Travel Weekly is reporting that Island Destinations 2007 Travelers Collection calls Eden Rock "the most exciting new destination in luxury travel". New? Hasn't Eden Rock been around for awhile?

Posted on November 16, 2006 6:21 PM| Permanent Link: Eden Rock wins an award| Comments (0)

November 19
Gustavialoppet 2006 – the 16th annual 10K marathon and 8K walk

December 3
Island clean-up day by volunteers; sponsored by the Rotary Club

November 19, January 21, February 18, March 18, April 22, May 20
Future races of the traditional sailboats for the 2006/2007 season

December – Christmas
L.A.S.S.C.O., an association in Colombier, is organizing a Christmas caroling performance. They hope to invite the group Kassika “for the biggest concert ever held in St. Barts.”

Posted on November 15, 2006 12:46 PM| Permanent Link: On the Horizon| Comments (0)

The Voyager resumed its normal service between St. Barts and St. Martin on November 4 after undergoing mechanical repairs.

Posted on November 15, 2006 12:44 PM| Permanent Link: The Voyager Resumes Service| Comments (0)

The infamous discotheque “The Feeling” in Lurin has been ordered to close its doors by the Court of Appeals in Basse-Terre, Gauadeloupe. An eviction notice is posted on the doors and the gratings are sealed to forbid entrance to the establishment.

Posted on November 15, 2006 12:43 PM| Permanent Link: “The Feeling” Ordered to Close| Comments (0)

The John Ellis Jazz Quartet will be performing on January 23 rather than on January 24 due to another engagement and travel arrangements. The concerts will be at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm at the Anglican Church in Gustavia.

Posted on November 15, 2006 12:42 PM| Permanent Link: Change of Date for Jazz Qaurtet in St. Barts Music Festival| Comments (0)

The commune of St. Barts has announced its intentions to build a theatrical hall next to the Catholic Church in Gustavia. The original proposal was to use the existing space. However, Bruno Magras, mayor of St. Barts, prefers that the commune purchase the existing room and construct a larger building. Discussions with Monseigneur Cabo, the bishop of the diocese, are currently underway.

Posted on November 15, 2006 12:41 PM| Permanent Link: Theatrical Hall to be Built in Gustavia| Comments (0)

The lottery is alive and well in St Barth. For 10 euros, you can purchase a lottery ticket with multiple chances of winning the big one. Tickets are for sale at Libraire Barnes in St Jean next to the Superette and at two shops in Gustavia, one on the road to the left of Le Select and the other (another Libraire Barnes) one block behind the road along the harbor between Gustavia and La Pointe.

Posted on November 15, 2006 12:39 PM| Permanent Link: 154,000,000 Euros for Sale!| Comments (0)

Saturday, November 11, Armistice Day, the association Rhum et Gingembre hosted a night of festivity on the quay in Gustavia. The local band Les Falcos provided great music for dancing, and a huge, beautiful sailing yacht provided a striking backdrop. Food and drink was available, and quay was full of people dancing and socializing. It just doesn’t get any better!

Posted on November 15, 2006 12:20 PM| Permanent Link: Rhum et Gingembre Host a Night of Music, Food and Drink on the Quai| Comments (0)

The roundabout, or La Tourmente (the circle at the top of the hill in St. Jean), still lacks the sculpture of the Arawak Indian blowing a conch shell – the selection of the design competition that was won by Guillaume Blanchard. The inauguration that was originally planned for August 2006 has been postponed until June 2007 because the metal craftsman in St. Martin who was commissioned to fabricate the sculpture has disappeared! As a result, the project has been reassigned to the Barthélémy Foundry in Crest, La Drome, Provence. The project will take 10 months to complete, after which the sculpture will be transported by boat to St Barts – a voyage of one month. But, at long last, the Arawak will reclaim his rightful position.

Posted on November 15, 2006 12:16 PM| Permanent Link: Sculpture for the Roundabout Delayed| Comments (0)

Subscribers to Condé Nast Traveler magazine have made their choice. Judged on rooms, service, restaurant and location, L’Isle de France on the beach in Flamands was judged the #1 hotel in the Caribbean and #16 worldwide. Quite a coup for the couple who has owned and managed the hotel for only six years! The hotel acknowledges the value of the long-term service of its 85 employees, only seven of which are new. With 70% of their clients returning each year, this stability ensures that their expectations of a high level of service will be met – not to mention the same friendly faces each year!  Four new luxury suites measuring 150 m2 will be added for the next season.

Posted on November 15, 2006 12:13 PM| Permanent Link: Hotel L’Isle de France Voted Best in the Caribbean| Comments (0)

The Guanahani Hotel & Spa is hosting its Ninth Annual Gastronomic Festival from November 1 through December 21. The festival is being hosted in partnership with the Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris and Philippe Marc, the chef of the hotel’s bistro, le Relais Plaza, touted as the most chic bistro in Paris. Chef Philippe Marc has chosen several dishes from the spring and summer menu of le Relais Plaza. Among the offerings will be the Salad Relais Plaza, a risotto with zuchinni, swordfish, sea bass, shrimp, a lamb tagine, grilled beef filet with béarnaise sauce, roasted veal stuffed with vegetables, and a chicken supreme with eggplant parmesan. And, if you still have room for dessert, you can choose among a “verrine” pina colada, an apple “cooked like a tarte tatin”, puff pastry with cinnamon glaze or a tiramisu with raspberries. Dinners from 60 € to 80 € -- airfare included!

