iw

Wow! This is a late post for me! We were on the islands from June 26-July 6.
FLIGHTS: Flew Delta ff from RIC to ATL and ATL to SXM. Stayed until July 1. From SXM flew Winair to SBH and stayed through July 6. From SBH flew Winair to SXM then Delta ff through ATL and ATL to RIC. Mostly uneventful except for the return home and experienced delays due to summer storms. Scheduled to return to RIC at 11:29pm and landed at 1:20am. Luggage arrived in each location on time, but I did split our clothes b/n 2 suitcases and took bathing suits in carry on, just in case!
ST. MARTIN: 4th trip to the island on the French side. Stayed at Esmeralda on Orient Beach in an "oceanfront" room which has the biggest pool for 4 or 5 rooms in the "pod" to share. It is the closest to the ocean and is very spacious for 2. A continental breakfast was included and we received a 15% discount for booking early and online. Nice! Great staff! On the room account you can charge 5 other Orient Beach restaurants to your account. Since we had a kitchen, we visited Tap 5, the local grocery in Orient Village for lunch items, not being huge eaters. One day we did have lunch at Kontiki...very good tuna tartar and mahi burger with wine and beer, the total was $73. Great food, but a little pricey for me. Dinners were at the hotel's DELICIOUS restaurant, L'Astrolabe, not once but twice! We love the owners, Thomas and Amin and the food is wonderful. Not inexpensive, but you get what you pay for and the portions are perfect along with the after dinner rhum! Other dinners were at Il Netunno in Grand Case, Peg Leg Pub after visiting the casino on the property and La Bar de Mer in Marigot after jewelry shopping. Spent some time in Marigot looking at boats and shops. Dinners at Peg Leg and in Marigot were ok, but both are really for people watching. Service in all restaurants was excellent. Took cabs everywhere here. Having been to the island before, we didn't need to do excursions, but we did walk the length of Orient Beach several times a day.
ST. BARTS: I love this place! This was our second trip and while we visited 2 French islands, they are so different, but compliment one another, I think.
VILLA: With hotels being so expensive here, we decided to try a villa. Found an agency online: luxury villa rentals, or ICI&LA. Superb staff and very speedy communication. They even arranged the rental car for 35 euros/day and it was a Suzuki. Great for all of those hills! A rep met us at the SBH airport and we followed her to our villa in the hills of Pointe Millou and the villa is Marrekesh. Very nice. They really set the stage for arrival with the tv on, candles lit and the garden open. It felt like walking into someone's home. 2 bedrooms are well appointed with a huge bed, 2 closets, a/c and a generous bathroom. The kitchen is also a/c and fully stocked with everything you may need to prepare everything from coffee to dinner. The common area is awesome! It has a large dining area and a sitting area with a flat screen surround sound tv, DVD and cd player and off from that is a private plunge pool with 2 lounge chairs. There is also a screen above the lounge chairs that is controlled by the guests to adjust the amount of sun that is desired. Believe me, we only made it to Saline Beach once since the villa was so awesome and there were no waves to fight with the pool being right there. Amazing since DH is usually so hyper on vacation. We had lunch in every day but one and visited the local grocery store in L Orient, but went to Match for most of the provisions. We even cooked in twice which is unheard of for me on vacation as I cook a lot at home! Lunch out was extremely relaxing at Le Sereno overlooking the ocean and pool at this lovely hotel, but was VERY $$$$ for gazpacho, lobster bisque and 2 salads with wine and beer. Dinners out were at Bart' O and Andy's Hideaway (2 times). While we do need to branch out next time, and there will be a next time, Andy's is comfortable and the food is really good with portions being huge! We love interacting with the staff and chatting with the people at the adjoining tables. We tend to like "joints" at home and this fit the bill. We did miss Z this time. Cooking in by the pool was a pleasant surprise and very relaxing. Of course, we had to take several drives to discover new places and to visit the town of Gustavia. We started each morning with an hour hike up and down the hills near the villa. A great way to work off all that we had eaten.
SUMMARY: I really can't compare these 2 islands. They are great for different reasons and have so much to offer.

Barthophile

Sound like you had a fabulous and relaxing time! I'm curious, you mention you ate at Bart'O, are you talking about the resto at Guanahani resort? Andy's is the bomb, it's comfortable and relaxed and the prices are quite reasonable by St. Barth's standards, so is the food. there is a review of Andy's on the AirSXM (virtual airline) website this month. Thanks for sharing!

iw

Love your screen name! Yes, the resto at Guanahani. It was lovely and the food was good. They really know how to pace the meal starting with drinks and appetizers in the lounge!
It was a relaxing trip and I know that it borders on the boring side, but after a stressful year at work for both of us, it was just what we needed. Normally we do crazy side trips, but sand and villa gravity kicked in for the first time! Or, maybe we are getting old? Thanks for the comments.

caribtraveler

That's it?? 2 islands ONLY on this trip?! How boooring...

I'm kidding!! Couldn't resist knowing your trip history.

