Shop and then go to the beach or vice versa?

[C-breeze]

My daughter and I would like to shop in Gustavia, but we would also like to go to St. Jean Beach. Our ship stops in Gustavia at 10 a.m. and departs at 7. I have read that the shops close from noon to 3. Which do you recommend we do first and is it far from Gustavia to St. Jean by taxi?

[sbgoddess]

You can walk around Gustavia and shop for about an hour. Then take a taxi to St Jean beach. Have lunch at one of the beachside cafes (La Plage is very nice and one of the most reasonably priced) and enjoy the beach in the afternoon. Go back to Gustavia around 5pm to grab a drink and head back to your ship.

 

Taxis are expensive. 60 Euros round trip to Saint Jean beach from Gustavia. It's probably about a mile in distance, but you can't walk because it's a narrow twisty road over a steep hill with no sidewalks. Expect to pay close to 100 Euros per person for lunch including a bit of wine. If you stick to main course only and no wine, you can probably get by for less than half that. Also if you are visiting in low season, you may be able to use the beach chairs for free. Otherwise 20-30 euros per person depending on how busy it is.

 

If you want to cut costs, go to the supermarket across from the airport, and buy bread and cheese there. It's very close to Saint Jean beach.

[C-breeze]

Thank you sbgoddess. That sounds like a plan.

 

How far is Gustavia from the ship's port? Is it walkable or do you need to take a taxi?

 

Are saying that lunch will be close to $125 per person?? We don't usually eat a big lunch as the ship's buffet breakfast is filling. We might have a few appetizers or sandwiches though. I assume there are places to eat that type of fare.

Edited August 3, 2014 by C-breeze

[sbgoddess]

"how far is Gustavia from the ship's port?"

 

Cruise ships are too big to enter the small harbor in Saint Barth. They anchor outside and you tender into the Gustavia harbor. So you are right there in the middle of Gustavia town when you get off the tender. In fact, you are right by the parking lot that most locals use when they go into town. You can walk anywhere.

 

"Are you saying that lunch will be close to $125 per person?"

 

Saint Barth is an expensive island. In Saint Jean, you have the choice to eat at the beachside cafes (feet in the sand), or in a few snack bars on the other side of the road away from the beach.

 

Beach Side Cafes. There are three main ones: La Plage (Tom Beach Hotel). Sand Bar (Eden Rock Hotel) and Nikki Beach Restaurant. Prices at these vary according to season but count ~20-25 Euro for one appetizer, 30-40 Euros for a main course, 10-15 euros for a glass of wine, 10 euros for a bottle of water, plus tip. So you can get up pretty quickly to 100 euros per person. These places are where you go if you want to see the elegance that people talk about when they talk about Saint Barth. Unfortuantely, it does not come cheap. Yes of course you can order an appetizer and a glass of wine each, and it will be more like 40 - 50 Euros pp. Note again that these are world famous places. The Eden Rock restaurant is run by Jean Georges Vongerichten, who also owns on of the best and most expensive restaurants in New York City. This is where the movie stars come to eat. Nikki beach is world famous, and the mega rich come by mega yacht from the south of france, from Russia, and from the arabian peninsula to eat (and mostly drink) there. The typical lunch at those places is a 2-3 hour affair with fantastic food, a lot of wine, superb people watching, and big holes in your pocket. Nikki Beach famously charged 45-50-55K euros for a table at their new year's party last year. Yes, you read correctly. 60 to 80 thousand dollars for you and your best 9 friends to enjoy a dinner and fireworks. Champagne included. And Beyonce signing just for you and the other guests. As it does every year, it sold out.

 

The alternative to this is to eat in the snack bar or lower end restaurants that are tucked away from the beach, across the main road that runs parallel to the beach. You have a few: Kiki e mo, le Piment, and Andy's Hideaway which are close to Nikki Beach and Eden Rock. You also have one in the shopping center across the street from the airport,but the name escapes me. That one is closer to tom Beach. Prices in those establishments will be lower as you don't pay for location and experience. Count 12-15 euros for an appetizer, 20 euros pp for a main course. 6-8 euros for a glass of wine, at Andy's or le Piment. Kiki e mo and the one at the airports are really sandwich and salad shops, so probably your cheapest options.

 

I do encourage you to go to Saint Barth. It is a magical place. But it is also an expensive place.

Edited August 8, 2014 by sbgoddess