Category Archives: st. barts

STAY: villa or not to villa – where to rest your head

home sweet home - villa lagon bleu

the view alfresco

ahh private pool

well really the answer is up to you and what you are looking for in your trip. i think the villa option is excellent and a BIG way to save while visiting St. Barts – especially if you’re traveling with a larger party. for starters, you can stay together in one place & St. Barts has this in mind as the villa rental market makes up half the island’s accommodations. it’s helpful to go in april/may because it’s ‘shoulder season’ so nightly rates are less expensive. if you go in the first half of may, all the shops and restaurants are still open and most of the stores are having 40-50% off sales. not all villas offer full concierge services but many do and this makes the villa option even more appealing. inquire about this if you are looking into villa rentals – it costs nothing extra and was truly invaluable.

now i’ll tell you my villa story…as you can see it’s quite nice. located in petit cul de sac – villa lagon bleu came with the fabulous concierge services of Pierre – the property manager. Pierre was in contact with me through out the year leading up to my visit to St. Barts and gladly answered many a question of mine. he greeted us at the airport upon our arrival & saw us off at our departure like a dear friend. he arranged our rental vehicles, dinner reservations, made shopping recommendations, chair & lunch reservations at the resorts. he brought us local papers with the goings on & fresh croissants every day and made coffee that we awoke to each morning. he hand selected wines at our request and delivered them to our villa. he picked up fresh fish one morning at the fish market. these are the things he did for us…i can only imagine what else Pierre can do – the wonderful man that he is!

i’m not sure i should give all my secrets away as I WILL BE RETURNING…but if you are interested in this villa company their contact information is luxestbarts.com. another notable and recommended villa company with more properties to choose from & similar concierge services is st. barth properties.

why, then, stay in a hotel? some of the reasons might be things like extended room service, on-site restaurants, spa or fitness centers, for example. i doubt there are any shabby hotels on St. Barts but some of the ones i did come across and can recommend would be:

eden rock – iconic, glitzy & glamorous with 32 suites/4 villas- st. jean

hotel carl gustaf – an elegant boutique hotel in the capital with 1/2 bedroom suites – gustavia

hotel guanahani – luxurious, largest &  only full-service resort on the island 33 rooms/37 suites *family-friendly – grand cul de sac

le sereno – sleek, ultra hip & stylishly cosmopolitan with 37 rooms/villas – grand cul de sac

le toiny – sophisticated & secluded with 14 one bedroom villas – toiny

st. barth isle de france – sexy & elegant with 9 rooms/3 suites in the main building – flamands beach

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Saint Barthelemy, FWI: you may be heaven on earth

bienvenue a St. Barth

dear St. Barts,

merci beaucoup for the lovely vacation! you upheld your promise of gorgeous sunshine, blue sky & water plus wonderful treats & eats. the only issue now…it’s nearly impossible not to think of you daily. do i really have to wait another full year to get back to your slice of paradise?

missing you terribly – au revoir!

xo – lola

the puddle jumper

aerial view of baie de st. jean

OK – in all seriousness, i have been a few places and there’s still A LOT of ground to cover but St. Barts does live up to it’s reputation.  i feel pretty confident i’ve found my piece of heaven.  it’s true, it can be pricey but that’s partly why it’s so nice & there are ways to do it for less. other than that – show me it’s flaws.

whether you ferry or fly – upon arrival into this little island country, you are greeted by friendly customs officers & slick magazines offering you a glimpse into what is St. Barts. SBH does an amazing job promoting itself in these sexy guides – restaurants, clubs, shops, villas, resorts, beaches, stories on locals – all within the pages. be sure to pick some or all of them up – you won’t be disappointed by the eye candy.

a few notes:

ferry vs. flying – yes, you do have a choice. i’ve never been a fan of small planes but boy was that puddle jumper fun! the ferry is from St. Martin and potentially costs half the flight but, in my opinion, it’s worth the extra money to fly.

1)you get there faster and without getting seasick

2)it’s such a great view of the island. think of it as one of your sight-seeing activities!!!

car rental – St. Barts is a very easy place to drive & in the shoulder season the cost of renting a car was virtually the same as any major US city. plus – they offer very cute cars to drive that help you enjoy the view!

nice view from my cute mini cooper!

one TRIP TIP i can impart is if you’re leaving on sunday – fill up the tank on saturday. gas stations are unattended on sundays and you need a special credit card with a smart chip in order to get gas. i learned this the hard way and had to pay the gas surcharge – oh well – cest la vie?!

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Mid-May: currently channeling sexy St. Barts

st. jean

dear st. barts,

i’ve been dreaming of you all year. may you have the same “problems” of last year – lots of sun, bright blue water & sky, everything looks & IS delicious!

see you soon!

xo – lola

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