Description: We flew into St. Martin, unable to catch the puddle-jumper because of strong, annual Christmas winds. Our first night on St. Martin was fairly uneventful, with temporary shelter non-impressive. We called the Gustaf regarding delay in plans, no problem.
The next morning we were informed that flights were being cancelled because of wind conditions, our only choice being a late morning boat from a harbour in Phillpsburg,whatever...We arrived at Bobby''s Marina boarded a 2-hulled cat for the trip over. The sea was pretty choppy but we soon reached our destination, though slightly wet.
We pulled into Gustavia, the capital of St Bart. A member of the CG staff was there to greet us, and a wonderful vacation was soon to begin.
First,let me say, I love Gustavia (Marx Brothers movie, no?). The island has been passed around European possession,notably ''tween the Swedes and French. Anyway, everything on St. Bart is miniaturized.Small dump trucks, grocery carts,roads,etc. . .
Gustavia is a very charming town, based around a horseshoe harbor. The Gustaf sits in the hills overlooking town.
King Carl Gustaf, of Sweden,had this wonderful hotel built in his honor.A very nice tribute. Build a one-bedroom condo in my honor and I''d be flattered.Anyway, the Gustaf is a series of pink and white cottages, dotting the hillside and facing down toward the harbor, sweet and charming.
Reception, restaurant/lounge, and pool on the upper level, with cottages spread out below. Everything, very French--how you say, so romanteek!
The cottages really were stunning:great open-air living room facing a great private plunge pool.To the left were very elegant outdoor loungers with great views of the harbor and town beyond. To the right of the living room was beautiful master bedroom with charming bath and detached shower.The cottages were surrounded by overgrown local flora.Cozy and private. There was also a convenient, small, complete kitchen near the entry.
Every morning, a wonderful continental breakfast was served by some very attractive young ladies. Let me say, that Carl Gustaf has, overall, the most "attractive" staff I''ve ever seen. . . anyway...
Little negative: The hotel swimming pool was kind of small and also adjacent to the restaurant--mostly for appearance, rather than practical use.
I loved French being the native language, here. How things were sort of quirky, but cool. The hotel guests were primarily European. Often, some would settle into the lounge and rejoice in foreign pop songs. We''d occasionally hear them late into the night...we didn''t care...
We only dined at the hotel once or twice. Food was fine, views fantastic, but we preferred several places n town, most notably, Eddie''s Ghetto.
The Carl Gustav was really memorable, charming and romantic. We were very pleased with our stay.
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