St.Kitts & Nevis

St.Kitts & Nevis

We found both St Kitts and Nevis the most stunningly beautiful Caribbean islands which were safe and the people so friendly. (Nevis did however have the edge on St.Kitts and Charlestown, the main town on Nevis, was wonderful)

St Kitts:

Accommodation:

In my opinion the bed and breakfasts and condominiums are very good value for money. The plantation houses are beautiful and certainly give you a taste of history. They are more expensive than the bed and breakfasts, however deals can be done. The resort hotels are on par with the plantation houses in price. Good internet sale prices can be obtained periodically.

Bed and Breakfasts:

Rock Haven Bed and Breakfast, Frigate Bay, http://www.rock-haven.com/ Tel: 1 (869) 465-5503. Keith and Judith Blake were very kind to us during our stay in their lovely home and were extremely helpful and great fun. There are stunning views over both the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic from Rock Haven.

Rock Haven

Judith with FOG on veranda at Rock Haven

Condominiums:

Island Paradise Beach Village, http://www.islandparadisevillage.com/ email: islandparadise@sisterisles.kn

Plantation Houses:

Ottley’s Plantation Inn, http://www.ottleys.com/ email: info@ottleys.com The best place we saw on the island, but we actually preferred Rock-Haven.
Rawlins Plantation Inn http://www.rawlinsplantation.com/

Resort Hotels:

St Kitts Resort and The Royal Beach Casino, Marriott
http://www.stkittsmarriott.com/ Tel: 800-223-6388

Bars/eating places:

Frigate Bay Beach Front: The beach front has several lively bars/eating places worth visiting:
Mr. X Shiggidy Shack
Ziggy’s
Cathy’s (We ate here and thought the food excellent but service slow)
Monkey Bar

All good down this beach and good value.

Cockleshell Beach: Reggae Beach Bar open until 6.00 pm. Relax on sun loungers along the beach listening to reggae music and sipping cooled drinks from the bar.

Sights:

West Coast: Brimstone Hill Fortress, dating back to the 18th Century and known as the ‘Gibraltar of the West Indies’ is a must.

East Coast: Kate Spencer’s art gallery, next door to Ottley’s plantation.

Southeast peninsula: Beaches such as Cockleshell Beach, Turtle Beach, South
Friar’s Bay and Shipwreck Beach are worth a visit.

Car Hire: We used Avis. They will pick you up from your accommodation and take you to the Avis office. Suggestion: Try and book a small 4*4 such as a Suzuki Jeep if you want to go to more remote places.

Ferry: Sea Bridge car ferry, located in Major’s Bay, at the very south of the island, can be taken across to Nevis: EC$190 return. Be aware that you need good parking skills.

Nevis:

Accommodation:

Once again we stayed in the bed and breakfast and beach villa type accommodation which were superb value for money as well as being in contact with local and interesting people, giving a real feel for the Caribbean. The beach villa accommodation had its own small kitchenette which enabled us to eat in as desired. Again the Plantation Houses are more expensive but I believe that due to the recession deals can be done during this time of recession.

Bed and Breakfast:

Banyan Tree, http://www.banyantreebandb.com/ Tel: 869.469.3449. Ann and Jonathan Rose were delightful hosts and couldn’t do enough for us. Sitting on the balcony of the Bamboo House, watching the monkeys in the most beautiful tropical garden was a real treat.

Bamboo House at Banyan Tree and Anne & Jonathan by the actual 'Banyan Tree'

Beach Villas:

Hurricane Cove Bungalows, http://www.hurricancove.com/ Tel: 1(869) 469 9462. Althea and Bob Turner were extremely hospitable and certainly gave us a very happy time here. The views from the bungalows are stunningly beautiful looking out over the turquoise blue sea.

View from our Villa at Hurricane Cove:

Plantation Houses:

Montpelier Plantation Inn http://www.montpeliernevis.com/ Tel: 869 469 2932
The Hermitage Plantation Inn http://www.hermitagenevis.com/

Sights:

The Botanical Gardens is a pleasant way to spend an hour or two especially if you don’t want to walk in the rainforest, but a touch ‘touristy’.

Walks/hiking:

Nevis is abundant with rainforest walks although quite difficult to find as there is a shortage of signposting. However, you do need a car to get to these walks. We found that the island appears to be very safe and the people extremely friendly. They are certainly worth attempting; a guide might be advisable if you want to know more about the flora and fauna.

Beaches:

Pinney’s-Close to Four Seasons Hotel and a lot of nice bars.
Windward Beach. Hard to find and get to but worth it. The most stunning of roller coasters and nice long quiet walk.

Cades Bay/Qualie(A bit ‘sea-weedy’ when we were there)/Lovers(The only recent mugging on the island-very remote)/Paradise Beaches are all worth a visit.

Eating/bars: Bananas Tel: 469 1891, about ½ mile from the Banyan Tree. Fine dining on the veranda. Moderate to Expensive. It didn’t quite hit the mark in value for money though.
Mem’s Pizzaria Tel: 469 1390 or 0492 Pizzas and local food, also takeaways. Modest to Moderate pricing.
Gallipot Restaurant at Jones Estate Tel: 469-8230, a lovely restaurant, moderately priced.

Sunshine’s Beach Bar and Grill on Pinney’s Beach, great atmosphere and comfortable couches to relax on. Modest to Moderate pricing.

View from Sunshine Beach

Lime Bar and Grill, a new restaurant with a character of an owner.

Owner and the claimed Britney Spears Hat

Qualie Beach Resort, restaurant and bar, lively on a Tuesday night.