Travel Dates: February 2023
Getting there:
We took a day trip to St. Barts from St. Maarten (Philisburg town) via ferry, and booked our tickets in advance at www.stmartinbookings.com. We parked our car at Bobby’s Marina for $2/hour and then checked in at Great Bay Express (be sure to bring your passport). It’s a decent sized ferry that can fit up to 150 passengers, but the ride was extremely rocky to the extent where anyone sitting outside got soaked. The ride is supposed to be 40 – 45 minutes, but because the waves were so bad, we got there in an hour.
If you get seasick, definitely take Dramamine or medication because you’re going to feel like you’re on a roller coaster. And if you don’t usually get seasick, be prepared you might be. Coming back from St. Barts, however, wasn’t as bad and was much more manageable.
We took the last ferry at 6:45pm from St. Barts and it was completely packed. I recommend going earlier to check in first, then walking around the area (there are cafes, restaurants, and shops near the terminal). We started waiting by the departure gate around 5:45pm and by 6pm, it was getting packed. There is no line and people congregate in the area, so expect to be shoved once the gate opens.
Food:
Gyp Sea – Nice beach club/restaurant & bar, but do not follow Google Maps as the direction is incorrect. Instead, put “Garage Autonet” (D209, SAINT BARTHELEMY 97133, St. Barthélemy) as the destination and when driving towards it, you’ll see a sign right next to the garage that says Gyp Sea. Turn left onto the dirt road and drive all the way down and you’ll see another small sign that says Gyp Sea parking on the right; follow the sign and drive down the road until you see valet parking, which is $15 (most beach clubs/restaurants in St. Barts only have valet parking).
We ordered the seafood pasta for two and it was delicious, but a bit pricey at $90, and washed it down with beer and Mai Tai (the cocktail was good and strong). Gyp Sea also provides lounge chairs, umbrellas, and towels if you want to spend time at the beach club section instead (though you’ll most likely have to order drinks or food).
Activities:
Grand Fond Natural Pool is our highlight of St. Barts, and worth the mini hike (it’s ~22 minutes one way non-stop). If you put “Piscines Naturelles Grand Fond” into Google Maps, keep driving on the road (D211) until just before it turns left and curves along the Anse de Grand Fond. At that corner where it turns left, there’s a very small parking area that can fit three cars and a motorbike. We came a bit after 9am and were lucky to get the last spot, and saw people after us park on the side of the road nearby.
There is a sign for “Piscines Naturelles” to the left of where we parked, and that is where we started our hike. The path leads to the beach, and the trail to the natural pool can be spotted at the end of the beach, all the way towards the right . From there, you’ll begin your climb up along the hill. There is a faint layout of a path to follow which hugs the coast the entire way, although some parts require a bit of a rock scramble.
About halfway into your hike, you’ll see a boulder with a bench where you can take a break and get some shade (the entire hike does not have any shade). Keep following the faint path and be careful not to get too close to the edge because loose rocks can make it easy to slip, and you don’t want to fall off the cliff.
Eventually you’ll see a very step path that gets you down to the natural pools. While climbing down, you’ll probably need to hold on to the rocks/ground (make sure you wear sneakers on this hike). Once at the bottom, the natural pools will be on the left.
I’d highly recommend wearing water shoes in the pool because it’s very rocky, and people have said there are sea urchins there (which you definitely don’t want to step on).
We encountered two rain storms during the hike and had to make temporary “shelters” with an umbrella. The weather can be unpredictable and we recommend packing a foldable umbrella just in case you get hit by a summer storm. Despite the rain, we felt fine completing most of the trail, though climbing down hill to get to the pool was a bit slippery due to wet mud.
Petite Cul-de-Sac & Natural Pool is a beach that leads to a very secluded natural pool. It’s even harder to get to this natural pool because there’s no clear path, and part of the route is around/through private property.
The google maps direction for “Petite Cul-de-Sac” was confusing because it led us uphill through private properties. Instead, we followed the directions for “Petit Étang” and found the parking lot for Petite Cul-de-Sac a bit past Petit Étang.
After exiting the parking lot, head towards the end of the beach to the right. You’ll see private properties along the coast, but the path requires you to scale the rocky inclines along the coast. Continue on the path until you see a bunch of white “Private Property” signs (~15 – 20 minutes in) on the right side on the hill. You will then climb up the hill and over to the other side. The nature pool is to the bottom left once you get to the top of the hill. Again, there’s no clear path and when we went, the tides and waves were very rough and it didn’t look safe for us to venture onwards so we turned back.
I’d definitely recommend the Grand Fond Natural Pool because the hike is easier and not at sketchy.
Shell Beach is a small beach about a 10 minute walk from the ferry terminal. If you’re not renting a car in St. Barts, you can spend your day here and enjoy the beach; there’s also a restaurant there. One thing to be mindful of is the beach is covered with small seashells, so water shoes will be helpful.
Miscellaneous:
After you get off the ferry and go through Passport Control, there are taxis on the left–though I believe we got scammed. The driver charged us $40 for a 5 minute ride from the ferry terminal to the airport to pick up our rental car. Luckily, Hertz was willing to drop us off back at the ferry terminal after we returned the car.
The roads are very steep and hilly in St. Barts so if you get a car, get an automatic unless you’re comfortable with driving a manual.
Euro is the main currency in St. Barts, but USD and credit cards are also accepted. Be prepared that food, drinks and services will be pricey on this island, (no) thanks to the rich and famous. It all makes sense when you see the huge congregation of yachts surrounding the island.
Globe Trotter 