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Welcome to the Saint Barthélemy travel & news blog. On this site you'll find an extensive and up to date guide to the island (links on the left), as well as news from and about St. Barts from Candee Duensing of "St. Barth News Bytes". You can read the articles and leave comments, and you can also ask and answer questions on our St. Bart's forum. Saint Barthélemy is a serene and special island that will remind visitors more of the south of France than the Caribbean. This tiny island has 22 beautiful beaches, as well as some of the finest accommodations (hotels and private villas) and dining in the region. The island is known for the famous faces it attracts every winter as celebrities from around the world flee the cold on this magical tropical paradise.
The Lions Club of St. Barth is launching a large operation of collections to help the people in Haiti who have suffered greatly due to four hurricanes in three weeks. The collection of foodstuffs has already started in the grocery stores on the island. They have placed containers at the entry to the stores where you can deposit nonperishable foods, such as rice, pasta, lentils, dried beans and canned vegetables. In addition, the Lions Club organized a drop-off point on Saturday, September 27 in the parking lot of Alma in Public to collect children's clothing, small tools, such as hammers, screwdrivers and nails, tarpaulins, kitchen utensils and household linens. The collected goods will be put on a boat on Wednesday, October 1 and delivered to Port-au-Prince. Upon arrival, Sister Jeanne Maurice, whom the Lions Club has worked with for many years, will receive the goods and supervise their distribution. The Lions Club is also accepting monetary donations. Checks can be made out to the Lions Club of St Barthelémy, BP 186, 97133 St Barthelémy CEDEX.
Central Parc, a new restaurant, will open in November in Gustavia on the corner where the former La Gamelle was located. The site was purchased by the two brothers who own L'Entracte (also known as "the blue coconut" due to the neon blue coconut tree out front). Jean-Louis, one of the brothers, will operate Central Parc, which promises a menu of American-style breakfast, lunch and dinner. The other brother will continue to run L'Entracte.
L'Isola, the Italian restaurant that recently opened in O'Corner's location in Gustavia, will soon be offering "Aperitivo" time. Starting at 5:30 pm, guests can enjoy an apéritif with complimentary Italian finger food.
Rumors are that the François Plantation, which closed its doors earlier this year, will be converted into a condo complex. High in the hills of Colombier, this is sure to be a popular and sought-after spot.
October is a great month to be in St Barth - the weather is starting to get a bit cooler, many of the restaurants are re-opening and the sales are in full swing. October is a month that the French government has designated as one during which all the stores can hold big sales. And, indeed, they do - often offering up to 50%-75%. Below is just a short list of the sales that have already begun; more will start in a couple of days. This is a great time to get some excellent deals, so bring that extra suitcase - even if you have to pay $15 to check it!
· A Vos Marques, a sporting goods shop in Gustavia, until October 25
· Vaval Boutique, a clothing store in St Jean
· Royaume des Enfants, Rue Courbet in Gustavia, up to 50% off
· Fabienne Miot, a jewelry store in Gustavia, up to 50% off
· Tendances, a vendor of furniture and other home decorations and accessories in Anses des Cayes and Gustavia, up to 50% off
Since 1990, the National Day of the Horse has been celebrated on the last Sunday of September. This occasion is an opportunity for riding schools to share their passion for horses. Raphaëlle, manager of the Ranch des Flamands, organized an event on Sunday, September 28, on "Grande Platon", the name given by the elders of Flamands and Terre-Neuve to the ground currently occupied by the ranch. The program included a day of games, demonstrations and obstacle-jumping, with beverages and BBQ offered on site.
Fiber-Optic Cable and New Internet Service to Be in Place by End of Year
Initiated last Wednesday in Saint Martin, the Box Mediaserv should be available in St Barth by the end of the year, according to its operator, which has been a subsidiary of the Loret group since 1999. A competitor of Livebox, the Box Mediaserv proposed in Saint Martin offers a package including the removal of the standard telephone service contract, a high-speed connection to the Internet, remote downloads and unlimited telephony, depending on which plan is chosen. On November 29, 2004, the Regional Council of Guadeloupe awarded to Global Caribbean Network (GCN) a contract to build and operate a fiber-optic submarine cable system, linking Guadeloupe, St Martin and St Barth to the Internet backbone in Puerto Rico. Seventy-five percent of the funding comes from the European Regional Development Fund and the Guadeloupe Regional Council, with the remaining 25% coming from GCN main shareholder, the Loret Group.