Posted on November 15, 2006 12:09 PM| Permanent Link: Ninth Annual Gastronomic Festival – a Little Bit of Paris in Grand Cul de Sac| Comments (0)

Once again, the association Saint B’Art is sponsoring a contest of paintings. This year’s theme is the landscape or faces of St. Barts using the media of your choice. The paintings will be displayed on the quay December 8 and 9, and a jury of 10 will choose the first, second, and third prize winners. The painting that wins first place will be printed on 10,000 pre-stamped envelopes, and the artist will be awarded 1000 €. The second-prize winner will receive 600 €, with 400 € going to the artist who captures third prize. The paintings will be displayed at Porte 34 (previously Baghdad Gallery) from December 29 through Janaury 5, 2007. The exposition will conclude on January 4, 2007 with an auction of the artwork. If you’re planning to be on the island during this time, it’s a great opportunity to purchase paintings by local artists.

Posted on November 15, 2006 12:08 PM| Permanent Link: Association Saint B’Art Sponsors 2006 Art Contest| Comments (0)

Le Bête à Z’Ailes or BAZ (www.bazbar.com), a sushi restaurant and bar located directly on the harbor in Gustavia, hosts bands from the U.S. each year. Typically, each band plays at the restaurant for one month. This is a great place to catch some good music while enjoying a beautiful view of the harbor. The music starts at 9:00 pm and there is no cover charge. Visit the websites (below the fold) for more information and sound clips.

Nov 6 – Dec 9
Darian Cunning Trio
www.dariancunning.com
Nuevo Blues, Rock, Jazz,Trance, Improv – influenced by The Police, Santana, Bob Marley, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Ravel and Tchaikovsky

Dec 11 – Jan 7
Black Snake Quartet
www.blacksnakemusic.com
Soul, Funk, Roots

Jan 8 – Feb 3
KJ Denhert & the New York Unit Quartet
www.kjdenhert.com
Urban Folk & Jazz – Voted in the top 4 of Emerging Showcase. Regular SRO at The 55 Bar in NYC’s West Village.

Feb 5 – Mar 3
Adam Falcon Quartet
www.adamfalcon.com
Alternative jazz, Soul, R&B – Guitarist, singer, songwriter. Mentored by George Benson.

Mar 5 – Mar 31
Evan Goodrow Band Quartet
www.evangoodrow.com
Funked-up Street Jazz & Blues-Tinged Soul – “If James Brown had a white son who cut his teeth playing in Steely Dan along with Prince and Jimi Hendrix, you might get something remotely like Evan Goodrow.

Apr 2 – Apr 30
Johnny Hoy & the Bluefish Trio
www.johnnyhoyandthebluefish.com
Bluesy Dance Music – Live from Martha’s Vineyard

May 2 – May 28
Causeway Duo
www.causewaymusic.net
Pop, Folk, Hip Hop, Rock, R&B – Influenced by Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, James Taylor, The Beatles, Bruce Hornsby, Talking Heads and Etta James.

Posted on November 15, 2006 10:25 AM| Permanent Link: Live Music at Le Bête à Z’Ailes until May 2007| Comments (0)

The next time the weather is stormy and the cold winds are blowing, take a look at a live shot from St Barts from one of the following Web cam sites. At the same time, you can listen to music on one of the local radio stations. Add a piña colada or a ti punch, and you’re almost here. Guaranteed to lift your spirits!

Web Cam & Radio Station Websites:

• http://www.st-barths.com/a_cam/index.html
• http://www.radiostbarth.com


• http://www.sbhonline.com/FlamandsView.htm


• http://www.radiotransat.com


• http://www.sbhonline.com/PetiteAnse.htm


• http://www.sbhonline.com/Lookout.htm


• http://www.sbhonline.com/Chevreaux.htm


• http://www.sbhonline.com/Colombier.htm

We also have a couple of cams listed on our Caribbean Web Cam page.

Posted on November 15, 2006 9:49 AM| Permanent Link: Live from St Barts!| Comments (0)

The Voyager has stopped service to St. Martin due to technical problems. They expect to resume service within the first week of November, predicting November 4 or 5. You can contact The Voyager's office at 05 90 87 10 68 for more information. With the Rapid Explorer still out of service, there remains one (non-chartered or private) boat that travels between Simpson Bay, St Maarten and St Barth - The Edge. For details, visit www.stmaarten-activities.com.

Posted on November 1, 2006 3:55 AM| Permanent Link: The Voyager Temporarily Suspends Service to St. Martin| Comments (0)

Princess Juliana International Airport opened on Wednesday, October 25 with Winair's flight to Saba. The new US $87 million terminal has state-of-the-art facilities for checking-in, handling baggage, screening systems, departure gates with jet bridges and buses to the airplanes, a food court with 12 restaurants, international shopping among 27 boutiques, escalators - a first in St. Maarten - and, last but not least, air-conditioning.

However, as reported in St. Maarten's Daily Herald, the Managing Director of Winair stated that the new airport has more than doubled Winair's cost of operating out of St. Maarten. The check-in counters at the new airport are not designated to a specific airline. Instead, the counters rotate among different airlines depending on the current need. Winair does not agree with how the airlines are being charged for use of this system and the communication lines among the airlines. In addition, some delays may be expected since Winair's personnel are working with a completely new reservation and boarding control system. The airline suggests that passengers arrive 1.5 hours before departure time until their staff is more familiar with the new system.

The old airport is scheduled to be demolished before the end of the year, and already there is talk of selling momentos on e-Bay!

Posted on November 1, 2006 3:47 AM| Permanent Link: New St. Maarten Airport Up and Flying| Comments (0)