# St Barts Forums > St Barts Island Main Forum >  >  Au revoir to all that

## davesmom

﻿Nous voici in SXM after pick up by Premium IV..perfect service again and flying past those in line..it was long and even DD agrees it is worth every penny. Of course, nothing has improved any since February but I had a chicken pesto panini from Primavera and it was somewhat decent and the young man working there was very nice!  The airport seems quite busy, and we are happy to get through easily. 

Alors, a bit of catch up!  Thanks to Kevin, we took an interesting hike, starting at a really nice parking lot at Toiny beach, which we have never been to, actually. There were signs everywhere about 5 people drowning there with lots of caution signs. We wore sneakers which I would highly recommend as it is rocky and has some nice pieces of coral washed up to look at, which would have been lovely decorations in a villa but of course, no one should be removing anything from a beach, so we looked and enjoyed. 

We walked past Toiny beach club with lounges in a lovely shade of blue with little palapas like on Le G. beach, with some water sports equipment as well. Thought about stopping to eat,but first we had work to do..those hills werent going to walk on themselves..

We found the little path, more suitable for goats which, in truth I went to see, but sadly the goats had flown the coop for the day, apparently. The path rises up the mountain/hill, depending upon what you consider a mountain, snakes through brush and bushes, and has rocks, as well as comes dangerously close to the cliff edge, so keep your eyes on your feet if you go. I was starting to question the wisdom of DD, who, as an Eagle Scout, always forges ahead, but in truth, it was not that bad. First, you come to a small bench with which you may regale yourself with a magnificent view of the south coast, the turquoise water, Grand Fond, and the Nureyev house. Take some photos but dont get too close to the edge. Then you come to an open meadow with fewer bushes and keep going and climbing up to another bench (it looks really far up the hill but it is not bad) and take your photos from up there. It is windy with the nicest breeze but again, dont be stupid and stand up on top of the bench for your photo because you will most certainly fall off and it is windy. And I have really good balance and didnt even do it. The view is worth the hike for sure. 

So a few other things: to watch out for..on the path, there are low bushes with LARGE thorns that will get you if you are not watching your step..et on ne badine pas avec les épines..I went looking for an errant golf ball barely off the fairway in Hawaii once and didnt even see the killer Kiawe thorne that got in my shoe and lets just say I have had my share of run ins with various fauna here and there, resulting in one near death experience in Barbados  (but that fruit smelled so nice!) and one trip to the emergency not all that long ago that involved a golf ball and a Pride of Madera on my home turf....I am beginning to see a patternso watch your step and consider bringing a pique-nique and some water to have on the bench. 

Back down in town, we had a panini to have something fast at Kiki-è-mo and I had a great SBH smoothie and DD had his usual Caribe. The lady who owns it is very nice! They have a wonderful line up of alcoholic drinks on the outside blackboard and I was really tempted but I had to go back and pack, which, with me, is like taking the Bar exam only harder. A couple of hours and most of Marché U was stuffed in the giant duffel which has been around the world  more times than I have. . There is a lot of happiness in that bag. 
Père Noël carries a duffel, not a sack, fyi!

Dinner was our 2nd of the week at LEsprit but it is different when you are with Royalty..A and P make a difference and J-C emerged from his piano to greet them, and we happily tagged along on their coattails. The guy never changes and I had exactly the same dinner as round 1..still perfect!  Phil ordered a wonderful St-Estèphe and everyone loved their dinner. Id do the same a 3rd time if I could... You cant get much better company than SBH Royalty!

ok, almost time to Board so we will catch you all on the way home. Many huge mercis to come along with an evaluation of the new Le G..I only cried a little when I left..

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## amyb

Wonderful as usual. The trick to not crying,well maybe only shedding a tear or two,is to have your next trip planning underway.and for Pete’s sake, stay longer. Add to our mantras, SO MANY SHOPPES, SO LITTLE TIME.

HAPPY TRAILS. COME BACK SOON, you hear!

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## Rosemary

Thanks, Mom, for sharing your trip and making us smile.  I am so sorry you don't have the skirt. Safe travels home, and Happy New Year to Dave and his folks.

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## KevinS

Up in Toiny, if you go high enough, and to the right spot, it is where St Barth's second "airport" was, and may still be.  The last time that I was up there, years ago, that area, with the winds, was being used by locals with radio-controlled gliders.  They were quite good at controlling their aircraft.  The second "airport" wasn't in place at the time, but in later years I saw the "runway", which looked (from the air) like it could be indoor/outdoor carpet.

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## JEK

Other sights up there are unfinished homes, a water tower (of sorts) and a huge trash dump. If you wander a bit inland one can say hello to a certain restauranteur whose family has a great reputation of island hospitality.