Cool Rental is a new car rental company with "personalized services" on Rue August Nyman in Gustavia. The brand new cars come with a CD player compatible with MP3 players and iPODs and a local cell phone at no extra charge except for the calls that you make. Phone numbers for numerous hotels, restaurants and shops have already been programmed into the phone. In addition, a concierge service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Rates range from 70 euros/day in low season to 130 euros/day in high season. To reserve a car, call them at 590 590 27 52 58 or send an email to johann@cool-rental.com.
Although St Barth is quite often a dry island, if you keep your eyes open, you can find many local fruits and nuts growing wild around the island. A few examples are almonds, tamarind, sea grapes, cherries, little apples, corossol (or soursop), little apples and passionfruit. And, of course, the quenette. The quenette resembles a small, oval lime and grows on trees ranging from 18 to 30 feet. The yellowish-pink pulp, whose taste has been compared to a litchi, surrounds a very large pit. The tree is native to Colombia and Venezuela and appeared in the Antilles at the beginning of the 19th century. The fruit is often used in jams and syrups to flavor rum. But on a hot day, there's nothing like stumbling across a quenette tree and just popping open the thin skin and enjoying the tasty fruit.
(Editor's Note: On other English-speaking islands, this fruit is called the "genip".)
The Tom Beach Hotel in St Jean sits right on gorgeous St Jean Bay, recently voted the 8th sexiest beach by the Travel Channel. Until December 19, 2008, you can enjoy a free night with any reservation of six nights or more. The hotel's open-air, beachside restaurant, La Plage, is open year-round, serves excellent food in a relaxed atmosphere and usually has either live music or a DJ during the evenings. For more information or to make reservations, call 590 590 27 53 13, email them at tombeach@wanadoo.fr or visit their web site at www.tombeach.com.
Alton Brown's latest TV show, Feasting on Waves, premiered last Sunday on the Food Network. Those of us who were lucky enough to be watching it were rewarded with an unexpected stop in St Barth due to bad weather conditions. The show is a four-part series in which Alton and his crew sail around 15 different Caribbean islands on a 50-foot catamaran. The goal is to seek out quality local cuisine. Fortunately for Alton, the captain of the catamaran, Randy West, has lived in St Barth for over 25 years and was able to take him to several popular local venues. The first stop was Le Select for the famous Cheeseburger in Paradise and a local ti punch, made of cane syrup, rum and a slice of lime. Next on the agenda was a visit to Chez Ginette in Anse des Cayes. Ginette is known on the island for making and selling bottles of rum punch made from dozens of different fruits and flowers found on the island. The expression on Alton Brown's face when he smelled the passionfruit rum punch testifies to its strength! The final destination was The Wishing Well, locally known as Chez Rolande, in Flamands. Rolande's grandmother had a restaurant in Guadeloupe for 25 years, and Rolande learned how to cook authentic Creole food at her side. Today, her daughter helps her create the same dishes. Alton, and Randy, were lucky enough to have her prepare a fricassee of langouste, the Caribbean spiny lobster. Alton's comment upon tasting it? "She's a witch!"
If you're an avid Scrabble player and want to try your luck playing the game in French, the Association of Lézards des Cayes has organized the St Barth Scrabble Club! They'll be playing every Tuesday evening starting at 5:30 pm in the heart of Anse des Cayes in the Association's building.
The luxurious Hotel Carl Gustaf in Gustavia has been closed and undergoing major renovations for several months. They plan to reopen for the high season with a completely new restaurant, Victoria's, and a redesigned lounge. This is one of the best places to enjoy a cocktail while viewing a spectacular sunset over the harbor. The renovations also include a top-scale Boutique Spa and a 4-bedroom Royale Suite with its own infinity pool and Jacuzzi.
