WanderingTexan

I have never been here and want a very nice room or suite. Is it better to be on the beach or on the rock? What rooms do you recommend. Would like beach front or close to beach, also love ocean view.

The web site is not very good. Do they have TV and phone? Do blackberries work there. I just returned from Caneel Bay and our ATT Blackberries worked great there with no extra charges.


Thanks for your help.

WT

A_Traveller

I can't answer your room question as I've only been to Eden Rock for lunch. It is one of the best resorts on the island.

As for your Blackberry, it depends on your type of service and your provider. You have to: 1) sign up and pay for for international service and 2) your provider has to have a reciprocal "data" arrangement with the telephone company in St. Barth's. Check with your provider to see if they can give you service in St. Barth's.

John_T_Cuttino

Eden Rock is small. There are not "on the beach vs on the rock". All are on the rock. That said there is another part of the property on the beach which may be part of what you can stay at. The better question is view. The units are ringed around the rock and face from East to West and North. The West ones have views down St Jean beach towards the airport.
The "beach" is only steps from the rooms.
The restaurant (Top of the Rock) is on the top and wonderful.

xkenx

If you liked Caneel, you will be very disappointed in the beach setting at Eden Rock. St.Barth's is tres chic, a slice of the French Riviera, with fine restaurants and shopping, but fairly arid, not very scenic. Where Caneel has casual rooms in an incomparable setting, Eden Rock (and the island) is the opposite, IMO.

WanderingTexan

Thanks everyone!

I am actually looking for something different than Caneel Bay, so I am going to try it. The only premium cottage they have available for my dates is the Harbour House. I understand it has been redecorated and doesn't look like the on-line photos. I don't really care about that, but I do want to know if it is on the beach or on the rock and if it has a nice balcony and views. I can either book Harbour House or one of the Classic suites. I forgot to ask them when I called and I can't find a good site plan online. They do have rooms on the beach now too.

Thanks again.

WT

WanderingTexan

Never mind about my last posting. I need to know the best way to get to St. Barth's from St. Maarten. The resort is telling me 800 E each way for a fast boat. I found Air Caraibes for $226/person and I am not excited about flying in a prop or flying Winair and losing my luggage. Any suggestions? I am about to give up and go to Ladera or Jade Mountain to relax from the stress of trying to get to St. Barth's! The staff at Eden Rock tells me I won't like the ferry. What say you?

Thanks,

brinks

i have been to many islands over the years - my favorite is st barts BY FAR! i assume you read about its attributes previously and, therefore, began planning a trip. I say stick with "plan a."

as for getting there, i've never taken the ferry, but winair has NEVER lost a single bag of mine, and the flight and landing are, well, part of the whole experience! if you are a really nervous flyer, id try the ferry, otherwise go for it.

p.s. was just there in november and had dinner at eden rock (based on good memories.) the food was NOT very good, but there are plenty of other places to eat. also, i always rent a villa there so i can make my own coffee in the am, cocktails in the pm...etc. but beachfront isnt really possible, so you may prefer the rock.

WanderingTexan

Thanks for the help! I have emailed Jade Mountain, as their room is about the same price as Eden Rock and I hope to decide tomorrow. They are very different properties and I wouldn't have looked at JM, but now that I have seen those rooms, I am uncertain. I know that sticking to plan A is usually best, so I appreciate you reminding me of that!

Does anyone have a room preference at Eden Rock or Jade Mountain?

Thanks,

WT

doug_stallings

As for the travel part of your plan, you can easily fly to St. Barths, as almost all people do. You will collect your luggage in St. Maarten and then hand it over to the next flight. If your luggage doesn't make the flight, then it will almost always be collected by the hotel from the airport later in the day and brought to you. But there is little chance your luggage will be lost, though delays are not uncommon.

As for Jade Mountain versus Eden Roc, they're such different places I don't know where to begin. The Jade Mountain rooms are spectacular and each has its own infinity plunge pool; the views are superb; and the facilities are great. But there are some caveats. You will not have a TV or a/c in Jade Mountain, nor will you have a phone (I believe the resort does now have some kind of Internet service). It's a very long walk down to the beach with many stairs; the resort does not have a large swimming pool, just the ones in the rooms. (Your Blackberry will probably work if your company has a roaming agreement with one of the two main companies, Digicel or Cable & Wireless; however, the resort is really unplugged, and you may get some dirty looks if you pull out your Blackberry on the beach or at a restaurant. You will have probably to pay a roaming fee. St. Lucia doesn't have any soft white sand; it's a volcanic island, and while Anse Chastanet is nice (that's the beach that belongs to both Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet resort), it's still kind of coarse sand. The resort is about halfway between the two airports, so you have to take a minimum 75-minute van ride to reach it, whether you fly into Vigie or Hewanorra.

Eden Roc suites have all the amenities, including TVs and a/c. Cell phones and Blackerries work on the island just like on St. Lucia, but you will again have to pay roaming charges. Restaurants in St. Barths are remarkably, incredibly, stratospherically expensive ($150 per person is not at all unusual for dinner). The beaches in St. Barths are nicer but still not the kind of soft white sand you find in Anguilla, and you will need a car to get around. Taxis in St. Barths are quite unreliable, especially at night, not to mention exorbitantly expensive. And you'll want to do some exploring at the many beautiful coves.

Two excellent resorts that are so different (and also so different from Caneel) that I can hardly even begin to contrast them. To be honest, you sound to me more like Cuisinart people.

WanderingTexan

That was very helpful!

Thanks,
WT