Carnaval 2008!

Although this year’s Carnaval was a bit calmer than those of previous years, the streets were still filled with people eagerly awaiting to see what surprises would be revealed. The first group to arrive were the horses and riders from the Ranch of Flamands. This year, 11 groups paraded through the streets of Gustavia, including Rhum et Gingembre, Les Cassiopées presenting champagne, Saint Barth Allegria, Portugal, Disco Party, Perd Pas Le Nord, Funstown, SBJAM “La Pointe en Mouvement” and The Hideaway, performing as The Gipsy Kings and belting out a strong performance of Volare with full participation by the crowd. Pre-Carnaval festivities have taken place every Sunday evening for the past month, culminating in Children’s Carnaval on Friday, February 1, as groups of children paraded through Gustavia accompanied by a marching tambour band and “floats” playing music. The official end of Carnaval came on Wednesday night, February 6, as the funeral procession carrying Vaval throughout Gustavia made its way to Shell Beach, where the burning of Vaval marks the end of Carnaval.

Le Repaire

Le Repaire, directly across the street from the harbor in Gustavia, serves French and Creole cuisine. An open-air restaurant with ceiling fans and tropical plants, Le Repaire is a delightful place to have a relaxing meal and watch the activity on the street. A pool table is available in a room adjoining the dining area. The restaurant is pen daily from 7:00 am to 10:30 pm. Major credit cards accepted. To view a sampling of their menu, go to http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/st-barts/2006/05/la-repaire-restaurant-st-barths.html#more. You can call them at 590 590 27 72 48.

Preliminary Census Results Are In

According to the INSEE (the French Institute for Economic Statistics), the population of St Barth as of January 1, 2007 was 8450 residents. This figure represents a 23.28% increase, or 1596 new residents, since the last census of 1999. This is an average increase of 2.7% per year. The official results of the census, which was taken in January and February, will be released by the end of the year. With the new Collectivity status of the island in effect, the census will now be taken every five years; thus, the next census will take place in 2012.

Carnival 2008

Tuesday, February 5, is Carnival and you can be sure that the participating groups are working on final adjustments to their costumes and their choreography. All the fun starts at 3:00 pm, with the groups departing from Public. Below is this year’s schedule of appearance.

Le Ranch
SBJAM “La Pointe in Mouvement
Funstown
ASCO / ASP “Cho Douvant”
The Hideaway (Chez Andy)
Rhum et Gingembre
Portugal
Saint Barth Allegria
Disco Party
Cassiopees
Perd Pas Le Nord

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