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St. Barts in Top 10 in Modern Bride honeymoon survey
Modern Bride Magazine surveyed 6,000 travel agents last year and has released the results of their poll. St. Barts made the list for the first time (which seems strange). From the Washington Post/San Francisco Chronicle:
"8. St. Barts, a tony French island in the Caribbean, made it into the Top 10 for the first time, garnering mentions for romance, food, seclusion and sexy ambience. Hotel Guanahani & Spa ($406-plus per night) was ranked high for its plunge pools."
Travel Weekly is reporting the following (subscription required):
"SeaDream Yacht Club will host its first theme cruise, bringing Grammy award-winning acoustic guitarist Earl Klugh on a four-day Midnight in San Juan cruise aboard the SeaDream I, the cruise line said at a New York event June 12.
Klugh will perform several times during the cruise, which departs April 12, 2007. The voyage sails roundtrip from San Juan calling in Gustavia, St. Barts and Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands."
Interesting tidbit on the New York magazine website about a former St. Barts resident:
"A French former stylist, Celle opened her first boutique on St. Barts in 1992, stocked with Eres swimsuits and cotton tunics and pareos imported from Rajasthan."
"Ecology & Environment Inc. on Thursday said it has completed a multinational permitting effort for the Global Caribbean Network Fiber-Optic Cable Project.
The cable will be installed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Guadalupe, French West Indies, with other shore landings occurring in St. Croix, St. Maarten, St. Barthelemy and St. Kitts."
Located on the southeastern coast, which is often called the “cote sauvage”, the beach of Grand Fond is covered with beautiful white coral rocks. The currents here can be quite strong, so it is not so much a beach for swimming as much as for enjoying the view along with a nice picnic lunch or early dinner.
The small cove of Marigot is on the southern coast and is lined by coconut palms, offering plenty of shade. The beach is popluar with the locals and is never crowded. Swimming in the calm waters is spectacular, and good snorkeling can be found near the rocks.
A popular beach for local surfers, located next to the Toiny Hotel on the southeastern coast. The currents can be quite strong, so swimming is not generally advised.
The fringing reef that protects this large bay ensures calm water. When snorkeling at the far right end, you will observe many conch in the sea grass. However, this is a marine reserve and harvesting the conch is strictly forbidden. Located on the northeastern coast of the island, this beach is usually quite secluded. Shade can be found under the palms at the far-right end.
Workers of the licensed Shell dealer at Juliana Airport in St Maarten staged a “go-slow” this past Saturday for about one and a half hours during the height of the busiest weekend hours. The workers were upset about not being paid on time and stopped fueling aircraft. Apparently, First Caribbean Bank didn’t process the workers’ salaries until late Saturday morning rather than on Friday, as usual. Workers finally received their checks early Saturday evening. As a result of the “go-slow”, Air France, arriving from Paris, diverted to Gaudeloupe to wait and refuel, if necessary. The plane finally landed in St Maarten three hours late. Three American Airlines flights (to Miami, JFK, and San Juan) were also delayed.
Since 1948, Saint Barth has been considered one of 32 towns in Guadeloupe. If the proposed law is approved by the French Parliament, Saint Barth will become an Overseas Collectivity, which will give the island much more autonomy over local taxes, urban planning and overall decision-making power that until now has been governed by the French Parliament. It is hoped that this law will be reviewed and passed in early 2007.
Many honeymooners will probably tell you they felt the earth move while spending their very special days on Saint Barth during mid-May. However, on May 14, the earth did indeed move on this island. The minor tremble, which measured a magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter scale as recorded by the Volcanologique Observatory and Sismologique of Guadeloupe, occurred 35 km east of Saint Barth with a 25-km depth. On May 20, shortly after the minor earthquake on Saint Barth, the volcano on Montserrat erupted again – the second time since the summer of 2005. The first (recent) eruption occurred in July of 2003, with the ashes blanketing Saint Barth and causing the closing of Juliana Airport in St Maarten for a day. This time the winds were kinder to the island and carried the ashes to the East. The volcanic observatory in Guadeloupe also reported a minor tsunami related to this volcanic activity along the coast of Guadeloupe. Yes, we are living on the edge – the edge of three tectonic plates: the North American Plate, the Caribbean Plate and the South American Plate.
