# St Barts Forums > St Barts Trip Reports Forum >  >  Our first trip to St. Barths

## bellatheball

Hello everyone. First, thank you all for the great tips and advice. We still have two more days left on the island and I'm looking forward to each minute of it.  Please forgive any typos or errors. I am typing this on an iPhone. Not an easy feat!

We flew in from Charlotte to St. Maarten. It was a surprisingly fast trip. We got through customs in, literally, minutes. It was a much easier process than I had anticipated. We took Winair over to St. Barts. They were t able to get us on an earlier flight so we had an hour and a half in the airport. It was fine. We had time to look at a few souvenirs.

The flight into St. Barts was fantastic!! I am thankful to the person who posted the video of the landing into the St. Barts airport. If I had not seen that, I would've been a nervous wreck. The flightpath was beautiful. Our pilot was a 20 some-year-old blonde girl. For no good reason, I loved that. :) The landing was amazing. As a general rule, I am not happy flyer. But I would gladly do that trip again.

we met our villa owner at the airport. He could not have been any nicer. We also used Maurice's car rental. They had sent me a few emails over the course of the last few weeks and we're extremely helpful.

We took the trip to our villa on Flamands. My goodness, it is beautiful! I will post a separate Villa review later. We had a quick tour and learned some island history and tips from the owner. It was great help and really interesting.

Food so far:

I will prefice this by saying I eat very limited amounts of meat/fish so I am of limited value in that respect. :)

la Languiste - sort of a strange setup. The restaurant overlooked the pool for a group of villas (or is it a small hotel?) and we watched people going in and out of their rooms while we ate. The waiter was incredibly nice. I tried my limited French but he was quick to use English. We started with a goat cheese and honey. It was excellent. My husband had the Seabass. He said it was enjoyable. There were a few bones but that didn't bother him much. They were out of my first and second choices so I had pasta. Not much to write home about. I didn't expect it would be. After all, most people are not coming to the Caribbean for pasta. The dessert was fantastic. I had a plate of sorbets and fruit. They were delicious. My husband had creme Brulé. It was quite curdled. Still tasty.  We walked home on the beach in the pitch black. It was quite an experience.

The next day we made it up the hill to the bakery. We had almond croissants that were fantastic. We also took home a few baguettes and some sandwiches for later. It was wonderful to eat breakfast on our deck and overlook the beach. 

The next night we went to l'Isola. We were trying to find other restaurants but having troubles locating them. This place was very nice. Very dark. Again the waitstaff was wonderful. As I'm finding repeatedly here, if you falter it all in French, they quickly speak English. I will keep trying! I had Caprese salad which was fantastic! The cheese was delicious.  My husband had a pasta Bolognese and I had the spinach ravioli. Again, I realize you don't come to the Caribbean island to eat Italian food. However, my family is Italian and I realize I am a particularly harsh critic when it comes to sauce and pasta. Both dishes were okay at best. For dessert, I had the panna cotta with berries.  My husband had their chocolate cake. Both were fantastic.

yesterday we returned to the bakery. We had to have those almond croissants again. Again, they were outstanding. The crispy edges are the best!. We also tried a few of their pastries. Each was better than the next. They had some sort of chocolate cream pastry with a cookie base that was out of this world.  We again had their sandwiches at the beach for lunch.


We tried to find Nikki Beach last night but couldn't. Instead, we tried Gustav's. It was almost entirely locals there. One waitress spoke a bit of English. We both managed to get by.  They were not terribly friendly as a whole but we're certainly attentive enough. They had a mango drink that was wonderful. Very refreshing. I ordered a Greek hamburger. My husband had a bacon cheeseburger. Both could've been cooked a minute or two longer but otherwise were delicious and juicy. 

We are going to try to find Nikki Beach again today. 


Beaches:

So far we have tried Flamands, Saline, Colombier, Governeur, and Shell Beach. I love Flamands for the wide beach and fun waves. The water is crystal clear. It also happens to be right off our deck. All of those things make it very hard to beat.

Saline it was beautiful as well. Only later did I remember hearing that it's one of the entirely nude beaches. I had no idea where to look! So I kept my eyes on the water. LOL

Gov was also quite fun. There were several families there. The drop off is fairly quick. It was really fun looking for shells though.