September is just around the corner. The summer beach festivals have ended, and the kids are headed back to school. This is traditionally the quietest, and hottest, month on the island. It's the time when many of the restaurants close their doors for a while and take time to make repairs and take vacations. The number of restaurants that are closing is too numerous to list all of them, but below are a few. But, not to worry. Enough good restaurants remain open that you can eat well every day. And, don't forget the fish market in Gustavia if you have a place to cook. There's nothing like some fresh dorade (mahi-mahi) on the grill!
. La Saladerie on La Pointe in Gustavia has closed. Rumors are that the rent was increased too much, and an Italian restaurant will open there. Perhaps, La Saladerie will find another location.
. K'fe Massai in Lorient will remain open throughout September and October. This restaurant may not look like much from the outside, but you're in for a treat once you enter. Enough said. You'll have to discover it for yourselves! They have two or three prix fixe menus with numerous delicious offerings from each.
. L'Entr'acte...Kudeta...L'Entr'acte - You know, the restaurant in Gustavia along the harbor with the blue coconut palm outside? Apparently, they have changed the name back to L'Entr'acte and have purchased La Gamelle in Gustavia, where one of the two brothers will be opening another restaurant. Kudeta, pronounced like coup d'etat, was apparently not humorous to those in the government.
The Hotel Le Christophe in Point Milou has been closed for one or two years with many speculations about its future, including the possibility of timeshares being offered. Haven't heard any details, but they recently had an ad in a local publication for a general manager, an assistant, maids and maintenance men for their re-opening in late October or early November. Stay tuned.
Our thanks to the following organizations: The Office Municipal du Tourisme de Saint Barthélemy for supplying some of the information in these pages, and The Association des Hoteliers de Saint Barthélemy for the St. Barts maps which are used with their permission.
Welcome to the Saint Barthélemy travel & news blog. On this site you'll find an extensive and up to date guide to the island (links on the left), as well as 
Since 1990, the National Day of the Horse has been celebrated on the last Sunday of September. This occasion is an opportunity for riding schools to share their passion for horses. Raphaëlle, manager of the Ranch des Flamands, organized an event on Sunday, September 28, on "Grande Platon", the name given by the elders of Flamands and Terre-Neuve to the ground currently occupied by the ranch. The program included a day of games, demonstrations and obstacle-jumping, with beverages and BBQ offered on site. 
Although St Barth is quite often a dry island, if you keep your eyes open, you can find many local fruits and nuts growing wild around the island. A few examples are almonds, tamarind, sea grapes, cherries, little apples, corossol (or soursop), little apples and passionfruit. And, of course, the quenette. The quenette resembles a small, oval lime and grows on trees ranging from 18 to 30 feet. The yellowish-pink pulp, whose taste has been compared to a litchi, surrounds a very large pit. The tree is native to Colombia and Venezuela and appeared in the Antilles at the beginning of the 19th century. The fruit is often used in jams and syrups to flavor rum. But on a hot day, there's nothing like stumbling across a quenette tree and just popping open the thin skin and enjoying the tasty fruit.
The Tom Beach Hotel in St Jean sits right on gorgeous St Jean Bay, recently voted the 8th sexiest beach by the Travel Channel. Until December 19, 2008, you can enjoy a free night with any reservation of six nights or more. The hotel's open-air, beachside restaurant, La Plage, is open year-round, serves excellent food in a relaxed atmosphere and usually has either live music or a DJ during the evenings. For more information or to make reservations, call 590 590 27 53 13, email them at 
The luxurious Hotel Carl Gustaf in Gustavia has been closed and undergoing major renovations for several months. They plan to reopen for the high season with a completely new restaurant, Victoria's, and a redesigned lounge. This is one of the best places to enjoy a cocktail while viewing a spectacular sunset over the harbor. The renovations also include a top-scale Boutique Spa and a 4-bedroom Royale Suite with its own infinity pool and Jacuzzi. 
The Hotel Le Christophe in Point Milou has been closed for one or two years with many speculations about its future, including the possibility of timeshares being offered. Haven't heard any details, but they recently had an ad in a local publication for a general manager, an assistant, maids and maintenance men for their re-opening in late October or early November. Stay tuned.
