Not only is St. Barth Properties expected to know intimate details about our villas and hotels through firsthand experience, we need to have all the inside info on what our guests can do while vacationing on St. Barth.
From Day One in 1989 when I created my company I have written my “Helpful Hints” which contains lots of information and is sent to our confirmed guests before they travel to the island. Today the Helpful Hints is an 8 page document which many refer to as their “bible”. In addition, when our guests arrive at the airport, they receive an SBP Welcome Packet that contains, among other things, our “Helpful Hints Plus” detailing information about what is available for them to do once they are actually on St.Barth.
So, Connie and I took the day off from inspecting villas and hotels (twist my arm) so that we could experience a day trip to Pinel Island which is a tiny islet located off of the French side of St. Martin. Pinel has a nice beach and a great waterfront restaurant. The island is only open during the day and can only be reached by boat. There are catamarans and power boats that make the trip from St. Barth either via private charter for the entire boat or via scheduled day trips with a per person price.
Pinel Island
On this particular day, our office chose to go to Pinel on the beautiful very luxurious Bosco Yacht which is a 53 foot Sunseeker. Magda, Nadine, Benoit, Anne, Connie and I were the lucky ones because we were able to go. Other staff remained at the office to assist our clients and Pascale Minarro our St. Barth Properties Sotheby’s International Realty agent was in the midst of presenting an offer to a villa owner, so she also stayed behind. (It was accepted!)
Bosco Yacht as seen from Pinel Island
Nadine, Peg, Magda, Connie, Benoit and Anne
Skipper Olivier and First Mate Kiki took our shoes, stored our gear and off we went. The water was like a lake that day and we had plenty of time to stop at Tintemarrre, another deserted islet where people can take their boat to enjoy the beach and snorkeling nearby. We all jumped in the crystal clear water and enjoyed a nice swim up to the beach and back to the boat where Kiki and Olivier were waiting for us. They poured us a chilled glass of Champagne which was a nice treat. I had brought some nice French cheeses and they turned out to be the perfect accompaniment.
Nadine, Connie and Peg - Off We Go!
Skipper Olivier, Peg and First Mate Kiki
Tintemarre Island
Here I am taking a swim at Tintemarre Island
Time for lunch! We motored to Pinel Island and Olivier set the anchor. Rather than swim to the island, we opted to take advantage of the service offered by Le Karabuni Restaurant. Our server came out to the boat in a dinghy and took us to the dock. We had a great round table with a palm frond umbrella waiting for us and it was situated right next to the water. We learned that Le Karabuni is famous for its Frozen Mojito’s and lunch-sized fresh lobster. Bring it on!
SBP's On-Island Concierge Magda arrives on Pinel
Connie, Peg, Magda, Anne and Benoit enjoying lunch at Pinel Island
We spent a wonderful afternoon and then headed back to St. Barth. I highly recommend that you plan a day trip to Pinel. You will love it. Bosco Yacht is also available for private day charters to other nearby islands such as Anguilla as well as private boat transfers to/from Juliana Airport in St. Maarten. For more information, contact concierge@stbarth.com.