Colombier was the calmest of the beaches we've been to so far. It was much more like the Caribbean beaches we are used to. Certainly it was worth the hike there. 

Shell Beach was just beautiful! It was hard to wrap my head around a beach entirely made of shells but there it was! We didn't really swim but we walked the beach a few times. It was truly beautiful.

Running:

I have gone for two runs so far this trip. The first one was to run the path from Flamands to Colombier. That was a great workout! I am used to running 5 to 12 miles at a time. This one took a fair amount of energy. Such a beautiful scenery as well! There were at least two times where I really had to stop running to make sure I didn't fall. Otherwise, it is certainly doable as a run. Getting to the top where you can see both bays at once is an incredible experience. 

I also ran up the hill from our villa to the bakery. Then I turned right to go to Colombier. I got to the top of the very steep hill and wasn't sure where to find the path. I was thinking that I would've run both Colombier paths back to our beach. With a bit of uncertainty, some worn-out legs, and the sun getting hotter, I just retraced my steps. Running here is certainly a sport! At times, it felt like I was choosing between being squashed like a bug by cars that could see me or, having to jump over an embankment down a steep cliff to avoid cars who could not. In the end, it is still worth it! Having some of those of those vistas come into view at the top of the hill is truly a reward. 

As I said, we have two more days on the island before going to another. I'll add to the report as I can. Hopefully this was helpful for someone.

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## andynap

Excellent report and I see you got into the swing of things very fast. Nikki Beach is next to the Eden Rock hotel and the path to the beach is between the two. As you pass Eden Rock coming from Flamands it is next to it.

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## KevinS

As Andy said, Nikki Beach is next to the Eden Rock.  The entrance is mixed in with the shops on the left, just after you pass the Eden Rock.

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## andynap

Bell- interesting review on L'Isola. If you want to find restaurants use this link and then scroll down for JEK'S maps  https://www.sbhonline.com/forums/sho...tos15-Jan-2014)

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## cec1

Excellent report, Bell!  You're packing a lot of activity into a few days.  Have fun.

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## julianne

Thanks for reporting--glad you are enjoying the island. Go for a run starting in Grand Fond. The view from the top of the hill (Mont de la Croix) is spectacular and you can run down the other side towards Lorient or out to Saline. There are sidewalks part of the way so it is much safer and it is a great workout.

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## tim

Bell,

I'm counting on you to take "the challenge," but BE CAREFUL!

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## stbartshopper

We applaud you for the runs and accomplishing as much as you have done in such a short time.

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## bellatheball

Thank you everyone. I thought I posted an update yeasterday but it looks like it didn't go through. Thank you so much for the restaurant map. It was incredibly helpful. With your directions, way easily found Nikki Beach.

We started our day with a long walk on Flamands. The water was really calm yesterday. Incredibly clear as well. We then went into town to take the yellow submarine tour.  We were the only two aboard so we had a privately guided tour with Franck. We typically don't do a lot of "touristy" things like this but it was great fun. The shipwreck was really near. We saw tons of turtles and a few rays as well. Franck has been a scuba diver forever. He knows so much and we learned quite a bit from him. It was an hour well spent.

admittedly, I get seasick easily. My stomach wasn't feeling the best after our trip so we headed over to get some sorbet from the little ice cream shop across the street from the harbor. It was delicious! I thought I would see a lot more fruit on our trip but I realize now it is not as readily available as I had assumed. Still, this fits the bill. The raspberry taste was wonderful.

