# St Barts Forums > St Barts Trip Reports Forum >  >  February Trip Recap

## bto

Disclaimer:  I take photos on my iPhone, we arent big foodies and we are total slugs on vacation so theres nothing too exciting to report.  I havent done a trip report in a while bc were so boring, but here goes.

Just returned a few weeks ago from St Barth.  How is it that each trip is better than the last?   Flying from St Louis always requires a 2:45AM wakeup which means I have the bags zippered up the night before so we can have coffee, get dressed and walk out the door.   Instead of STL to Charlotte, we tried STL to Atlanta via Delta, then on to SXM.  Once that plane to SXM is in the air I can finally relax and get into vacay zone.   

The 5AM Delta flight out of STL landed in SXM early around 2:20PMWe were near the very back of the plane, sunglasses ON, sweaters OFF and delighted when they opened the REAR door to exit.  The warm breeze and the sunshine on my face felt so good!

I reminisced to Tom about the location of the old Gate 10 as we walked into the terminal.   My first experience at Gate 10 was the confiscation of my little cuticle scissors at the security checkpoint (and a nasty scolding) so that I did not stab the pilot on our way to SBH.  Made sure I never brought those again, but I miss that little gatewell not really, but it had character!

We went directly to the Transit Desk for our boarding passes then on to the security checkpoint where the delightful agent chatted with us and we headed up to Gate C.  Took all of ten minutes.  Our SBC flight wasnt until 4pm, but they soon weighed our carryon luggage while we were waiting and before long, we were lined up on the stairwell ready to board.

The flight over, which I always enjoy, was cloudy and it had been raining in St Barth, but by the time we got to our villa we were treated to a double rainbow.  I smiled and thought this is a great sign of the week to come.
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It was close to 5PM by the time we got the car and drove up to villa Lumière.  Located on the road as you turn to go down to Flamands, we had a gorgeous view over the hillside and the ocean.  Rosita tells me that this area is called Terre Neuve.  We enjoyed the villa very much, but the driveway is quite interesting. 

After unpacking and making a shopping list for the next morning, we headed with friends to LEntracte for dinner.  Hadnt been in several years.  Great food, not so great service, but we were tired and working in slow mode so it didnt really matter.  I had the shrimp wok bowl and it was excellent.  Yes, they still allow smoking, another reason we hadnt been in some time, but we would go back.  Good food, reasonable prices.

The next morning we stocked up at Marché U and were pleasantly surprised by how much we got for 140 euros.   Sunscreen, water, wine, cheeses, (found the right cream for our coffee), and other snacks for our ten days and we were back to the villa to enjoy the pool and view. 

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Our favorite restaurant for many years has been and still is Santa Fe.  We love everything about itfood, ambiance, wine, Manu, the view, the Phil and Amy sighting (LOL).
I guess consistency is the main thing for us and I do love that Crostillant St Jacques or whatever it is called.  Our table saw Phil and Amy leaving and they ended up coming back and sharing dessert with uswhat else?  Profiteroles!  AhemMissy, your name might have been mentioned.

We had good meals at Les Bananiers, Eddys, La Creperie, Nikki Beach Sunday lunch, La Cantina, Black Ginger, and Tamarin.

I was so hoping Tamarin would knock my socks off, but I guess I didnt order the right thing.  The place, however, is A M A Z I N G and we will try again.  I was surprised at how spacious it is and how many people were there.  Definitely, the IT place of the season.  Absolutely gorgeous there.

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The other new place we tried was Orega.  W.O.W.  Definitely a bit on the pricey side, but very good.  Very lovely decor.  Very hip.  We loved the food.  A must do.  As mentioned, Greg is a wonderful host and this place is worth a visit.

We did breakfast each morning and some lunches at the villa.  Nothing like putting the coffee on around 5:30AM and sitting on the deck watching the island come alive.  The big decision every day was where to go for dinner that evening.some things never change!

