I hope that your summer is going well, and you are dreaming of your next trip to St. Barth. The island has finally received some much-needed rain and is greening up nicely. Today’s blog is written by our USA office’s very friendly and well-informed Concierge Julia Hurd who has been with St. Barth Properties since 2007. Julia along with Villa Rental and Hotel Specialist Allegra Pawlowski went to St. Barth together with different missions in mind. While Allegra was busy inspecting villas and hotels, Julia was busy visiting all of our partners so that she can enhance your stay while you are vacationing in St. Barth. Julia is also in charge of making restaurant reservations for you before you travel; Allegra needs to try them, too, so they happily dined their way through the trip.

Happy Reading!

Peg

St. Barth Properties Concierge Julia Hurd’s May 2019 Trip Report

Another trip under my belt, and what an amazing trip I had. I traveled with Allegra Pawlowski, one of our St. Barth Villa Specialists, and she makes any trip interesting and fun. We were scheduled to fly—out of Puerto Rico —with Tradewind Aviation and spent our first night in San Juan at the Serafina Beach Hotel. We are pleased to represent the Serafina—a boutique property with a cool vibe— and feel it’s just perfect for a planned pre or post night stay in conjunction with a St. Barth vacation. And it’s a real haven for anyone who has just missed their flight. You can read more about the Serafina in Allegra’s guest blog.

That evening we walked around Old San Juan, which I love, and came upon an amazing tree. It reminded me of the Tree of Life, so I took a photo.

Once I arrived on St. Barth, I exhaled. I knew I was in for a great week.

Our favorite greeter Romain met us at the St. Barth Airport and escorted us to Villa Fleur de Cactus, a stunning 3 bedroom villa in Lurin. We loved it.

On Sunday, our colleague St. Barth Properties’ island concierge Aurélie and her children joined us for a feet-in-the-sand lunch at Lil Rock on St. Jean Beach. New this past season, it’s very popular. I was so happy to meet Aurélie’s children— her daughter Gabriella and son Alexis— and we tried flying a kite on the beach. Such fun!

I love to meet new people, and on this trip, I really enjoyed getting to know Dom from Jet Ski Racing in Gustavia. He was kind enough to offer Aurélie and me an island tour on Jet Skis. What a blast! I was in the rear and going a bit slower than Aurélie and our guide, but I still had a great time. Sorry no photo on that one, I was too busy driving.

Contact me to arrange a great island tour.

The week with Aurélie went by so fast, in addition to Lil’ Rock, we lunched at Santa Fe, Le Toiny Beach Club and Nikki Beach. And, we had a yummy breakfast at the Hotel Manapany. Our dinner at Maya’s was amazing—compliments to the chef—and the service was outstanding. We dined at La Guérite and gave it high marks. Despite a week full of eating fabulous food, I still had to go to fishCorner to have their Lemon Tart, my all-time favorite island dessert. I had been dreaming about it since my last visit a year ago. And it was soooo good.

Often clients will ask me if there is an organic store. Well there certainly is, and I went to visit. It is called La Vie Claire St. Barth and it is located in Anse des Cayes. It is an Organic Store that sells everything from baby and adult items, diapers, all baby foods, nuts, flour, juices, fruit, wide variety of items. All organic products for the family who is looking for more Organic – Very nice!

Later in the week, Allegra and I moved to beautiful Villa K, located in Anse des Cayes. There’s an abundance of outdoor living space and it is lovely to sit there and listen to the sound of the surf.

Aurélie said she arranged a surprise—I had no idea what to expect. We were relaxing at Villa K, when a tall man walked in. He introduced himself as Grégoire and set up two massage tables. He provides sound(s) nature-type sounds like surf and/or “plays” or gongs these different type bowls – usually Tibetan – and brings on deep meditation. He told us to lay on our backs, placed differently shaped bowls on top our bodies and led us through a sound meditation. I closed my eyes and saw the clear blue ocean. I really was in “another place.” Later, Aurelie informed me I woke her up with my snoring. Oh well.

I have to say, if you need to relax, from a stressful life or job, this is something you must try. Contact me to arrange this unique experience.

I also enjoyed an in-villa massage courtesy of Ivana, a skilled a therapist from Venus Institute. Why not plan an in-villa massage on your next St. Barth visit. Please contact me at juliahurd@stbarth.com.

We arranged a staff afternoon catamaran trip with Top Loc on the Wayayai. Captain Renaud took the helm. Lilian, Laura, Aurélie and Allegra and I had a fun time snorkeling and saw gorgeous fish, turtles and stingrays. It was one of the week’s highlights.

I’ve been working with a personal trainer Geoffery—our clients love him— but we had not personally met. I caught up with him at the stadium and talked about the training he offers, cardio, running, hiking, walking and water fitness. He also shared his own dream— to run the Boston Marathon. Geoffrey can meet clients at their villas or anywhere on the island. He makes a great running partner!

Our week ended with a staff dinner at Villa K. The talented Chef XO Christophe did the honors. I adore Christophe and his staff. And the food, as always was beyond delicious.

I must say my island visits are one of my favorite parts of the job. Spending time with our island staff, especially face-to-face time with my “counterpart” Aurélie is special. I consider them all family.

I am already looking forward to my next visit and to finding more adventures and experiences for our clients. A Dream Vacation is waiting!