After feeling a bit better and a walk around town, we decided to try Nikki Beach. It's certainly a beautiful establishment. Such a great view! All of the privacy barriers prevented the wind from coming in so it got almost unbearably hot. Strawberry margaritas and fans from the wait staff helped quite a bit. The food was quite good. I tried the hamburgers. Someone here had recommended them. They were delicious. My husband had steak tartare and said it was good. He rated it as a six out of 10. 
We didn't have dessert. What a shame! :)

we then drove down to grand cul-de-sac. Aside from 1000 kayaks, little boats, and other water toys, there was almost nothing happening at the beach. It felt a bit more like a lake to me. We took a few walks up and down the beach and then decided to head over to St Jean. I think that wound up being my husband's favorite beach of all the ones we have visited so far. The water was so calm. It was nice to be able to wade way out and still be able to touch the ground. Apparently this is the beach where all of the young, beautiful people go. It was a bit hard on our self-esteem! LOL

unfortunately, my stomach was still not quite settled. I'm not sure if it was the boat ride, all of the rich food, or something else. We decided to go to the grocery store and make something at home. Our villa has gorgeous views so it was a nice change of pace.

this morning, I woke up to watch the sunset. It's so pretty here. Our flight leaves this afternoon.  I might ask my husband to drive me to the other side of the island for that run today. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to drive it myself.

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## bellatheball

Andy, sorry "ma'am" was an autocorrect. Should have been "map." I'd be curious to hear what you thought about L'Isola.

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## andynap

> Andy, sorry "ma'am" was an autocorrect. Should have been "map." I'd be curious to hear what you thought about L'Isola.



L'Isola has gotten almost universal rave reviews so your review was an exception.  We always stay at the end of St. Jean beach on the Nikki side and I agree about the young people. That beach does have the most action of all the beaches. Sorry your stay is over but Anguilla is a nice island too. Don't forget us here- interested in hearing a comparison.

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## bellatheball

Like I said, I look particularly harsh critic with Italian cooking. It comes from years of making homemade dough and sauce at home. :)

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## andynap

> Like I said, I look particularly harsh critic with Italian cooking. It comes from years of making homemade dough and sauce at home. :)



I agree. I'm Italian and can't get at a restaurant what we make at home.

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## bellatheball

Andy, you asked about a comparison between the two islands. When I planned our trip, I really didn't understand how different they would be. 

Scenery

St Barths (as you all know) has beautiful landscape. We loved driving up and down those hills, looking at cresent beaches and lush foliage. The islands surrounding it made for such beautiful photos. There was plenty of construction but it felt hidden and well planned. It wasn't noticeable unless you were paying attention.

Anguilla is flat and arid. The entire center of the island is, well, flat and arid. :) Not much to write home about. There is a ton of construction going on. All of it at the perimeter of the island. They use cinder block and cement for their buildings so mid-build, they look like old haunted houses. 

Winner: St Barths

Food
St Barths - Before going on the trip, we read so much about the incredible food on the island. I thought the bakery was good (not overwhelmingly so) but we didn't have an over-the-top-amazing experience with the rest of our meals. As I've mentioned, I'm not much of a meat eater so that limits my review a bit. However, I was shocked by the lack of fresh fruit and vegetables, all of which have been so plentiful on previous Caribbean trips. I realize now that they aren't able to grow much on the island but didn't know that going into the trip. 

Anguilla - We also heard rave reviews about the food. We ate local breakfasts. Some were fantastic. Some were what we could do at home (which is fine!). We ate at three beach shacks while there and each was better than the previous one. Each dinner place had at least 2-3 vegetarian options which made things much happier for me. Desserts were fantastic as well. We were entertained by the owner of each restrauant we visited for dinner. 

Winner: Anguilla


Beaches

St Barths had some great crescent shaped beaches. The water was clear and beautiful. The sand was gravely yellow and wonderful. There were so many options too. Places to go for rougher waters/water sports, snorkeling, calm waters etc. Truly beautiful. Very clean. 

Anguilla is known for their beaches, and for good reason. While they had fewer sizeable beaches than St Barths, the ones they had were incredible. White powdery sand (the kind that is so fine it's hard to wash off at the end of the day).  The water was a crazy-beautiful shade of blue. Snorkeling was great. There were several very secluded beaches that were great for finding fish, conch shells, and treasures. I was surprised by how much trash washed up from the ocean (particularly on the south side, facing St. Martin). 

Winner: Tie

People

St Barths - The people were very kind, courteous, helpful and professional. I didn't quite feel like I fit in culturally (again, this is fine!) but at times felt a bit self conscious about being American. No one was rude or unkind but I felt like we were just tolerated by some of the people we encountered. 

