# St Barts Forums > St Barts Restaurants Wine & Food Forum >  >  Is it true that Orega is not reopening for the season?

## LouiseL

As we get closer to our November trip, I was having our concierge make some of our restaurant reservations. I was told that Orega is not opening for the Season. If there has already been a posting about this, sorry I missed it, just trying to confirm whether its true. Thanks, Louise,

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## KevinS

I have heard that Orega has been sold.  I have no details.

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## cec1

> I have heard that Orega has been sold.  I have no details.



It happens . . . successful restaurant operation / management is fleeting. The longest-running records I recall, under same current management — not counting “Cheeseburger in Paradise” — are Maya’s and Eddy’s . . . maybe Au Regal?

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## cec1

> It happens . . . successful restaurant operation / management is fleeting. The longest-running records I recall, under same current management — not counting “Cheeseburger in Paradise” — are Maya’s and Eddy’s . . . maybe Au Regal?



BTW . . . my use of “current” is a mistake — Maya’s no longer is operating.

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## elgreaux

> BTW . . . my use of “current” is a mistake — Maya’s no longer is operating.



I think Le Repaire is also one of the longest running, same location, same owner etc.

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## Jim A

Sad news on Orega. 
One of our favorites for sure. Pricy but everything we ordered there was always delicious

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## garykool81

Their website is also offline, which makes me think the rumors are true. Such a huge loss -- was IMO one of the best fine dining options on the island. I doubt it was due to poor business as the place was packed every time we ate there, even very late in the season in May. Hopefully, something equally impressive will replace them. I'll miss the truly wonderful host as well. She was lovely and remembered us year after year. We were greeted with a big hug every time we came and left. Such sad news.

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## fandango

> As we get closer to our November trip, I was having our concierge make some of our restaurant reservations. I was told that Orega is not opening for the Season. If there has already been a posting about this, sorry I missed it, just trying to confirm whether its true. Thanks, Louise,




We thought something was strange in Maythe menu was quite different and the famous soup was not on the menucant remember his name but he wasnt there either and i miss his story about how he went to the resto 30 times in a row until the chef finally taught him the secret recipe, which he brought to St Barts. 

He even gave us some of his mothers favorite rare tequilas one time as he sat down at our table to share a few special treats he brought over

will be missed

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## cec1

. . . maybe becoming a Moroccan restaurant . . . with ownership of Le Piment & a Miami US investor?  Opening “in a few weeks.” More “Mediterranean?” What has come over this French island?

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## scotth

> I think Le Repaire is also one of the longest running, same location, same owner etc.



When I visit this site I usually don't see much said about this place.
Every trip we have lunch there and last time we decided to have dinner as well.
Met the owner and I as recall, his son, and the menu has such a variety of things for anyone and prices are very reasonable.
Wife gets the club sandwich for lunch and I get the burger or something and sit there and take in the sites by the sidewalk for 90 minutes at lunch.

Can't wait to dine there in a coupe weeks.

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## cassidain

> What has come over this French island?



Did you know France has over 2,000 kilometers of Mediterranean coast?

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## cec1

> When I visit this site I usually don't see much said about this place.
> Every trip we have lunch there and last time we decided to have dinner as well.
> Met the owner and I as recall, his son, and the menu has such a variety of things for anyone and prices are very reasonable.
> Wife gets the club sandwich for lunch and I get the burger or something and sit there and take in the sites by the sidewalk for 90 minutes at lunch.
> 
> Can't wait to dine there in a coupe weeks.



I think that you have another place in mind. I do believe that Orega was open at lunch . . . and, in any event, to my knowledge the owner does not have a son.

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## elgreaux

> I think that you have another place in mind. I do believe that Orega was open at lunch . . . and, in any event, to my knowledge the owner does not have a son.



their response was in response to my response about Le Repaire - being one of the longest running single owner restaurants. which was in response to your response about longest running restaurants..... ..

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## cec1

> Did you know France has over 2,000 kilometers of Mediterranean coast?



. . . as I have been told, France has more coastline — considering its associated communities — than any other country in the world.

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## Happycamper

Just to correct a memorable myth.... 
 France itself ranks #26 on longest coastline at ~4K km. Canada is #1 at ~200K km and Norway #2 at ~80K km. If you add Polynesia, French Caribbean and French Southern and Antarctic Region to France they might crack the top ten, but not much higher than that.  They would have to reclaim Canada to get to the number one spot.

(Wikipedia of course has a page on this obscure and useless data.)

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## JEK

Just ran accross another useless fact on Twitter

The entirety of continental South America lies east of Michigan

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## cassidain

> Did you know France has over 2,000 kilometers of Mediterranean coast?



