I have to say I read alot of the reviews on this site and at times question the bad ones as someone who has little travel experience. I guess now I will have more respect.

I just recently returned from a extended Caribbean trip which included a stay at the Carl Gustaf Hotel in St. Barts. I was sold to the fact of the beauty and decadence of the hotel.

Well quite the opposite. I stayed in Room 34. Horrible! it is virtually on the corner of the only road transversing the island. Screeching cars and bikes all through the night as the direct right hand turn if 3 and a half feet from the room. The mosquitos were horrible! At check in there were swarms in the room. Honestly we were
joking as we counted the ones we were killing on us inside the room. Over a 100. We complained to no avail. I went to a local market for help and a fogger. After doing that they kept coming. Yes the doors were sealed shut, AC on. We figured finally they must be coming
through the vents. Next day same thing and worse. The front office did nothing. Very rude.

We left to stay elsewhere. Too bad as we went to the Guanahani and it was fantastic!

My husband and I stayed in St. Barts for a week in April and split our time between Carl Gustaf and Eden Rock. Both hotels are beautiful, however we found Eden Rock to be a bit more beautiful than Carl Gustaf. The biggest difference between the two was the level of service. Eden Rock had terrific service but Carl Gustaf's service was almost non-existent. We were supposed to be able to check in at 1 pm, but they didn't get us in until 4 pm. We requested an iron the first day we got there and it took about 4 hours to get it and 4 phone calls. Breakfast service was unbeleivably poor. The servers would just disappear for long periods of time and they kept getting our order wrong almost every day, and then also got our bill wrong. The rooms are very beautiful, but we found the terrace with the pools were so lush that it blocked the beautiful view and also meant there were lots of mosquitoes so we didn't use the pool at all. Instead we went to St. Jean Beach every day and rented chairs at La Plage. I would not go back to Carl Gustaf, but definitely hope to go back to Eden Rock.

The Carl Gustaf is comprised of around 17 lovely villas, there are a lot of stairs to climb though and not for those not fit. The property is on a cliffside. Each has at least a bedroom and a livingroom, plus an exquisitely appointed small kitchen and a gorgeous marble clad bath ensuite. The decor is tasteful and very luxurious. Each villa has a terrace and a plunge pool with 4 lounges. You have utmost privacy , surrounded by the lush flora and fauna of St Barts and the terrace looks out over the beautiful harbor of Gustavia. A curious but very large iguana visited us one morning but quickly left. I kept hoping he would return. The entire property has an incredibly luxurious feel. The staff is very nice and polite and make you feel very welcome. Breakfast arrived every morning on time and was well represented with fresh juice, fruits, and a basket of pastries as well as great french baguettes and coffee. Dinner and lunch at the restaurant was very expensive but worth it. The service and the food were impeccable and the views breathtaking. Our opinion of the Carl Gustaf was marred by the personnel at the front desk. They said oui to all of our requests but unfortunately they say yes to everything but rarely follow through. My husband waited around in his terry robe for a massage that never came, they said it was never confirmed. That was not what we had been told when we made it upon checking in. The same for a request for a dinner reservation at a local place and for them to reconfirm our flights home. It became comical and they swore nobody by that name even worked there. We had made the request in person. These incidents did not spoil outr stay because the beauty of the villas and the surroundings wouldn't allow it, but after a while we just did not believe anything. Part of the problem was that the hotel seemed to be run by trainees, we never did see an adult. It was a very expensive stay and we expected the staff to be better trained, also housekeeping was very parsimonious with the toiletries in the bathroom. We had to keep asking for more shampoo. I think next time we will try another of the great hotels in St Barts, perhaps the Eden Roc. Still it is a beautiful property, and we had a relaxing time .

Kara and I checked into Room #21 of the Carl Gustaf on Saturday February 3, 2007. That same evening, there was an Electrical Fire in our room. We immediately unplugged the electrical converter provided by the Carl Gustaf, but toxic fumes (burning plastic, metal, wire, etc..) and smoke continued to fill the room. We called the reception desk and alerted them of the Fire and asked for them to call the Fire Department as well as immediately move us to another room. The attendant at the front desk said, "as long as there was no longer a fire and it was just smoke coming out, that they did not want to call the Fire Department because it would disturb other guests". Because of the heavy smoke and fumes of burning plastic and metal, we needed to leave the room because we could no longer breathe. Given that the initial call to the reception desk was of little help, we walked to the reception desk to explain the severity of the issue in person. The reception desk said that there were no other rooms available, that they were sorry for the fire, that we could not open any windows because of the misquito situation around the hotel, and that we should turn on our ceiling fan in the room and they will try to get housekeeping to alleviate the smell of the toxic fumes.

Kara and I left the hotel for several hours and upon our return, we were saddened to re-enter the room with the same smell of smoke and toxic fumes. We re-approached the front desk and again explained the severity of the issue in Room #21, but there were no other rooms available. Immediately, the following morning Kara and I checked out of Carl Gustaf and politely asked to speak to a supervisor to express our disappointment with the service as well as demand a full refund of all charges. The attendant at the reception area said that there was not a supervisor or manager available. Additionally, without my approval, the attendant went behind my back and charged my MasterCard for the room even though I expressly asked for nothing to be charged until I spoke to a supervisor.

Kara and I are still seeking a full reimbursement of the charges to our credit cards. Please see the the amounts below as well as the attached charges from our credit card statements. Additionally, please see the attached photos of the burnt electrical converter (covered in spots of grey soot) as a result of the Electrical Fire

CitiBank MasterCard 12/14/2006 $3,933.76

Chase MasterCard 02/04/2007 $879.73