# St Barts Forums > St Barts Trip Reports Forum >  >  SBH 3/21/16-4/2/16

## roleray1

A few thoughts on our visit (in no particular order):

1.  Encountered many Spanish-speaking visitors, which was great to see as I myself am of Spanish descent.  Had never noticed before but seemed quite prevalent this year.  Many Brits, too!

2.  Families and children abound...I'd attribute this to the peak Spring Break season, causing havoc on our hotel proclivities.  Dining reservations days in advance added peace of mind.

3.  Paid parking phenomenon...once a public parking lot in Gustavia is now a paid lot complete with a gate, ticket stubs and payment booth.  Woah, this was a pill to swallow.  Though typically never a full lot in our experience, we once had to hang out in the Terios just outside the gate until a spot opened up. 

4.  Great weather less a few windy days, making our outings at the Guanahani, Saline and Gouv a bit challenging.  Lesson learned...close your mouth when the sand blows.  Oh, and the water sports guy at Guanahani insisted I wear a life jacket when paddle boarding.  This is a lagoon sir, but ok!! 

5.  Orega -- what a fabulous addition to dining options in Gustavia!  Food was outstanding and Mr. Ortega himself is a delight.  He's kind've a Fabio, no??!!  Truly hope Orega finds success and longevity after a few strugglers at this location.  I'm still thinking about those scallops - maj perfection.  

6.  Back to hotels, it was increasingly difficult to secure beach chair access after lunch at Taiwana, IDF, the Guani, ER and our fave, the Christopher.   I wasn't too big a brat about it as I was not staying at any of these places, and I understand chairs should be for hotel guests first. Still though...if you seek beach services and amenities, call and reserve with time.  Though in the end we succeeded at getting our chairs at all these places, it was not without effort.  Just to say at ER, we got our chairs after a third round of phone calls...I want to say it was an "off" day, i.e. maybe a Tuesday or Wednesday when I'd imagine many guests had checked out.

7.  The police are out and enforcing!  Witnessed one driver being ticketed in Gustavia for not wearing a seat belt and another driver being pulled over for not yielding at the roundabout by the airport.  Craziness.

8.  Food -- L'Isola is fantastic and in demand as ever.  We are late diners, i.e. 9-10 pm and this place is always a booze and pasta fest.  Yaas ladies and gentlemen, put your labels on and go! 

9.  Other food standouts -- (i) first time at Eddy's (not sure why we waited so long, but this will be a mainstay for us), (ii) first time doing lunch at Tamarin (had been dinner guests prior but we took a break from the beaches and decided to spend a long afternoon here...say hi to the parrots, enter barefoot, fabulous and hungry), (iii) Bonito remains consistently good and fun/lively (and accommodating in light of a reservation snafoo), (iv) Maya's redeemed itself (veal chop and Thai chicken soup were memorable)

10.  Not so honorable food mentions -- (i)  Top of the Rock...most expen$ive meal during our trip and curiously left out of #9 above (the rock cocktail was great though), (ii)  Bagatelle...not sure why we insist on coming here.  I think it's because we are looking for a fun weekend dinner before heading to a late night at First Floor.  I think I've had enough of their mediocre food, their insistence on ordering all courses at once and witnessing patrons dancing on tables...a bit trite already!

11.  So many kids at Nikki Beach...seriously, are there no nannies on Sundays?! :)

12.  Fantastic 80 euro/person promo for an afternoon at the Chris...comes with welcome cocktail, lunch and all-day pool chair and access to amenities.  And while you're there, book a 90 at the Sisley Spa.

Visit in totality was pure joy and relaxation.  This place just never gets old!  Gimme more more more. #2017

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## andynap

Hola. :) Nice report. You are not the only one who doesn't like Top Of the Rock.

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## Bart -my real name-

Great report, thanks!

Did you have to pay for your chair at Eden Rock?  Or did you get it after lunch?   Or did you just get i!?!

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## JEK

> Hola. :) Nice report. You are not the only one who doesn't like Top Of the Rock.




Nor the only one who likes Maya's :)


Nice report!

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## roleray1

Hola Senor...ok before things go all Maya's here...TOTR wasn't terrible, it was just uncomfortably expensive!  :Very Drunk:

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## roleray1

> Great report, thanks!
> 
> Did you have to pay for your chair at Eden Rock?  Or did you get it after lunch?   Or did you just get i!?!