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## Cwater

I’m shedding a few tears.  Wonderful reporting.  Your descriptions are marvelous.  Thank you and see you on the beach

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## GMP62

What a fabulous trip you had! We enjoyed all of your reporting, Gina….thanks for taking us along and look forward to your additional reports on Le G etc. once home safely!

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## CaribbeanSoul

Thank you for your on island reports! Just back ourselves and already planning for our return in May. Wishing you the best this holiday season!

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## davesmom

Thank you all so much for riding along in our winged Jimny as we flew around the island!  Some days, it seemed as thought we were at eye level with the birds flying down Camruche Hill..I am very grateful for DD's excellent driving skills as it is tough when you really can't see over the steering wheel, even though I am used to driving by "braille" at home....guys don't know the challenges of being 5 ft. 3..ok 5 ft. 2 and 7/8..

Our trip home was really long but luckily it all went well.  When we got to ATL from SXM, we went, as usual, through Immigration and with Global Entry, we literally almost did not stop walking..no papers anymore with your photo..just push the button and done.  There were SO many people in the line without GE and for the life of me, I can not imagine why..it is so worth it and you have a much better chance of making a tight connection.  I know I am preaching to the choir but if there are any newbies thinking about international travel, start early and get your Global Entry..trust me, don't leave home without it.  BTW,  the food in First on DL was ridiculous; a turkey croissant with a cookie and chips...really, people??  We need to talk...but I was rather proud of myself as I watched a movie, (I am known to hate movies and only watch Sports..the live TV was not in service) and I can highly recommend this new movie of 2022, LA BRIGADE.  Apparently it was shown at a film festival at L'Alpe d'Huez.  I think you could have also gotten it with English subtitles and I don't know if Netflix might have it as I don't actually know how to use Netflix but DD is an expert. It is about a chef (always a good start) who quits her job and takes a bunch of immigrant kids living in a shelter..well, I do not want to spoil it but you will love it as the actors are very charming, and what is better than food and kids?!!

So, leaving Le G. is always a sad affair but this time, the kids who worked there were so fantastic, I would have adopted all of them.  The breakfast crew gave me a hand written note when I left but all through the visit, we had handwritten notes from the housekeeping staff, the managers, etc.  Some nights there would be gifts on the table in our room: anniversary cake and champagne, rum and baba au rhum in little clamped bottles, 2 pretty keychains..little things as mementos.  They give you tons of Évian every night and there are lots of eco waters everywhere.  We opt to get the fridge emptied so we can put our exotic juices, diet Coca, etc. in all week.  Le G. was remodeled, as you know, and for someone who is a product enthusiast and would stay at a hotel just for the shower gel, the new fixed place bottles of products are eco and lovely: I think it was from a fancy Château Caulières company.  All around the hotel and spa are huge bottles of sunscreen from Soleil Toujours but I always had my own.   ST is reef friendly and Le G. is doing their part for the environment.  The spa has a new brand of products that is not cheap but nice; however I miss the days of Hermès and Clarins. The gym is next to the spa and is very well fitted out with nice scented cold towels and water and some earphones that plug into your phone but my phone does not seem to have any plug anymore, so I played my own playlist. Maybe Père Noël is bringing me those ear buds for Apple?  

As for the hotel, the reception will give you all the beach stuff you need, so just ask..they also do the clean up so you can just hand them the stuff back, sand and all.  The sand is super sticky on Gouverneur, so we felt a tiny bit of guilt giving the towels back full of sand; they cheerfully took them, no problem. Anya has been running the boutique as long as I have been going so have a visit.  The clothing last time was better, but you can find what you need.  They seem to have had an agreement with a brand called Rag Doll from Los Angeles and a lot of other fashion brands from L.A., such as Alanui (expensive and trendy), and some original things.  This is the first time I did not get anything but I did OK last February...they always have something different each time.  If you are not from the US, you might find some of those brands interesting.  

As I explained before, the dinner has improved with the addition of the Grille side of things, and the tasting menu available in the main/breakfast dining room.  The breakfast, as I have mentioned, has improved exponentially in terms of variety with the addition of the new crêpe/pancake/gauffre (waffle) bar and they put sweet stuff on it, like chocolate syrup and caramel syrup.  So many good things, also, like homemade  jams and coulis plus meats, smoked salmon, cheeses.  Really fun coffee..almost anything you can order from espresso to the café pressé.  Healthy green drinks, too, which I avoid like the plague as it is against my morning rules. Lots of fancy egg dishes which I do not eat but they were beautiful to look at.  Work out first and then breakfast away!

