Budget St.Barths

Although I had hoped to travel with a few friends, my latest trip back to the French West Indies was destined to be a solo one. While it would have been more affordable…and fun…for the three of us to travel together, there was no way I was going to cancel my plans to get away, especially given the recent drama in my career.

I decided to again visit my favourite island in the Caribbean, St.Martin, and used two of my favourite online resources Homeaway and VRBO to locate the perfect apartment for my stay on Orient Beach. But, sadly, my perfect apartment was not available for my entire 14 night stay so I decided to consider a visit to nearby St.Barths for the remaining 3 nights that I still needed accommodations for.

I’m sure most of you think the words “budget” and “St.Barths” don’t really belong in the same sentence, unless the word “unlimited” is included.  But, surprisingly, St.Barths is way more affordable than one might suspect. I am always motivated to find a good travel deal so with lots of research on blogs, Tripadvisor and travel web-sites, I managed to find some bargains I am so happy to share. St.Barths is an exceptionally beautiful place and people shouldn’t be so daunted by its pricey reputation; especially when so many Canadians travel to nearby St.Martin, which is only 15 minutes away by air.

I started this trip with a reasonably priced, direct flight to Princess Julianna International airport on the Dutch side of St.Maarten. I arrived too late to catch a flight to St.Barts (the last flight leaves around 5:30 pm) that night so I spent the night in the French capital of Marigot at an inexpensive hotel overlooking the pretty marina. The following morning I caught a taxi to the small L’Aeroport Esperance on the French side for my short flight to St.Barths. I had carefully packed to ensure my bag was well within the set limits for traveling on a small aircraft – no more than 20 kg per person to be checked and no more than 10 kg carry-on. Trust me - this was very difficult for a two week trip and for someone who really, really likes her shoes. The check-in was simple and as it turned out, I was only one of 2 people on my flight. The flight wasn’t exactly cheap (at $190 US return) when compared to taking a Ferry from Marigot ($100 US) but I really wanted to experience an inter-island flight and see St.Barths from the sky. The flight was beautiful and short at only 15 minutes. The descent into St.Barths did make me feel a little nervous because I am afraid of heights but I am definitely glad I did it. I would not, however, recommend it to people who don’t like to fly.

I was greeted at the airport by the lovely Olivier, my representative from Welcome Car Rental who transported me to my hotel so we could take care of my rental car agreement. While I hadn’t planned on renting a car, my hotel recommended Welcome and I was so glad they did. As cabs are few and expensive on this small island, it would have cost me €20 Euros each way to / from the airport. Instead, I paid €25 Euros per day to have a car at my disposal to discover all of the beautiful beaches on the small island. No deposit. No strings. Just €75 (approximately $110 CN) paid upon return – a fantastic deal! My car, a small SUV, had 4-Wheel-Drive, which is necessary with all of the mountain roads and a pre-programmed GPS system to help me easily and safely travel throughout the island. I will say the roads are a bit daunting – mountain roads with steep inclines and descents, fast, impatient French drivers, scooters and lots of construction – but after my first drive around the island I felt very comfortable finding my way. You can contact Welcome through their web-site here.

My hotel – Normandie Hotel - was also perfectly lovely! Not only because it was extremely stylish, affordable and cleaner than any hotel I have ever stayed in – but because the staff of the hotel was so personable, helpful and nice. Eula, Melane and owner, Wendy, made me feel like I was visiting with friends rather than staying in a hotel. While I was given plenty of space to do my own thing – they were always available to recommend a good beach or restaurant. My rate per night – a measly €105 (approximately $160 CN) – included accommodations in a renovated room beside the pool complete with satellite TV, wireless internet and a cool, modern bathroom. It also included a fantastic breakfast (coffee, juice, croissant and baguette) which can be taken beside the pool or inside the lobby area. And, at 5 pm the ladies offer you a nice glass of wine. A hotel with free wine – does it get any better?  Yes. It does. The hotel is a short (1 minute walk) to a fantastic beach (L’Orient) and some markets where you can purchase wine, cheese, baguette etc. I kept my trip affordable by eating from the markets, where they will happily make you a sandwich for €3 and picking up snacks for a picnic at the beach.

I did venture out for dinner in the pretty capital of Gustavia with Wendy, the owner of the hotel. We visited Harbour, a restaurant along the pretty marina and I had a nice glass of rose, a Thai style beef salad and finished it with some amazing coconut ice-cream.

I was actually quite sad to leave St.Barths. I had met some really nice people and felt like I was just getting my bearings for the island. It is a really beautiful place – there is a reason fancy people love it. But now that I know I can visit without breaking the bank, I will have to come back more often.