36 Hours in St. Barts

I’m furious at the starting paragraph of this article. It is such a hack job to use the recent airline tragedy. Seemingly relevant but in actuality its just to get attention. Disappointing.

I must say, €270 per bottle for Cristal champagne made me chuckle. I recall buying a case of it in the early 80's before the Euro for ~$15 a bottle. Laurent Perrier Brut Rosé for a bit less. I haven't been back for 10 years, but I was there for much of the 80s. On my last visit, I was amazed at the sheer number of cars and crazy prices. Randy & Maya did well to capture this high flying market, but I missed George & Nadine at their lovely little beach restaurant in Grand Cul-de-Sac, or the free Jimmy Buffet concerts he held occasionally at Au Tour du Rocher. A place where for several years we hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for all the Americans we could find on the island. I also missed Filao Beach Hotel, and nearby, Francine's, which had the most sublime pecan pie, best served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and a jigger of Clement rum, then to swim across Baie St. Jean for an afternoon siesta. An inexpensive dinner at the now gone Le Pelican (Nikki Beach is in that location now I think) on St Jean Beach. A burger at Santa Fe high up in the hills above Gustavia & Gouvenor, or a fabulous lunch with a view from Les Castelets. Sailing a Hobie Cat onto Flamands beach for lunch at Taiwana with Jean Paul's great fish. I missed evening drinks at L'Hibiscus. A place where my poorly informed friend, the proprietor, told Billy Joel that the piano was closed when he wanted to play for his new bride, Christy Brinkley. Thankfully the rum punches at Le Select were still perfect.

The “harrowing flight” is not from St. Martin, but rather from Princess Juliana International Airport in the country of Sint Maarten. As most visitors know, St. Martin and St. Maarten are two countries that share one island.

I've been to St. Barth's several times. It's one of the last remaining true Caribbean islands because huge cruise ships don't stop there, only the smaller ones. Yes, there are tourists, yes, it's expensive, but, to me, it certainly beats some of the more popular islands hands down.

I've been to St. Barts many times beginning in 1971. It's changed. Now it is a crowded mess with traffic jams and overloaded with tourists all thinking this is the chic place to go. Very sad. Cars everywhere, the roads very dangerous, the capital just your average Caribbean people packed town. The harbour full of superyachts in the winter who don't know of any better places to dock. There are some nice French designer stores but they are way overpriced for the tourist trade. About the best thing you can say about St. Barts is that there is no history of slavery and this shows in the population of the island. But basically it's overrated.

I have never understood why the NY Times spells the name of the island differently than it is spelled on maps, in the local government and by all who live there. The island is called St. Barthelemy and it's nickname is St. Barths, not St. Barts.

We visited St. Barth's several times in the pre-glitterati era (mid-80s) and loved both Tamarin and Maya's. I can't imagine Tamarin reinvented as a "swank cocktails-and-dinner spot", when, years ago, it was a t-shirt and swimsuit place to have a wonderful salad and grilled cola or vivaneau as a break from the nearby beach. Maya's system of reservations in those days consisted of a pencil on a string and a legal pad in their roadside mailbox. You simply wrote your name and time of reservation on the pad and showed up for a delicious meal. Maya's gave us our first experience with christophine gratin. And, no more Mokes? How tragic. Finally, the approach to the airstrip, brushing the top of the hillside, a drop onto the landing strip and an abrupt stop just a few meters from the shoreline, was a harrowing, yet enjoyable introduction to St. Barth's. For those who find St. Barth's current manifestation too costly, Ile de Haut or Marie Galante, both off Guadeloupe, are reminiscent of St. Barth's years ago, albeit at a lower cost.

The greatest thing about St. Barths is that getting to Anguilla is just a short jaunt away where flatlands driving does not include steep hills and hairpin turns and blind corners. Only sorta joking, but St. Barths is only fun if you see the entire island and the roads are too narrow. Unfortunately, Russian moguls and their followers drive too fast (always running from the KGB).

Granted, this sort of travel feature piece is developed on a different timeline (this is not news), it would seem that the editor could have revised the opening gambit. It seems poor timing (and poor taste) to be talking about near-death experiences in an airplane these days.

This article appeared just below one entitled “Wealth Porn”. We are an odd species.

"endless beach-going, eating, drinking and shopping." Need I say more?

I'm very happy for the folks in St. Barts, but what bothers me is that this tiny island is popular with celebrities because they are shielded by the everyday realities of Caribbean peoples and lives. The island, unlike Anguilla, Barbuda, and Puerto Rico, also has a greater infusion of cash unlike the others. The disparity reflects the overall disparity of social inequalities and race in the Caribbean region.