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| C’est laVue! |
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| The Entrance to our Villa |
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| The front of the villa |
This week I thought we’d share our trip to St. Barthelemy, in the French West Indies. This is our 16th trip here in the last 20 years so you can probably tell that we like it here. Make that love it here. And what’s not to love? The tiny little 8 square mile island can only be reached by planes carrying 19 people at most. You fly here from St. Maarten, 10 minutes away and one of the most incredible flights you’ll ever take since the plane makes a terrifying landing: It aims itself between two peaks for a landing strip that ends directly in the water. Scaredy cats need not apply.
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Salines, our favorite beach…hard to choose on an island
with so many beautiful ones. |
The island scarcely changes year to year. Strict building codes mean no structure above 3 stories. There’s no gambling and no golf and basically nothing to do here. Except there are the beaches, beautiful white sands leading to warm turquoise water. Then of course this is a French island so the food is simply magnifique. From the humblest Creole menu to Fine Dining, it’s all here in elaborate profusion. Choosing where to eat is a daily sport. And that’s about the most taxing thing we do all day.
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| Le Petit Dejeuner…Breakfast in Paradise |
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| Dejeuner or Le Lunch….some of it quite healthy! |
I remember reading descriptions of various kinds of vacations. There was the adventure vacation, the learning vacation, the volunteer vacation. And then there was our vacation. This can be described by the following schedule; We get up, we go to the bakery and buy Croissants. We come home to our villa for breakfast then head to the beach. About one clock we come home, we eat a gorgeous lunch of pate, saucissons, jambon, great French peasant bread and a salade I make with haricots verts, shallots and bottled, yes bottled Dijon salad dressing (It’s French, it’s excellent and it’s bottled.) We drink rose and sun ourselves by the pool. At about 4 o’clock we may head out for some retail therapy at some of the best shops anywhere. Or we nap or we read. At about 8:00 we head out to dinner somewhere outdoors where we eat a marvellous dinner. We go home, have anightcap, look at the stars and go to bed. It is best described as kind of like being dead only we keep on eating. It is just what the doctor ordered after this paralyzing winter up North. I’ll post more later. Meanwhile, enjoy the view!
OK this post just depressed me. Actually made my heart sink. I so want to be there.
-Keith
Great pictures, Monte. I think this year will be our 9 year and your day sounds exactly like ours, except we spend some quality time at the bar at Select!
Enjoy.
Keith, we are going to be major moguls with West Indian interests which force us to go to French speaking islands to learn the language. Helen, they're waiting for you at Le Select.
aaaahhh the good life! I remember those French beaches and the fabulous ambience. Have a wonderful, relaxing time. xoxox Kate
LOVE St.B's….but try Saba for a day trip sometime. Very charming, and a mere stone's throw away!
Rich
Rich…."We can see Saba from our porch"….seriously it is that close. All best Monte.
Dead? Eek! Maybe drowsing on the beach and having the loveliest dream…