New Smoking Laws in Effect

On January 1, 2008, the new French smoking laws went into effect on St Barth. It is now forbidden to smoke in any public enclosed place such as restaurants, cafés, hotels, the airport, and nightclubs. If the restaurant has an open-air area (not covered by some type of roof), smoking is allowed. Although I have not seen official documentation to this effect, I have heard that restaurants in violation of the smoking laws will be fined 10,000 €.

La Normandie Undergoes Major Renovations

La Normandie hotel in Lorient is being completely renovated to transform it into a boutique hotel. The hotel is a mere two-minute walk to the beach and the restaurants Le Wok and La Portugal. A two-minute drive takes you to two other restaurants: K’fe Massai and Le Bouchon. In addition, Lorient is home to three grocery stores and a wonderful bakery. The hotel sits in a tranquil garden setting and offers a pool, complimentary Continental breakfast and afternoon wine, and WiFi. Rates are 90-160 € except for December 15-January 5, when they are 200-250 €. The web site http://www.normandiehotelstbarts.com will likely have more information when the hotel opens.

Getting Ready for Carnival

Carnival activities have begun! Every Sunday evening up until February 5, the actual day of Carnival, La Pointe en Mouvement marches through the streets of Gustavia dressed in costumes of a different theme each week. They dance, sing and play tambours and other local percussive instruments. The mini-parade starts at La Pointe in Gustavia at 6:00 pm and finishes in front of the restaurant La Cantina on the harbor (around the corner from Le Select), arriving there around 7:00 pm. As you can see from the photos above, this past Sunday’s theme was “Newspaper.” Themes for the remaining Sundays preceding Carnival are below. On the Monday before Carnival, February 4, there will be the traditional parade in pajamas, and the burning of Vaval, which signifies the official end of Carnival, will take place on Wednesday, February 6 on Shell Beach.

Sunday, January 20 1970s

Sunday, January 27 Black and Gold

Sunday, February 3 Black and Red

Drinking and Driving in St Barth

With the holiday celebrations in full swing, be careful of drinking and driving. The penalties are stiff. Recently, an American citizen was stopped for an alcohol test while driving a rental car. She tested positive with 0.50 mg of alcohol per liter of air exhaled. The penalty? She was asked to pay the fine of 800 euros and to leave the island if she didn’t want to go before a judge. That’s one fast way to ruin your vacation! Under French law, the legal level of alcohol in the blood is 0.5 grams per liter of blood. If you have up to 0.8 grams, you risk a fine of 135 euros. Higher than that level, if there hasn’t been an accident, you must pay a fine immediately. If there has been an accident, you must go before the judge. The sentence for drunk driving can be up to two years in prison and up to 4500 euros in fines. Think before you drink!

La Poste Commemorates the New Collectivity

To commemorate the new Collectivity of St Barth, La Poste designed a pre-stamped envelope with a photo of the Hôtel de la Collectivité and the date of July 15, 2007, which was when St Barth’s new political status became a reality. These commemorative envelopes were presented on August 24, the day of the festival of the patron saint of St Barth. Ten thousand of the pre-stamped envelopes are available for sale at La Poste for 0.90 each. As the first philatelic product of the Collectivity of St Barth, the pre-stamped envelopes could become a collector’s item.

Major Renovation Underway for Hôpital de Bruyn

The Hôpital de Bruyn in Gustavia was built in 1933 and has been long overdue for renovations to bring it up to the standards of a modern hospital befitting the island. Work began on Monday, September 24, with the total cost estimated at 3.5 million euros, and is expected to take 18 months. A new section measuring 500 m2 and consisting of two stories will house an area for local procedures and a pharmacy on the first floor. The second floor will have ten beds for medical patients and seven beds for caring for people on a longer term basis. The original part of the hospital will have space for various activities, such as preparation for childbirth, along with rooms for the personal items of the staff, the administrative offices and a room for get-togethers. The section currently used for emergencies and consultations will remain unchanged.

The Arawak Has Arrived

The bronze statue of the Arawak was erected on August 20 at La Tourmente, the circle at the top of the hill in St Jean that leads to Gustavia, Colombier or Flamands. In 2004, St Barth invited all residents to submit ideas for some type of artwork to grace this spot. In June, 2005, the winner was selected from among 53 submissions. And the winner was a 1.7-meter bronze sculpture of an Arawak Indian, the original inhabitants of St Barth. At the base of the sculpture are an iguana and a pelican – two symbols of the island. The Arawak holds a spear in his right hand and is blowing a conch shell with his left hand. A popular St Barth forum is having a “Name the Arawak” contest, and one suggestion is an Arawak word: "kas-se-qua" meaning “Chief of the Hill or Tribe.” What could be more perfect?