Yesterday, we took the Great Bay Express high-speed ferry over to St. Barths ($80 round trip). It was about a 40-minute ride, but the time flew by as we were treated to views of the different Caribbean islands (St. Maarten, Saba, St Barths, others that are uninhabited). 

We landed in Gustavia Harbar and had a really nice day (stories to come), but one of the biggest surprises is the fact that accomodations are 70% luxury villas and 30% hotels - there's only about 500 hotel rooms on the entire island. 

Not that you'll mind when you see what the villas look like - I was lucky enough to tour one of them yesterday. 

Prices can range from a few thousand to over $25,000/week. 

Check out this three bedroom, priced on the low end (which makes you wonder what the high end looks like): 

 

View from the kitchen.

 

Pool and hot tub. 

 

View from the bathroom.

 

View from terrace of Flamand Beach.

 

It's been a while since I've done one of these cold-to-hot swings - last week I was in Quebec sleeping at the Ice Hotel, now I'm in St. Maarten and donning a shirt is the last thing on my mind.

Every traveler no doubt has memories of when they were young, experiences that led him or her to the current point in time. I grew very fond of the active winter lifestyle that was on display in Quebec City, but it seems like last night's sunset was trying to remind me where I came from. 

The Caribbean was the first place that really infected me when I was a kid - I simply wanted the sun and the sand and the weather in my life every day. Not just one week during the summer - every day.

When I was here in 2005, I discovered an amazing spot at the entrance to a cave where the water rises and falls about two feet in a matter of seconds. Back then I would sit and have a beer almost every day, watching the water and thinking about how good I felt.

Of course, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Almost seven years have passed since my last visit to St. Maarten, yet there I was back in the same spot - drinking a beer, watching the water, thinking it all over. It was an absolutely gorgeous sky last night, perfect for a writer to sit and ponder. 

Here are a few photos. More coverage to come - I'm here the next two weeks.