Enjoying our 17th vacation in St Martin right now.
We are considering flying from Grand Case to St Bart's tomorrow.
What do I need to know? What are the "must do, must see" things for one day in St Bart's? Does St Bart's have an equal to Paradise Cafe for lunch?
Looking for a place with a killer view that is casual. Should I rent a car or take a taxi? This is all spur of the moment, so I really need advice. Thank you in advance!

The plane ride is half the fun. Try to sit in the first row of passengers. It is right behind the pilot and copilot. On our trip, we did.

try Nikki beach for lunch has a view of Eden rock

Thank you! Can you rent beach chairs at Nikki Beach?
How far is it from the airport?

Definitely rent a car then you can see a lot more and on your own schedule.

Nikki beach is pretty expensive though, huh?

Hmm. I would say La Gloriette in Grand Cul de Sac, but they're closed on Wednesdays. The next two which come to mind are Dõ Brazil on Shell Beach (on the edge of Gustavia) and La Plage at the Tom Beach Hotel on St Jean beach (walking distance from the airport, at the end of the runway). Both are casual.

You can find menus for both at http://www.access-stbarth.com/en/restaurants-st-barts/for-lunch

If you want to go a bit less casual, and you're willing to singe your credit card a bit, then Sand Bar at the Eden Rock Hotel on St Jean has a gorgeous view. Other 5-star hotel choices would be La Case de L'Isle in the Cheval Blanc Ile de France Hotel on Flamands (they also have a beach restaurant, Cabine de L'Isle which is more casual), or the restaurant at Hotel Taïwana next door.

Expect to pay a rental fee if you want to move to a chaise after lunch.

Car vs. taxi - Feeling adventurous? it's an 8-square mile island. How lost can you get? There are rental car booths at the airport. I rent from Gumbs (2nd-3rd booth on the left.) I've also done business with Maurice and Top-Loc.

Want to be shown around? Hire a taxi. You likely won't find taxis queued at the airport, but there's a taxi phone on the wall, and one can be there in 5-10 minutes. A taxi can give you an island tour, drop you at a beachfront restaurant, and pick you up at an agreed time.

A cheap econobox rental will cost less than an island tour and a taxi. A taxi to drop you at a beachfront restaurant and pick you up later (no island tour) will cost less than a rental.

Nikki Beach's menu can also be found at http://www.access-stbarth.com/en/restaurants-st-barts/for-lunch

Nikki Beach is 5 minutes from the airport. If you rent a car, either join the line of cars parked on the eastbound side of the road, or Valet it at Nikki.

I guess not that much more than the others mentioned, but I guess ST. Barths in general is too rich for my blood! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Hi Bahston! We are taking the Scoobidoo to St. Barts for probably our 5th time in December and I am embarrassed to say that I did not know Shell beach is walking distance from Gustavia. Can you tell me about how long a walk? We don't have much time but if possible we would like to go there. Thanks in advance! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Sandbar at Edon Rock looks great. If we do lunch there, where would you recommend we go for beach chairs afterward? We are extremely blessed!
Cost is not a major factor. We want to have the best experience possible.

Also, are board shorts and a tee shirt, bikini and a classy cover up acceptable attire for the Sandbar at Edon Rock?

Carol, there are at least 5 places in Gustavia where you can get the lunch special for €12 - €20, not including drinks - Carpe Diem, Côté Port, La Cantina, Pipiri, and 25 Quarter. There are another 8-10 sprinkled around the island. However, none of them are on the beach, and none of them have a killer view. The special of the day can be found on Facebook on the Menu St Barth page.

Karen and Rick, Shell Beach is a 10-15 minute walk from the ferry terminal. Open the Google Maps page at http://maps.google.com and enter "Shell Beach Gustavia" in the search bar. You'll find Dõ Brazil and Shell Beach 4-5 blocks from the harbor, on the south side of town.

From the ferry terminal, follow along the harbor until you find the giant anchor at the end of the harbor. At the next corner, Sibarth Villa Rentals is in a stone building. Turn left up that street (Rue Victor Hugo), 2nd right (Rue de L'Eglise), left at the end (Rue de la Plage), and straight on to the beach, 2 blocks away.

Freedomfighter, You won't look much different than some of the hotel guests coming off of the beach. Reservations always seem to make things go smoother. You can make a reservation using OpenTable, or call them at +590 590.29.79.99.

The last that I heard, beach chairs were around €30 each. On their FB page, it looks like they're changing many of their chairs over from singles to doubles. I have no idea what they'll charge for the doubles.

Thank you very much for the info! We could't get tix for tomorrow, but got some for Saturday. How long before takeoff should we arrive at Grand Case airport?

I always do a solid hour, but you're legal if you're checked in - not at the airport, but actually checked in - outside of 30 minutes.

Many thanks to Bahston and others who helped us get this figured out!
We had an awesome day. Rented a BMW convertible. Had a blast getting lost, finding our way, exploring, driving like a maniac, etc.. Lunch at Sandbar, chairs & umbrella at Eden Rock beach. An experience we'll never forget! Thanks again! Great memories were made today!

I'm glad that it worked out for you. It sounds like a great day!

Glad it worked out for you!! Any pictures?

Hi Carol,

We are at the Executive Lounge at the airport right now.
Internet was down at our villa and also at Paradise Cafe this morning.
Will try to post some pics after we get home.

TTOL has been such a great tool over the years. Has helped us plan many
fun activities, meals, side trips and even helped us find a local doctor once.
We would have never attempted to pull off a spur of the moment trip to St Bart's without the help of other TTOL members. Thanks to all who make this such a valuable resource!

OK, safe travels home and hope to see some pictures AND a trip report when you get home.

Really slammed at work today, but here are links to a few pics:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/98mj24ooa23go8b/2016-11-05%2013.35.25.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pse9q2ayya6bikm/2016-11-05%2012.35.30.mov?dl=0


https://www.dropbox.com/s/0c79q4iztdei1iu/2016-11-05%2011.43.12.jpg?dl=0


https://www.dropbox.com/s/rz09k0zo3tz0ehe/2016-11-05%2012.40.00.mov?dl=0


https://www.dropbox.com/s/kj1echc19g46bp9/2016-11-05%2009.32.46.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dcu23avt9523ypb/2016-11-05%2009.30.25.jpg?dl=0

thanks for the pics! When you get the chance, can you let us know where the pics are from?

I'll take a shot at identifying the pictures, and freedomfighter can tell me how I did:

#1 - Eden Rock Hotel and it's On The Rocks (follow the the brown railing up the steps) and Sand Bar (white roof) restaurants.
#2 - A short video, panning across Baie St Jean to the Eden Rock Hotel, Sand Bar restaurant, and the beach chaises
#3 - I'm guessing that might be Mrs. Freedomfighter relaxing on a chaise, perusing the Sand Bar menu. I see that the beach staff has already been there to provide cold bottles of Evian.
#4 - A short video taken from the airport fence which now bisects St Jean, panning from the airport around to the Eden Rock Hotel.
#5 - The village of Corossol to the right along the shore, part of Colombier in the center and left (including a villa which I rented back in '99 for the 50th Anniversary of Le Select)
#6 - Ile Fourchue