Firefly or Figtree villa?
 

My husband and I will spending our two week honeymoon on Nevis and St. Kitts. We will be on Nevis first and want something nice but not too expensive. We are looking at villas since we will be staying at Rawlins Plantation Inn the following week. Any thoughts on whether Firefly or Figtree is better or any other recommendations? Alternatively, has anyone stayed at Inn at Cades Bay? Thanks for your help.

I've not stayed at either Firefly or Figtree cottage but have personally seen them. They are both similar in amenities (check www.nevis1.com for complete descriptions of both - the photos on that web-site are very accurate). The both look to be fairly comfortable but they are not what I'd describe as "luxury" villas. They are both clean and well kept. Neither has airconditioning (but to tell you the truth it is not really needed up in the mountains). The biggest difference is in location. Firefly is located on the western side of the island, on the mountain side above Oualie Beach (probably about a 10 to 15 minute walk or 3 minute drive). Figtree is on the southern end of the island and much further up on the mountains (near Montpelier Plantation Inn and the Botanical Gardens). Figtree is about a 15 to 20 minute drive to the nearest beach. You'll need a rental car at either place if you want to get out and about the island.

The Inn at Cades Bay consists of about 15 or 20 one room units on a small bluff overlooking Cades Bay (again check out Nevis1.com for a full and accurate description). The rooms are simple but tastefully decorated. The Inn has a pool and at the south end of the property you have access to the entire beach which stretches on for about 2 miles. The beach access is a 2 to 5 minute walk from the rooms - depending on whether you are in the northernmost or southernmost room.

Hope this helps.

Congrats on your honeymoon! I had my first trip to Nevis a few months ago and loved it. We stayed at the Mount Nevis Hotel, which might be a good one for you to consider. It's pretty convenient to Nisbet, Oualie, and Lover's beaches, and about a 10 minute drive to Pinney's Beach. The hotel is not luxe, but it has some nice ameneties and the largest rooms (can't remember category names) have full kitchens, living rooms, and two balconies--great for staying in and cooking one night if the mood strikes you. The property has beautiful views of St. Kitts, and a short walk (5 minutes or less) from the edge of the property will bring you to the ruins of Cottle Church, a beautiful and historic spot. The rooms are nicely appointed, the food there is pretty good, and the staff is pleasant. I believe the prices here are commensurate with the Inn at Cades Bay.

Definitely rent a car to get out and see the entire island, and if you feel like local food, I can't recommend the restaurant Cla-Cha-Del enough. Great food, great price, great folks who work there.

As Sunnyboy said, www.nevis1.com is a great resource. Definitely check it out. Hope youhave a wonderful time and fall in love with Nevis like I did!

I don't know how closely Sunnyboy studied the Nevis1 pages about Firefly and Figtree, or how he managed to miss the airco units during his personal surveys, but, as a matter of fact, they are both air-conditioned. I guess that shows how discreet modern amenities can be integrated into the architectural design, as long as the desire to hide these sort of ugly things is there. :) The Firefly Cottages (there are two of them), in addition to their discreet air-conditioning units, also have nice ocean breezes, as they located pretty high, stand on stilts and have balconies above the tree tops, with a view of the St. Kitts Peninsula across the sea. Fig Tree is a little further from the beach, but also extremely nice, in a lush and tropical setting with gardens to die for. I'd definitely say luxurious about both as a matter of fact, but maybe not for people who want the typical, standardized type of hotel room. This type of accommodation is more for the kind of people who appreciate rare books, antiques and seclusion, to be surrounded by birds, butterflies and monkeys..rather than the "send tequila-lime-ice to my room now" type of crowd. In addition to the lovely Nevis1 site, interested parties may want to check www.neviscottage.com and www.figtreehouse.com for more pictures and info on these two places.

Dear AGC, I've just searched other forums about the places you mentioned in Nevis, so that you may read more reviews from people who actually stayed at these places. I noticed some posts on Trip Advisor that might be helpful, in case you haven't checked there yet:

See:

http://tripadvisor.kutv.com/ShowTopi...Cottage_Nevis-

and

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...and_Nevis.html

AGC,
I just looked at Fig tree house and cottage from the link that NevisSun provided..they both look very nice.:) I would go for it! Have a nice trip.

For more information on St. Kitts & Nevis visit www.myislands.myeyez.net or www.islandimage.com