Starting February 13, the Toiny's restaurant Le Gaïac in Grand Fond is offering a Creole dinner every Friday night for 45 euros/person. The dinner includes an appetizer buffet featuring such Creole favorites as codfish salad with avocado, stuffed crab, Creole (boudin) sausages, stuffed christophone, a ceviche of mahi-mahi and several other goodies. The main course is a choice among a fricassee of conch and Creole rice, tuna in tomato sauce with a sweet potato gratin, a papllote with codfish and mango, pork Colombo (similar to a curry) or Creole chicken. To finish your meal, head for the dessert buffet with choices such as a coconut, banana or mango tart, a gratin of papaya and crème caramel. Then top it all of with a choice of dessert rums and a nice relaxing soak in the pool next to the restaurant.

Posted on February 27, 2009 5:08 AM| Permanent Link: Creole Night at Le Gaïac| Comments (0)

To get to St Barth, you have to first fly to St Maarten. While the new airport is definitely more comfortable than the previous one, your layover can be even more enjoyable when spent in the recently upgraded Soualiga Lounge, Julianna's business lounge. Members can watch TV, read selected newspapers and magazines, and enjoy wine, coffee, tea and other non-alcoholic beverages and light snacks. The upgrade also includes WiFi access throughout the lounge. And, to promote the newly upgraded lounge, the airport is offering a special on membership fees. Individual memberships are being offered at $200/year, rather than $225. Don't know if it's true at the new lounge, but in the old airport, you could pay $20 for one day's access. Just ask at the reception desk.

Posted on February 26, 2009 5:05 AM| Permanent Link: Passing the Time at Julianna International Airport in St Maarten| Comments (0)

February 24, 2009
CARNIVAL!

March 26-29, 2009
St Barth Bucket

April 25-30, 2009
14th Annual St Barth Film Festival

May 9-13, 2009
9th Edition of the Figaro Transat AG2R

May 29-31, 2009
Chess Championship, Guanahani & Spa (more details to come)

Posted on February 25, 2009 6:02 AM| Permanent Link: On the Horizon| Comments (0)

Nathalie Esperabe, a 15-year resident of the island, has just published a 200-page book of photographs of St Barth titled "St Barth & Its Wonders: A Tour of the Island." The book includes photographs by some of the best photographers on the island as well as watercolors by Raphaelle Hayot and poetic excerpts by the author. The book is available for 29 euros at La Case aux Livres, Pati de St Barth, the bookshop in the Oasis shopping center in Lorient, Barnes bookstores, the Linde Gallery, Match grocery store in St Jean, the tourist office, and several hotels and boutiques.

Posted on February 25, 2009 5:44 AM| Permanent Link: New Photo Album Book on St Barth| Comments (0)

Need a little motivation to exercise? L'Hôtel Carl Gustaf recently added a new Spa and Fitness center and is now offering monthly memberships for one to three months from 175 euros/month. Membership includes unlimited access to the fitness center and their Espace Hydro (Jacuzzi, pool and showers with essential oils), skin-care products by Carita and Decleor, exclusive offers at the Carl Gustaf Lounge and the Victoria's restaurant, and a welcome gift. For details, send an email to spa@hotelcarlgustaf.com or call 05 90 29 70 00.

Posted on February 25, 2009 4:48 AM| Permanent Link: L'Hôtel Carl Gustaf Offers Spa and Fitness Center Memberships| Comments (0)

Lone Fox, a classic 65-foot sailboat that is moored year round in St Barth and captained by Ira Epstein, won the fourth edition of the Sint Maarten-Saint Martin Classic Yacht Regatta for the second consecutive year. The three-day race began on Friday, January 23 from Great Bay on the Dutch side and finished with an awards ceremony at the Green House in Philipsburg. The Lone Fox is offering half-day, full-day or champagne sunset cruises leaving from Gustavia. For more information, call 06 90 332 685 or 06 90 332 791, visit info@lonefoxcharters.com.

Posted on February 24, 2009 5:45 AM| Permanent Link: Lone Fox Wins for Second Consecutive Year| Comments (0)

Two brothers have recently created two new radio stations: Tropik FM at 97.5 and Sun FM Music at 106.9. Romy Magras of Tropik FM was a radio announcer for Radio Saint-Barth for 10 years, and his brother, Rodolphe Magras of Sun FM Music, was a former president of Radio Saint-Barth. Tropik FM will be playing strictly tropical music: zouk, reggae, Latin music, African music, soca and compas, which is music from Haiti. Visit www.tropicfm.com and you can listen to the music over the Internet. Sun FM Music's program will present a variety of international music

Posted on February 20, 2009 5:43 AM| Permanent Link: St Barth is Home to Two New Radio Stations| Comments (1)

Hot Spot Cafe in Lurin is hosting Salsa Nights on Thursday nights beginning at 9:00 pm with DJ Nando. Beginner-level salsa lessons are given, and there is no cover charge.