Anguilla - This is where they shine. People are warm, friendly, outgoing. We had two offers from the locals to come stay with them the next time we are in town. As I said, chefs/owners of each restaurant came to talk with us or sit at our table. We were met with huge smiles and a few hugs. 

Winner: Anguilla


In the end, we loved each for different reasons. We were thrilled to have two very different experiences because it felt like we had two different vacations. St John remains a perfect blend of the two which is why we will probably go back there again next year. It has the scenery and landscape of St Barths (not quite as hilly), the friendliness of Anguilla, and great beaches.

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## cec1

Interesting report . . . thanks for making the post.

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## andynap

Thanks Bell. Good info. I have been to Anguilla and appreciate their cusine is different- more fish and veggies. But if you were a meat eater St Barts might have won you over on that score. St Barts is not for everyone and there are other islands out there too. St. John is a great one.

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## elgreaux

always interesting to see the island through the eyes of a first timer.... thanks for the report!

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## MIke R

very interesting.....I especially like your comments on the food....I believe much ( but not all ) of the food is overrated on St Barts and I believe your assessment reflects that sentiment...its good for sure...but certainly on a grand scale not over the top  - particlualry the higher end joints....I continue to have a hard time putting my arms around calling food gourmet when so very little of it is fresh as you mentioned.....fresh food to me is the essential  component of truly gourmet food....it starts with that....you cant win the Kentucky Derby on a mule and you certainly cant put out a 5 star meal with frozen ingredients no matter how good the sauce is  that was prepared to compensate for it

but of course..as always....YMMV

thanks for sharing

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## andynap

I appreciate that she only spent 5 days on each island which is OK to compare the 5 days but not a fair review of St Barts restaurants especially since she isn't a meat eater. That leaves out some of the best restaurants there. And I don't agree with your assessment of gourmet food. The vegetable portions are so small at some of the places I wouldn't even call them side dishes. Zucchini, rice, potatoes aren't usually frozen.

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## MIke R

sorry....fresh local  food is at the bottom of my gourmet food pyramid....its the base which holds everything else up...

its how I cook at home and what I expect at higher end joints...

frozen scallops..frozen Asian  shrimp....frozen sole ( and other frozen imported fish )....frozen veggies....dont cut it....



and that aint changing...I do however see your point on rice, potatoes,and zuccini

  and as always...YMMV

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## stbartshopper

Your review seems very objective and fair. We have been to a lot of the islands in the Caribbean but not Anguilla. We have always felt SBH is tops but after reading your report, we will try Anguilla as well. Thank you for completing all of your write up and responding to others' comments. Very insightful.

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## andynap

> sorry....fresh local  food is at the bottom of my gourmet food pyramid....its the base which holds everything else up...
> 
> its how I cook at home and what I expect at higher end joints...
> 
> frozen scallops..frozen Asian  shrimp....frozen sole ( and other frozen imported fish )....frozen veggies....dont cut it....
> 
> 
> 
> and that aint changing...I do however see your point on rice, potatoes,and zuccini
> ...



I don't think I have ever had frozen food there especially what you name. Local fish, lobster, steaks etc.

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## MIke R

thats good....me too!

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## MIke R

> I agree. I'm Italian and can't get at a restaurant what we make at home.



ditto

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## JEK

Many of us are not Italian, cook at home most nights and want vacation to be, well a holiday. We also stay more than a few nights and after mahi mahi for two or three weeks we love some variation in our lunches and dinners. Why deride our choices to eat what we want even if it is previously frozen?

As a posters once posted:

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

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## andynap

And the answer is Whatever.

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## MIke R

> And the answer is Whatever.



 :thumb up:

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## KevinS

Bella,

Thanks for the report.  I've seen many of the same differences between SBH and AXA, but missed on the food difference - I give the edge to SBH.  The people difference was the one that caught my attention.  While I have made many friends on SBH over the years, when I was on AXA I ran into numerous people, as you apparently did, who wanted to do anything in their power to make my first-time stay on AXA (more importantly, "their island") more enjoyable.  Great people!