The point is, bien sûr, that France _is_ a Mediterranean country and shares the various traditions of Mediterranean cuisine with other cultures and nations. Nest-ce pas ?

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## Reed

> The point is, bien sûr, that France _is_ a Mediterranean country and shares the various traditions of Mediterranean cuisine with other cultures and nations. N’est-ce pas ?




And the further point is that there are many of us down here frequently who have been commenting privately about the genre of new restaurants cropping up on the island most which have a Mediterranean or Italian thing going on.  Just spoke of this with a local friend a short time ago and she agreed in addition to saying many of these newer places are very expensive and the food isn't that good.  Here is the list I can think of........The resto at the Christopher, Le Sereno, Le Revage, Aux Amis, Toiny Beach Club to some degree come to mind on the side of the island where we spend time.

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## LouiseL

Thanks to everyone for the Orega news and for the geography lesson. We are always on the Island in February and in 2021 and now 2022, we make a November trip. As much as I’m interested in new restaurant recommendations and get tempted to try new  places, our experiences have not been great when we do. I’m starting to feel like I’m not missing much and I would certainly miss our old favorites. We do a lot more lunches then dinners on our trips, and you can’t go wrong with lunch on the beach. We are trying The Rooftop this trip, but away from that, it’s same old, same old. Couldn’t be happier. L.

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## amyb

Louise, As Phil62 says, so many restaurants so little time.

There is nothing wrong with returning to old favorites and repeating dishes you enjoyed so much. We do it all the time too. For example, I will pounce on John.-Claude’s famous signature dish of roasted pigeon  when it reappears on a menu at his L’Esprit, the eggplant parmigiana at L’Isola, the Dover Sole at Santa Fe, and the Vitello tonnato at El Sereno.

Specials often tempt me and I do vary my choices,  but my favorites are appreciated time after time.

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## marybeth

Life is short...eat what you want at the restaurants you like!

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## amyb

> Life is short...eat what you want at the restaurants you like!



EXACTLY, Marybeth.

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## cassidain

> ...eat what you want at the restaurants you like!



is that included on the famous moderator's famous do-what-you-want list ? i forget, and the site search feature isn't very user friendly (àmha).

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## JEK

> is that included on the famous moderator's famous do-what-you-want list ? i forget, and the site search feature isn't very user friendly (àmha).



Search for “beach potato”

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## JEK

*How to follow the advice found herein. An oft repeated PSA of mine*1. Spend money like it is your own. It is.

2. Do what you like, when you like. It is your vacation.

3. Eat what you want, when and where you want. It is your waistline and (see #1)

4. Drink what you want when you want. If your spouse likes red and you like white, buy one bottle of each. Life is short.

5. Stay in a villa, hotel, or a hole-in-the-wall depending on your whim, desire or see #1.

6. Cook in your villa (if a villa is your desire) if you want to. Go out for dinner if you like.

7. Plan ahead at least a day for dinner, or don't. Experience flexibility.

8. Go to a beach everyday, or stay by the pool at your hotel/villa.

9. Watch US TV at every opportunity, or not. It's your vacation.

10. Seek out the places that sell days-old New York Times, or current Times Fax. Do the crosswords, or don't.

11. Bring you laptop/tablet and surf the web morning, noon and night. Or leave it behind.

12. Make sure your cell has international roaming and call your homebound friends whilst splashing in the surf to engender envy. Or leave the cell at home.

13. Charge everything on your AmEx knowing that you are getting ripped off, or use your debit card at an ATM and pay cash.

14. Wake up extra early and be the first in line at the boulangerie and bring back bread for your spouse. Or take your spouse out for breakfast.

15. Bring your iPod/streaming device and speakers, or listen to the local FM station.

16, Always rent a manual 4WD, or an automatic if you are more comfortable.

17. Bring hairdryers, curling irons and other instruments of torture, or go with the humid breezes.

18. Tip for meals, maids and massages, or not. See #1.

19. Research your villa/hotel selections and gain consensus that you have the best-of-the-best, or book on a whim and enjoy the surprise.

20. Dress for dinner, or wear cutoffs. Nobody will care except your spouse/partner.

21. When you arrive, take off your shoes, take a deep breath and become one with the island, or head out to Match for some shopping.

22. Ride a bike, go for a run or go for a walk. Or, be a beach potato. 

23. Pack three checked bags, or carry-on.

24. Take your ti punch with or without ice.

25. But, please, please, please double the cash you plan bring and leave half the clothes at home!

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## cassidain

#3 !!!

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## marybeth

I learned from the master!

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## Eve

> Just ran accross another useless fact on Twitter
> 
> The entirety of continental South America lies east of Michigan



I remember the day I figured that out. It blew my mind. That and when learn the Panama Canal runs east to west to get to the Atlantic Ocean

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