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We did the Cheval Blanc fashion show for the first time ever.  What a lovely time and setting.  If you havent done it, watch Phils video for inspiration.  The little one is a hoot and posed for a video for me in full model mode.  The models are just gorgeous.

The BAZ Bar forum get together was so much fun.  A big thanks goes to Libby for getting it together.  Its nice to catch up with familiar faces and meet so many new ones.  The forum people rock and are so nice!  If youve never attended, you should. (Hopper) 

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the damp, snowy unpredictable weather of the Midwest.  We had the 10am flight back to SXM and used the kiosk next to the Transit Desk to print our boarding passes back to ATL.   Simple. 

After all these years of smooth SBH travel, we nearly missed the flight back to STL out of ATL.  Customs decided to close the line when we arrived so we could wait for an Air France crew of maybe 10 to get there and go through customs before us.  We waited 20-25 minutes, even though many kiosks were open.  The line didnt move, everyone was complaining and the agents were cranky.  Ridiculous. 

Of course, our gate was at the opposite end of the terminal and as we waited for the shuttle to get us there, I chatted up a lovely Delta agent who said we might not make it and to follow him.  We had to run and thankfully, had carryon bags and got there just as the gate agent was about to walk down and shut the door, He quickly gate checked our bags and we were off.  Kudos to this sweet Delta guy for getting us there!  I normally allow two hours to get through customs, but with carryon I thought the shorter connection time would work.  Wrong.  I normally allow longer, but it never has taken us more than 30-40 minutes in the past.   Probably a good idea to go back to the 2 hour connection time.

What we did notice this trip is how much construction was happening all over the island.  Permit signs EVERYWHERE.  AckAck machines were in full swing around our villa and we did have one afternoon of noise.  Fortunately, we seemed to be out of the villa most of the time and missed a lot of it.

The island was really buzzing this February.  There was a lot of traffic and it was tricky to park everywhere, though we always did find a spot eventually.  We had no celebrity sightings as they seemed to arrive after we left, just before Carnivale.

As usual, the weather was great, the food was wonderful, and the company we kept, just awesome.   

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Best trip ever and I say that every time we go.  Of course, the only down side of the trip is coming back to the real world.  

À lannée prochaîne, St Barthélemy!

*Sorry for the one ginormous photo that I resized like ten times and still couldn't get it right...maybe a mod can help with that one.  It took me forever to write down my thoughts and then I had to figure out the photo posting which I hadn't done in a while.  Not difficult, just need practice and time!

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## JEK

Now, that is what a trip report is all about! Parfait!

P.S. your photos are also parfait!


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## bto

Merci, JEK...Thanks for your direction...it took a while, but I finally got it!!!

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## MIke R

Hey Bev   thanks for sharing...sounds like a great trip  ..someday maybe we ll be on the island at the same time ....ya never know.....

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## amyb

Great meeting up with you and Tom-each time.  I too say the trip ending is my favorite and simply can't wait until that next one.
Thanks for taking the time for the report-worth waiting for, Bev.

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## KevinS

Bev, thanks for the report.  I miss being on the island at the same time as you.

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## cassidain

:thumb up:

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## noel

Hello neighbor!
Great trip and great report!  
We'd love to hear more about Villa Lumiere.

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## kent1994

Great report. Thanks. February is our favorite month on the island.

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## LMAC

Great report Bev and good photos.   It was so nice to see you - hope we can get together before next Feb.

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## cec1

Very nice to meet at the Baz Bar gathering . . . and fun to read of your enjoyment on this trip.  You make the most of every minute . . . from 2:45 AM wake-up to recording & sharing your happy memories!  Thanks for doing so.

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## GramChop

What a delightful read, Bev.  Thank you for taking the time to post it...a lot of good intel!  I, too, had a "Phil and Amy Sighting" at Santa Fe back in 2007.  Phil:  Is that restraining order still in effect?  :cool:   I also have to agree with you about Tamarin.  I had lunch there and while I wasn't blown away by the food (READ:  It was NOT awful, just not what I was expecting), the energy of the space and the company I shared was OUTSTANDING!  Plus, the adorable Paco replaced my chair with one of the loungy, more comfortable, ones.  I will try it again on my next visit.  Again....merci for the report and the stunning photographs!