The beach is pretty narrow but there are great lounges with nice covers, towels, and special free small drinks they come around to delight you with.  I was delighted by the strawberry one, but I was not delighted by something green and unidentifiable.  There are two beaches, the rougher water on the lovely Anse Maréchal and the other on the magnificent Grand Cul de Sac so you have a choice with a big hill separating them, and there is outside dining the AM side. Kayaks and stand up paddle boards are available for free and they help you with it.  I would not go super far out in the lagoon because it gets a bit rough out there, but you can paddle over next door to Le Sereno, Le Barthélemy, and the restaurants on the other side, including the little 'Ti Corail. The watersports vendor is over there now, too, for people to rent things like planche à voile (wind surf) and jet skis. The snorkeling is minimal but it is quite shallow.  You can pick up some current so keep your eye on the waves and your kayak pointed into them.  I always wear a life jacket as I am not that confident (and almost drowned in SXM a really long time ago) but most people do not. 

Staying at Le G. is a bit like staying in your own little "case" (local name for a house), which is why we like it, with a nice deck and beautiful and plentiful deck furniture.  It feels really private in the one bedroom suites because you have your own house, and you are not connected to anyone, which is all I have ever had, so I can't tell you about the other rooms.  Some have a pool but there is a beautiful infinity edge pool by the restaurant; that is not shady at all. You might really like a pool on your deck, though. I like staying near the Grand Cul de Sac side, if you have a choice.  Even the suites are decorated a bit differently from each other and the room shapes can be more square or  more oblong.  Great TV if you want to watch your favorite team, too..a surprise.  (OK, not during the day..you are there to be outside!)  The bath towels are fantastic as I like big and lots of them, and the housekeeping is 2 x per day and I never had to ask for more.  You can put a little wooden turtle on your bed if you do not wish to have your sheets changed every day, too, so they are trying to save water.  A nice little wooden stool in the shower, too. My shower had a huge window at the end with beautiful ferns growing against a private rock wall.  You felt outdoors but it was super closed in.  Beautiful to see every morning!

The concierges are amazing, and my friend, Stéphane, has been there 20 years and his team with do it all for you..arrange anything and they are so knowledgeable.   We write in advance to reserve and if you want to do Nikki Beach on a Sunday, reserve months in advance.  Also, reserve the spa as it is spectacular, has a beautiful sitting area, totally private pool and lounges..and all guests can use it all, treatments or not, whenever you wish.  They have these cool outdoor showers  (good for after the beach so you do not drag sand into your room), a very nice smelling steam room with eucalyptus, and this interesting ice machine that puts out crushed ice in a bowl for you to cool off with.   

Well, that is about it for Le Guanahani.  Any questions, please PM me.  I don't know when we are getting back...every day is a gift.  Remember, you hold the key to somebody's good experience, leave something extra for the people that work on the island, and even if your plane is landing backwards, you are still landing in SBH!

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## amyb

Loved this trips closing chapter.

Well done, as always.

Now, enjoy California and all your events and golf all you like. Then say, ENOUGH! and hurry back. The whole island the forum and your friends, formerly strangers miss you both already.

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## KevinS

Sounds like 5' 4" to me, lol.  And then there are the Loubs.

DL is definitely trying to make their FC stand out against AA and UA, but you gotta pre-choose.  (For breakfast, the Charcuterie plate is the best choice).  Since AA has failed me, I'm flying DL.

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## davesmom

> Sounds like 5' 4" to me, lol.  And then there are the Loubs.
> 
> DL is definitely trying to make their FC stand out against AA and UA, but you gotta pre-choose.  (For breakfast, the Charcuterie plate is the best choice).  Since AA has failed me, I'm flying DL.



I do love DL for the most part, and if you get Platinum, you get these cool certificates for Regional Travel, "Regional" including going to some places in the Caribbean.  SJU and SXM count and you pay the Main Cabin in $$ or miles for upgraded First Class...if you can get them.  I lucked out after many tries so that is how I got there.  I am due a couple more in 2023 so I will do my best to get reservations to come back..hey, Kevin, you can fly direct to San Diego, I think...just sayin' and we have wine......and we share!!

P.S.  Never going to make 5 ft. 4, but you know those 5 inches do help...I pretend I am tall and platforms are in!!  I actually dunked in an 8 ft. basket..without the Loubs.....I am big on the inside, in my mind, anyway!

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## JEK

After your lovely details of Le G we are looking forward to our stay even more! If only Charles could be back on the piano . . . .

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## davesmom

> After your lovely details of Le G we are looking forward to our stay even more! If only Charles could be back on the piano . . . .



OMG, that was SOOOO much fun..so many great years of music. Charles Darden, right?  I'd like our chef Philippe back, too, if we could manage that, s.v.p...you will have the best time!  When do you get there?  I will PM you with names of some of the amazing servers you have to ask for..so adorable!  And I did not even mention the cute turtles with orange spots that saunter around the resort..keep an eye out for them when you are walking!

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