We're not big fans of St. Martin but loved our little day to St. Barth and hope to make it there soon for a "real" trip there. Welcome back and thanks for sharing!

iw

Too funny! Yes, we usually cram in 3 islands, but age is setting in, I guess. Yeah, right! You have to experience St. Barth! It can be done on a budget or not. People are not aware of this and I think they avoid the island. Actually, I was not a fan of St. Martin, but DH and I each got to pick a destination and that was his choice....for the food in Grand Case. I don't like the built up feel of the island, but this trip was really cool and laid back, as you could tell. People reading the report are probably going home early for a nap! I picked St. Barth because we had so little time on our last trip. I was researching something new, but didn't have time to make an "informed decision" so we went with what we knew.
Thanks for reading and responding!!

kellybeaches

iw, thanks for the TR! We're headed back to St. Martin for our second trip there next May (Kristen from this forum and her family and we are going!) We're staying in one of the villas near Grand Case on Happy Bay. Do you have any restaurant recommendations for us in Grand Case, Anse Marcel or Orient beach, keeping in mind we'll have our little ones with us? By any chance, did you get over to Friar's beach or Happy Bay while there? I'd love to hear first hand how they are as Happy Bay is a short walk from our villa. We're also planning a day trip to Anguilla and Pinel. Can't wait! I think the food was my favorite part of the island

iw

Grand Case has so many restaurant choices! You can't go wrong. We really like Il Netunno. We just hop in a cab, get dropped off and look at the menus. With little ones, I know the wait factor will be important, as in not waiting! Orient Village had some quaint places, but we were not up for walking the stretch at night. All seem to cater to families, so that is good. We did not venture out much this time as my boring report says....just hung out, walked and ate. A forum that might be able to answer better than I can is www.traveltalkonline.com. They have an entire section dedicated to St. Martin with lots of experts. Sorry, to have been there 4 times, I still do not qualify as one. We just go with the flow. I have yet to have a bad meal in St. Martin. The villa will probably have a list of restaurants that they recommend or the agent that checks you in should have one. A villa is definitely the way to go, having stayed in our first one in SBH! Great for the little ones and naps...snacks. Have fun! Maybe Barbara, on this forum who lives in St. Martin, will chime in.

travelenthusiast

I enjoyed your trip report. Thanks for sharing. I always thought that St Barts was above our price range. How far away was the beach from your villa in St Barts? Were the restaurants in St Barts comparable price wise to the same types of restaurants in St Martin?

greenie

I enjoyed your trip report too. St Barts is on my list!

Peace, Greenie

iw

travelenthusiast: Thanks for reading! I was scared of St. Barts a couple of years ago on our first visit since I had read how much $$ it took. We stayed at Emeraude Plage hotel on St. Jean beach and loved it. It is basic, but has plenty of room and an outdoor kitchen, which came in handy for lunch. This year, a garden room was going for $340/night, so we checked in to the villa scene. Having been our 3rd trip of the year, I was looking for a more economical deal and that hotel was bare, but sufficient. The neighbor, Eden Rock is excellent, but I think the rooms start above $600! There are so many villas that are affordable, especially if you are willing to cook in a couple of nights. It was so beautiful, that I didn't mind. A rental car is a MUST! 35 euros/day is standard. The roads are narrow and twisty, but everything can be reached within minutes. Saline Beach is a 10-15 minute drive. I do have to warn to stay away from hotel restaurants when trying to watch $$. Our first lunch was ridiculous and the dinner at Bart' O was excellent, but way over Ruth's Chris prices. There are better deals to be found. There are many restaurants that are comparable to those in St. Martin, especially in Grand Case. Pretty much, you can reach a beach w/n 20 minutes tops. It is an easy island to navigate. I would check it out. With proper research, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Barthophile

I love SBH because it's so laid back and just...lovely! Good for you for not pushing it. We have been there many times, no other island compares! For those of you who think it's out of your price range, not. It can be done. Creativity, planning, and a few well connected friends should do it. Airfare is the difficult obstacle,I got the best price we have had in 20 years THIS YEAR! And IW thanks again for your review. I've never eaten at Guanahani, but this year I'm marching in...for lunch and drinks poolside!

iw

I think Guanahani's poolside restaurant is Mango...Didn't make it this year, maybe next!! Just walk in like you own the place and have a credit card ready to swipe! That should do it.
Delta's ff's were good to get to the islands and wouldn't you know it, Winair decided to have a very good special AFTER I bought the tickets to SBH. DRATS! That's what I get for pre-planning.
Just received our bill on Saturday for our eating adventures. Ouch! Oh well...you can't take it with you and I am already planning the next adventure.....

travelenthusiast

iw - Thanks for the info. I'm glad you had fun!

ejcrowe

Thanks for another fun trip report. Like caribtraveler, I'm amazed that you held it back to just two islands this time around!

My husband traveled to St. Barths once a year for about ten years running before we met, but he hasn't been back since the early 1990s and I've never set foot there. I know he would enjoy returning one day, so I'll look to you for advice on how to travel there economically. (Something I'm learning to do now about Anguilla--it's the most expensive overall that we've been to, but there are definitely ways of keeping to a strict budget. It just takes a little effort!)

iw

ej...Thanks for chiming in. Having "been around the block" a few times, a reasonable trip can be had. I was hoping that my trip to Vegas in January would have funded this island trip, but no such luck. It was a great trip, although very laid back for me. I really love St. Barts and I think you would. The people are fantastic. I am shocked that I liked St. Martin again. It was truly my favorite visit there and it was not high on my list to visit again.
I am still thinking of Grenada, your love. Wonder if I could work that in with St. Barts next year?