Kim

Just spent a lovely weekend on St Kitts and thought I would do a very brief trip report for the benefit of those who may be planning a trip there soon. This was our second visit. My husband and I live on a neighbouring island and we delight in doing weekend trips to the other islands from time to time. We arrived Friday night and stayed at Jack Tar Village. We were with a group of friends who elected to stay there so we went along with the plan. This would not have been my choice as I am not one for al-incls and prefer smaller more intimate hotels to the resort types. Jack Tar was very so-so in my books. Very basic room, basic food (although plentiful), basic amenities at not so basic prices. It was quite expensive. And all the extras cost money and alot. Example, we need the use of a clothes iron. There was none in the room. We rang the front desk and was told that it would cost us US$5.00 for use of one and that we would have to come down to the front desk to fetch it. Also had to give a deposit for the use of a TV remote control. I will say that the wait staff in the main resturant were very helpful and friendly. Friday night we ate at the hotel. It was a buffet. We got there pretty late so there was'nt a whole lot of choice left but it was typical buffet fare. Breakfast the next morning was quite good with a choice of breakfast food and alot of fresh local fruit available. Saturday morning we spent walking around and exploring Bassterre, the main town. I thought the town was quite pretty in parts, by Independence Square for example and in the Circus Square. There is quite alot to see in town, alot of shops for browsing. Saturday afternoon we spent by relaxing by the pool at the hotel. For dinner, we went to Fisherman's Wharf, which is part of Ocean Terrace Inn, where we stayed on our first visit to St Kitts (by the way, I highly recommend Ocean Terrace, even though it is not on a beach. The rooms are gorgeous, beautifully decorated,very spacious,bathrooms with deep soak tubs). The atmosphere at the resturant was casual and it afforded a nice view of the bay and the town. Our dinner was excellent. We both had fresh mahi mahi and there was a buffet of local vegetable dishes to go with the entrees. Again, the wait staff at the resturant was wonderful, so friendly and with a very pleasant attitude. Sunday morning we set out for a drive around the country and found a quaint little Catholic church in the village of Molyneux for worship. After mass, we drove further east in search of Rawlins Plantation and the artist Kate Spencer's studio which is at the plantation. The country roads were all good, making driving very easy and enjoyable. We found Rawlins Plantation and spent some time there picking out some artwork and talking to the artist's husband. Then we drove back in the direction we came for Ottleys Plantation and their Sunday brunch at the Royal Palms Resturant. Excellent choice, brunch was scrumptious. Mimosas and a fruit and pastry platter to start with. The pastries included some banana muffins which were to die for! Then a choice of about 6 gourmet entrees to choose from. Again, we cannot say enough about the wait staff and how wonderful they were - helpful and friendly. Nothing was too much. Ottleys is absolutely gorgeous and we walked the grounds after lunch and had a view of one of the cottages. We met one of the owners, Marty, who greeted us as we walked into the resturant and spent some time chatting with us during the meal, then showed us around. <BR><BR>St Kitts is beautiful. The people are great and save for our rather mediocre hotel, we plan on returning again some time in the future this time to stay at Ottleys, no doubt.<BR><BR>

qqq

Nice report Kim.<BR>We have been going to St Kitts / Nevis for years.<BR>Not for everyone though........<BR>Thank God.

pln

We are booked for our 25th anniversary in the spring...I cannot wait! Thanks for the review!

Angela

Kim<BR><BR>I am sitting in Northern Ireland with the wind and rain beating off the window, thinking how LUCKY you are to live on a Caribbean island and take weekends to the others! I am green with envy!!<BR><BR>Enjoy!<BR><BR>Angela

Kim

Indeed Angela. We realise that we are quite lucky to live in this part of the world and yet we often take our surroundings so much for granted. Little weekend trips to places such as St Kitts which is sort of off the beaten path are constant reminders of the beauty of the islands. I must say though that I am somewhat eager to pay a visit to Ireland at some point. A few of my co-workers and clients are from Ireland and I also have read a number of trip reports on the European board and it is certainly beckoning. Of course, we will make sure to visit in the late spring or early fall when presumably, the weather is at its best.

rich

Kim,<BR>My family is planning our 2003 vacation and is considering St Kitts. In your visit did you happen to see the new Marriott. In the pictures we have seen it looks beautiful.<BR>While we are not fond of big resort hotels we think that the atmosphere of St Kitts is not like Aruba, i.e. totally 'westernized' so it may not be too bad.<BR>Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

Kim

Rich, in fact we did see the new Marriott. We drove right by it. It is a massive complex and looks pretty close to completion although we understood from the locals that we spoke to that the date of opening keeps being pushed back further and further. Was meant to be Oct 2002 now slated for Feb 2003 however we were told that even if it does open then, there will still be alot of work to do to really finish the property. It is really massive. But it looks like it will be interesting once it is finished. And it is right on the beach. Depending on when you may be going in 2003, it may be a hit or a miss. I would safely give them a year to settle down before considering staying there.