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The Civilized Explorer

                       - You've had vacations before -
                        - now it's time to explore! -

St. Barth in 1997

Lodging at Reasonable Prices

We have visited four reasonably priced lodgings in Lorient. We spent two weeks in one of them, so we will discuss it first. The Internet has not hit the French West Indies in a big way, and St. Barth is a very small way station in this world. Although there are a few locations with email addresses, connections are not as reliable as on the continents. We did our research for price and availability by fax. We live in California, and during the winter season we are four hours behind St. Barth. We would fax our queries at night and ask for a response before noon St. Barth time. All the places we faxed then had our answers to us before we were off to work the next day. Based on the information we received, we chose Les Ilets Fleuris. We discuss why on that page. We have provided separate pages because we have photographs on each, and the download times get unmanageable with the large file sizes being ganged up on one page. We also visited Le Manoir and Les Mouettes. We liked both of these places. Les Mouettes is right on the beach and consists of brightly colored bungalows -- an ideal place for beach lovers. La Manoir is off the beach, but within walking distance. Its bungalows are in the style of 17th Century French farm houses; it is quaint and attractive. We also visited Normandie, which we discuss briefly on this page. We also have information on Auberge de la Petite Anse, which we have not visited but which we know by location.

Normandie is on the road leading from Lorient to Grand Fond. We did not see any parking other than on the side of the road. There is a reception area, breakfast area, and bar in the building on the road, behind that is a small pool, and farther back is the building with the rooms. We did not see any of the rooms as they were all occupied, but the building was inexpensively built, and the rooms all opened into a common hall, much like a small, cheap motel. The two staff members we spoke to had very little English. There are not kitchenettes, and no meals other than breakfast are provided. There are 8 rooms available, and the rates listed are from 280 to 320 Francs single or double. The telephone number is +(590) 27.61.66; fax +(590) 27.98.83. We would hesitate to recommend Normandie. Its lack of amenities seems to more than make up for its low price. It is also located in an area known for mosquitoes.

Auberge de la Petite Anse is located in a remote area on St. Barth, beyond Anse des Flamandes, on the way to the path leading to the beach at Colombier. Their rates for January 1997 were US$140 plus 10% service charge per night for two persons. Each bungalow has a kitchenette, air conditioning in the bedroom, bath, telephone, daily maid service (except on Sunday), and a balcony overlooking the ocean. This property is a short walk from Flamandes, and there is a market also within walking distance. If you want an inexpensive and secluded place to stay, this location is ideal. It is literally at the end of the road. We did not visit and look at rooms, but we have been there on our way to Colombier beach and know the location. Our correspondence by fax hints that English is excellent there. Telephone is +(590) 27.64.89; fax +(590) 27.83.09.

Additional information on villa rentals is available at Caribbean Villas of St. Barts.

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