Now, on to to the comments of others.  We're all different, and what works for one doesn't always work for others.  Perhaps I should have mentioned Le Ti Marché Santé in Lorient to Bella, where fresh produce arrives on Thursday morning and is on the shelves in the afternoon - some of which are fruits and veggies that I don't recognize.  Fresh fruits and veggies in a market don't necessarily substitute for good Vegan options in restaurants though, and my recollection is that Thursday wasn't one of Bella's limited days.  While I think that I mentioned a few Vegetarian and/or Vegan dishes to Bella, I should make a personal point of making a mental note of others that I see on island menus.  Bella isn't the first Vegan among us, and won't be the last.  Not being a carnivore isn't a bad thing, it's just different.

As to fish, I can only say that the Striped Bass filet that Mike dropped off at my office yesterday afternoon, which was swimming yesterday morning, made a pretty good dinner last night.  ("Lime juice, butter, cilantro, and baste the heck out of it" still works, LOL.)  Today was the first day of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) season at our local farmstand, and our farm basket was overflowing.  The local Farmer's Market is back up and running  (got some Fig Burrata coming at you Mike).  All in all, it's a pretty good fresh and local food week for me.

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## katva

Great trip report!!! I especially liked the comparison to Anguilla, where we've never been, but are closely considering!!  A very close friend and superb artist/photographer and soon to be former neighbor is moving to Anguilla next month. Wants us to come visit. I think we shall!!!

thanks for sharing in such great detail

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## MIke R

> Perhaps I should have mentioned Le Ti Marché Santé in Lorient to Bella, where fresh produce arrives on Thursday morning and is on the shelves in the afternoon - some of which are fruits and veggies that I don't recognize. .



yes I second that place..wonderful..we got some great things there in April

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## andynap

> yes I second that place..wonderful..we got some great things there in April



Doesn't matter. I don't think Bell was cooking in.

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## LindaP

Bella,
    Thanks for your report, and the comparisons on St Barths vs Anguilla. we have been going to Anguilla for over 20 years, and St Barths for 15.....your observations were very spot-on. I probably would have given the food edge to St Barths, but I also eat meat ( not much, but the meat in SBh is outstanding).....bit I also agree that those food trucks in Anguilla are pretty awesome; and the sushi on that island is getting greater.
    The best part of your report was about the people.....and we have met many friends in SBh over the years, whom we love......but as a first timer to Anguilla; there is something different about the unabashed way that they shower a newbie on their island with friendship, smiles and caring.  I'm glad you got that too.
 We will continue to visit both places; but for now, our hearts are a little more biased on the SBh side, so we have decided Anguilla is an every 2-3 yr trip; whereas SBh.....as much as we can!
    Keep exploring !!!!!

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## elgreaux

I agree with Mike, go see the movie CHEF, not a freezer in sight.... it's a great champion of local food!

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## Bart -my real name-

Quote from your first post:  "We tried to find Nikki Beach last night but couldn't."

It's only open for lunch and completely dark at night so it's very easy to miss when you're very close to it.

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## JEK

> Quote from your first post:  "We tried to find Nikki Beach last night but couldn't."
> 
> It's only open for lunch and completely dark at night so it's very easy to miss when you're very close to it.



Not true.

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## elgreaux

from the Nikki Beach website:

Open Everyday 11:00 to 19:00
Kitchen Everyday 12:00 to 17:00 
Sushi Kitchen 12:00 to 18:00

For reservations and more information call (+590) 590 27 64 64 or email reservations.stbarth@nikkibeach.com

although in high season I think they do one or two nights with bbq and fire show, and of course New Year's Eve is an all-night affair... please correct me if this isn't right!

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## JEK

I was thinking of the BBQ night during the season. Went there with Mike R once.

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## bellatheball

I didn't expect to win friends with my food review, and that's ok!  :Big Grin:  

For those of you considering going to Anguilla, it's worth the trip! Again, St Barths landscape beats it by a wide mile but the beaches, people, and food are wonderful.

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## MIke R

> I didn't expect to win friends with my food review, and that's ok!  
> 
> l.




welcome to my world.....:eagerness:

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## kasi

Gorgeous First trip to St.barts its very good trip of the first time now you know everything deeply about the barts lovely environment there and hotels are also much gorgeous but no doubt its costly any ways best of luck...

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