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## GMP62

Nice trip report and photos - thanks for posting!  Please share some additional thought on Villa Lumiere - we've considered it in the past and would enjoy hearing your feedback. We enjoy the Flamands area, too.

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## bto

Thanks all.  Hope to see all of you there one day!  

As to Lumière, it is very nice and we liked it a lot.  Well appointed and a nice view, although not 360.  Wimco and St Barth Properties offer it.  It is located not in Flamands, but just as you make the turn to go down to Flamands.  As I mentioned above, Rosita told me the neighborhood is called Terre Neuve.  The pics on the websites depict it well and unfortunately I didn't take any photos (that I can share anyway)  :Devil Laughing:    There's a main case with the living area/kitchen and a small half bath and two separate cases for the two bedrooms.  Nice pool, tricky driveway, but one thing to consider is that it is ON the road to Flamands.  Not everyone likes every villa for one reason or another and I'm sure that would bother some people.  Overall, it's a great place.  PM me if you need more specifics.

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## tim

Thanks for the detailed, fun report :thumb up:

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## Ross&Delaine

You have inspired us to write a trip report. We are like you as you eloquently report, boring and slugs when we vacation plus we are private people. All that said, we recognized, thanks to you,that by not sharing some,not all, of our experiences may help others enjoy something new on the island. Your report was a nice read, thank you.

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## stbartshopper

We don't try any more to make the trip in one day from Indianapolis in the winter- connection times everywhere are around an hour or we have to get up too early as you did. What was your connection time in Atlanta to SXM from St. Louis?

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## GMP62

> Thanks all.  Hope to see all of you there one day!  
> 
> As to Lumière, it is very nice and we liked it a lot.  Well appointed and a nice view, although not 360.  Wimco and St Barth Properties offer it.  It is located not in Flamands, but just as you make the turn to go down to Flamands.  As I mentioned above, Rosita told me the neighborhood is called Terre Neuve.  The pics on the websites depict it well and unfortunately I didn't take any photos (that I can share anyway)    There's a main case with the living area/kitchen and a small half bath and two separate cases for the two bedrooms.  Nice pool, tricky driveway, but one thing to consider is that it is ON the road to Flamands.  Not everyone likes every villa for one reason or another and I'm sure that would bother some people.  Overall, it's a great place.  PM me if you need more specifics.



Thanks very much for the feedback on the villa. I've seen it listed on the SB Properties website, which where we typically rent our villas from. It does look quite nice.  So many villas too choose from; so little time!

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## bto

Hopper, the connection time was an hour fifteen minutes both directions.  Leaving here at 5am, there is normally no delay getting out.  We had carryon, but I think checking bags would still make that connection.  We don't like that 5am flight, but it does get us there in ONE day.  It's a long day, but worth it to us.  

I have it down to a science now.  Lay my stuff out in one room, his in another....and I start a few weeks before we leave so I have everything i need...the weekend before I do a trial pack in the suitcases...I really do, haha...then I WEED out what I don't need. Trial pack AGAIN.  Final pack the day before. Zip.  Done.

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## amyb

Sounds a lot like my system. Thank heavens the kids are married and out and I can sort and pack in their old rooms.

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## seasalt

Thank you for your report!  Really enjoyable.  I share your feeling that each trip is better than the last one.

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## elgreaux

very nice report, glad you liked Tamarin, it's one of our faves! and we also had a great meal at Orega....

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## marybeth

Great trip report Bev! mb

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## julianne

Wonderful report, Bev. It was great to see you and Tom! Tamarin and Santa Fe were our favorite restaurants during our stay. It is the total dining experience (with ambiance a big part of it) that makes them standout for us.

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