand Bar at Eden Rock is a wonderful culinary experience and is also expensive (think at least 150 Euro for lunch and if you enjoy yourself really more like 200-250). Nikki Beach is another option again on the pricier side but I haven't dined there. Least expensive but still wonderful is La Plage at Tom Beach. Since you will be there in the low season you should be able to use the beach chairs and relax for the whole afternoon until you leave at both Eden Rock and Tom Beach. Eden rock will charge for chairs (I think 40 Euro pp) and Tom Beach usually has a low season special that includes chairs. If not though I think you will pay 20 Euro pp here.

Second option would be to go to one of the most private beaches, Saline. If you go here note there are no services on this beach so you will need to bring towels and such with you. You can head into nearby L'Esprit and grab a picnic lunch to take with you before you do the short walk out to the beach.

If you have any other questions let me know. Have a great trip!

[carolinagirl831]

Thanks for the tips! We really can only go for the day, your ideas sound good. Thanks, we can't wait!