A paddling getaway in St Barth..

Living in Saint-Martin has many assets to offer. And one of them is that we have Islands closed by to travel to in no time, either for a day trip or for the week end. An Island Hoping paradise for everybody: the locals and the visitors!

Anguilla is the British Island located at the North of Saint-Martin, less than 4 miles away. It is famous for its beautiful beaches and its crystal clear water. This is the perfect Island for a relaxing getaway (beach, snorkeling, water activities…) since besides the magnificent coast, there is not much to do over there.

Saba is located at the South West of Sint-Marteen and belongs to the Dutch. It is actually the highest land of Netherland! The landscape is the opposite from Anguilla’s (which is absolutely flat) and the particularity of this island is… It is a beachless Caribbean Island. How incredible, right? But no worries, you still have a lot to do over there, mostly sportive activities! Basically, Saba is well known for its beautiful hikes in the mountain with thousands of different plants & amazing deep dives with colorful reefs. This is a great alternative from the “beach style” vacations that most of the Caribbean Islands usually offer.

And the last, but not the least: Saint-Barth . We are sure that you have already heard of it, isn’t it? ☺ Saint-Barth is located at the west of Saint-Martin, and is accessible either by ferry (30 minutes of ferry ride), by charter plane (12 minutes of flight), with a helicopter (10 minutes of flight) or by private boat. This island is a pure gem! Famous to be the destination for the famous and rich people, this French island has everything to satisfy everybody’s tastes (but still pricey)! Hilly landscapes with amazing point of views of the deep blue & turquoise Caribbean sea, white sand beaches, great shopping (!!), 5 stars resorts or charming casual ones, gastronomic restaurants, hikes on the wild side, natural pools… And of course, all the water activities you can think of!

This week end, we have decided that after this very busy season in Saint-Martin, we had well deserved a little getaway on our favorite sister island! We were lucky enough to stay at one of their most beautiful resort – Le Barthelemy – located on Grand Cul de Sac bay, where the turquoise and crystal clear lagoon is simply perfect for paddling and kite surfing. Good for us!

We took the ferry on Friday morning, and at 11:00am we were all settled in our beautiful room, overlooking the infinity pool… Ending up on the lagoon. Not too bad :) After sipping our welcome fresh fruit cocktail to shake our energy, we took our batting suits, put on some Sun Bum sunscreen, took our Crazy Fly kite equipment and went straight to the hotel watersport “ 7eme Ciel ”. There, we met the owner, Enguerrand , who gave us all the recommendations to enjoy our session to the fullest… which we did, even though the wind dropped at some point. But we still got to ride on this turquoise lagoon, with our dear sea turtles, and while short, this session was priceless. Why?

• First, because it was different from what we know, and change is always good.
• Second, because we were in vacations, and holidays give a better taste to everything.
• Third, because we were on a Paradise spot, so there was nothing much we could complain about.
• Fourth, because we were surrounded by friendly people, which directly turns a moment into a special one.
• And finally, because since the wind completely dropped, we had a full week end of SUPing ahead of us! And nothing can please us more than that! ☺

So after a good lunch on the beach, we went venturing around with our convertible Mini Cooper under the Caribbean sun. And that is actually what we did during the whole week end, mixing off property excursions (hiking, driving, swimming, beaching, "cocktailing", lunching, dining…) with on property activities: paddle boarding on the bay thanks to the watersport’s Sroka gear (that we are planning to purchase at Caribbean Paddling, by the way ☺), enjoying the hotel’s pool & beach, and so much more…

In other words, we had the best time ever in Saint-Barth! We are so grateful for all we got to do and for all the welcoming people we’ve met during this 3 days getaway… And most of all, we can wait to go back there to paddle & kite some more!

More pictures here.