The Rotary Club is having a "garage" sale on February 28, 2009 in the parking lot behind Match in St Jean from 8:30 am until 2:00 pm. These are always fun to go to and you can often find some good deals. Be sure to check it out and support the Rotary Club.

KJ Denhert and the NY Unit will be at Le Bete a Z'ailes (BAZ) on the harbor in Gustavia until February 9.

Caribbean Travel & Life magazine is sponsoring a contest to win a free trip to St Maarten, just a hop, skip and a jump from St Barth! Go to their website to enter and try your luck.

Posted on February 4, 2009 6:00 AM| Permanent Link: Bits and Pieces| Comments (0)

The Tom Beach Hotel, which sits right on beautiful St Jean Bay in St Jean, has a few special offers during February.

Valentine's Day
If you stay for four nights or more, you'll receive a free bottle of champagne.

Carnival
For a stay of 8 days/7 nights between February 21 and February 28, the night of Carnival (February 24) will be free.

You can contact them at tombeach@wanadoo.fr or by calling 590 590 27 53 13.

Posted on February 3, 2009 5:38 AM| Permanent Link: Tom Beach Hotel Offers Special Packages| Comments (0)

Carnival takes places on February 24 this year. Celebrations to set the mood and build the anticipation began on January 25, sponsored and carried out by the group La Pointe en Mouvement. Every Sunday evening through February 22, members of La Pointe en Mouvement will march through the streets of Gustavia dressed in costumes of a different theme each week. They dance, sing and play tambours and other local percussive instruments. The mini-parades start at La Pointe in Gustavia around 6:00 pm and finish at around 7:00 pm in front of the restaurant La Cantina on the harbor (around the corner from Le Select). The group usually stays in front of La Cantina playing, singing and dancing for another hour or more. And, the crowd joins right in! On Friday, The Children's Parade will take place in the afternoon of Friday, February 20. On the Monday before Carnival, February 23, the traditional parade with participants dressed in pajamas will occur. And, finally, on Wednesday, February 25, the official end of Carnival will be celebrated with a parade in which Vaval is carried through Gustavia and burned on Shell Beach. The themes for the remaining mini-parades are below.

February 1
In Time of the Revolution (White costumes with red bandanas)

February 8
Pirates

February 15
Banana leaves and foliage

February 22
The 70s

February 23
Pajamas

Posted on February 2, 2009 7:45 AM| Permanent Link: Pre-Carnival Celebrations Are Underway| Comments (0)

From February 6 through February 12, Mitchell Summer is exhibiting his oil paintings at Porta 34 in Gustavia. Summer hails from Pittsburgh but spent many years living in the Caribbean and studied the techniques of oil painting and glazing with Tom Saint Vincent di Coio in St Thomas for several years. Summer's paintings illustrate the colors and the effect of light and water that he has experienced during his many years in the Caribbean. He currently has a studio in Miami Beach and lives and works in St Barth part of each year.

Dave Stevenson will be displaying his sculpture and jewelry at the jewelry shop Les Artisans in Gustavia as of Friday, January 30. One of his sculptures, "Crush," pictured here, is 33" tall and weighs 50 pounds.

Through February 15, the TomBeach Art Studio at the Tom Beach Hotel in St Jean is hosting two photography exhibits. "Picasso X-Ray" is a collection of photographs by Xavier Lucchesi (at left) in which he used photographic x-ray techniques. The second exhibit are photos by Marco Glaviano.

Through April 5, Delia Brown displays her latest work "Guerrilla Villa" at the Eden Roc Gallery.

Posted on February 2, 2009 5:50 AM| Permanent Link: Art Exhibits Around the Island| Comments (0)

The Restaurant Association of Saint Barthelemy has come up with the idea of vouchers as an alternate way to pay for meals. As of Monday, January 29, 27 restaurants are accepting the vouchers, or "restaurant invitations" as they are being called. We would more normally think of them as gift cards. Each voucher is good for 20 euros. The idea grew out of needs expressed by businesses and organizers of cultural events as a way to prepay meals or reward those working for them. Participating restaurants have a sticker on their door stating that they accept the cards and include La Route des Boucaniers, La Marine, Do Brazil, Le Repaire and the Wall House. For a complete list, visit www.RestaurantsDeStBarth.com. You can purchase the vouchers in three ways:

- Write to ARSB, BP 1115, St. Jean, 97097 St. Barthelemy requesting how many you would like. They only sell them by a booklet of 10. Include your address and a check.

- Purchase them at any participating restaurant.

- Visit the Tourist Office in Gustavia, Quai de la Republique. Here, you can purchase a booklet of 10 gift cards or individual gift cards.

What a nice gift to give to visiting friends or family!

Posted on February 2, 2009 5:37 AM| Permanent Link: Restaurant Vouchers Available!| Comments (0)