Anyone been to Eden Rock in St Bart's?

I never go to the Caribbean, and rarely take vacations, so we want to go somewhere very nice, not too expensive (I know that’s subjective), with gorgeous beaches, not too many people, and that’s not too far from NYC. So the Seychelles are right out, sad to say, and forget about Florida. Some friends have been to St Bart’s and loved it, we’re trying to figure out if it’s worth it.

Any recommendations?
Merci!

It’s a great place to unwind and based on your post, Michel, would probably fit the bill.

I would suggest renting a villa over staying at a hotel but - if you want a hotel - the Eden Rock is beautiful and very central in location.

Feel free to PM me for more info or questions. I plan on going there until I am too old or destitute to do so.

es

Evan, thank you for your advice, I might PM you with some more questions.

I would concur, villas are plentiful, private and cheap, and a small rental car gets you everywhere.

Usually we’d rent a villa (when we travel on vacation we rarely stay in hotels), but for this trip we’re being lazy. Very lazy. We booked Eden Rock and are looking forward to it, thanks all!

(any wine stores on the island that are worth exploring?)

Michel, mon ami- It’s St barts! - you can find DRC in the supermarket. No joke - across from the cookie aisle. The Marche U market across from the airport has a wide selection of wines and - should your palate drift to younger vintages - you can find first growths, Petrus, GC Burgs, etc. The high end bottles are kept at temperature. That is our go to stop for poulet roti, pate and an accompanying bottle of wine for lunch - one of a million roses offered or a decent chablis does the trick for us. You can easily walk there from the Eden Rock and pricing is good.

There is a dedicated wine store in Gustavia - the island center -called Le Cellier du Gouverneur. Friendly folks - decent selection.

Don’t forget to eat too - there are some good eats there.

Have a great time - when are you going?

We’re going in mid-May for a week. Thanks so much, good to know there are wines that I can’t afford within arm’s reach…

Seriously, thanks, we’re both food/wine geeks, so this is perfect. Can’t wait!

i concur with renting a villa. Not that I would say that they are cheap. During the summer we have rented 4 bedroom villas with pool and jacuzzi with spectacular views for @$2000 a week.

Given the climate and temp, I tend to drink rose and they are plentiful and cheap.

We just got back and all I can say is WOW. The folks at ER were amazingly warm and friendly, heck everyone on the (gorgeous) island was wonderful. And that landing was INSANE (I have a shot looking out through the windows with the runway at a crazy angle as the pilots nose-dived the plane).

There were plenty of pretty good wine bars/stores, so I was well-stocked (mostly with Champagne, of course). I loved the fact that there was a rack for Jeroboams or BIGGER of Champagne at the Super U main market across from the airport.

I’m also very happy that we were in St Jean and not Gustavia as we wanted to just relax and be quiet and this was perfect.

Thanks everyone for your advice, can’t wait to go back (but this time rent a villa).
Cheers!

Headed to St Barts over the holidays and wondered if you identified any good restaurants with decent wine lists? We are staying in a Villa in Lurin near St Jean and are happy to hear that the gricery store selections are great.