OH that's a great question...and I don't want to set unrealistic expecations for others...but these are normally 60 euros per chair if you get what I'm saying.

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## JEK

> Hola Senor...ok before things go all Maya's here...TOTR wasn't terrible, it was just uncomfortably expensive!



In booking two weeks of dinners, she (my booking expert) never discussed it once. Very telling.

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## Bart -my real name-

> OH that's a great question...and I don't want to set unrealistic expecations for others...but these are normally 60 euros per chair if you get what I'm saying.



I hear ya.

Interestingly, in Cassidian's recent roundup of the cost of beach chairs, ER's price was a mere $50.  But I was quoted $60 per chair after a lunch at the Sandbar a couple of years ago.

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## roleray1

> I hear ya.
> 
> Interestingly, in Cassidian's recent roundup of the cost of beach chairs, ER's price was a mere $50.  But I was quoted $60 per chair after a lunch at the Sandbar a couple of years ago.



maybe they were a "mere 50" as you say, haha.  I may be rounding up to 60, not certain.

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## GramChop

Great report!  Sweet and to the point.  Thanks for all the good intel.

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## cec1

Excellent, succinct, and colorful report . . . looking forward to 2017!

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## MIke R

Nice report.....interesting observations.......Noteworthy  that Mayas had to "redeem itself"......shocking....LOL

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## tim

Thank you for the frank report.  Nice to hear both the good and not so good.

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## KevinS

Thanks. A few different views for sure, and all are appreciated.

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## MantyPam

> So many kids at Nikki Beach...seriously, are there no nannies on Sundays?! :)



Excellent trip report!  We always have a blast at Nikki Beach, but we were really disappointed in the vibe yesterday - there were a LOT of young kids.  Usually we have to tear ourselves away - this year, we had a difficult time staying until 3:00 - way too many kids running around.

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## amyb

A very good report..thanks Roleray

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## cassidain

:thumb up:

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## LindaP

:thumb up:  
Agree with #2....I don't think I've ever been on the island when there have been so many people; which I attributed to the week of the Bucket/Spring Break/Easter all rolled into one.
TOTR cocktails, although pricey, are superbly concocted for sure. Another place with great cocktails, and not as pricey that we found new this time, is 25 Quarter.
Nice report.

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## julianne

Interesting report. Thanks for sharing. Agree with your Tamarin review--great ambiance, service and food. We've had consistently good experiences at Maya's so it never had to redeem itself--glad it met your standard this time!

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## roleray1

> Excellent trip report!  We always have a blast at Nikki Beach, but we were really disappointed in the vibe yesterday - there were a LOT of young kids.  Usually we have to tear ourselves away - this year, we had a difficult time staying until 3:00 - way too many kids running around.



Agreed.  Showed up around 3 on our Sunday and bolted after one drink.

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## roleray1

> Agree with #2....I don't think I've ever been on the island when there have been so many people; which I attributed to the week of the Bucket/Spring Break/Easter all rolled into one.
> TOTR cocktails, although pricey, are superbly concocted for sure. Another place with great cocktails, and not as pricey that we found new this time, is 25 Quarter.
> Nice report.



Meant to drop by 25 but never got the chance...heard good things about it from local friends of ours.  In their words, much more chill and inviting than Monbart.

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## bto

Nice recap, Roleway...thanks for reporting.  #5...Fabio, LOL, I thought the exact same thing.  In a good way though  :cool:

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## stbartshopper

Nice direct and honest report. Agree Orega is great and the Massages at the Christpher right almost on the water, listening to the waves is heavenly. On the Rocks is overpriced and they are a little full of themselves but the food is good and the scenery, looking into the lit water is beautiful. Did anyone in your party use the restroom at OTR?- a highlight. Unusual for us to see the police ticketing but we do see them on occasion- sometimes on the curves heading down into the industrial area on the way to Gustavia. We love Tamarin and like you, can do without the increasing noise from the speakers at Bagatelle as one makes their way thru a meal.

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## roleray1

> Did anyone in your party use the restroom at OTR?- a highlight.



Yes, gives true meaning to 'On The Rock'

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