July Activities in St.Kitts/Nevis?
 

My sister and I are going to St. Kitts in mid-July. We're staying at the Marriott because of all my points there. We're planning on the fort, batik factory, train tour and want to do some rookie snorkling. We are more about site-seeing than partying, history/culture over hard core shopping. I've looked at the other recommended websites and this forum is great, but I still have some questions about some of the activities there.

re: the rain forest hike. Is there a guide that anyone recommends? If so how do I contact and how far ahead should I book? My sister takes a "spinning" class at the gym, but I just chase a toddler around the house, am I going to keel over on this hike?

re: horseback riding. Any recommendations? I ride but my sister doesn't, is she going to keel over? I've only ridden with long pants - how is it done in the Caribbean?

re: catamaran trip. Recommendations? Again we are rookie snorklers, but we'd be up for the all day trip.

re: Nevis. I've booked a car through TDC and they'll have another car available for us on Nevis. What's recommended to do over there? Can we catch the sights in a day? What time would the last ferry back to St. Kitts be?

re: cell phone. I'm going to have to check in daily with my little boy. Will my Verizon phone work in any way? I don't want to pay $8 a second on the hotel phone.

re: cruisers. I'm reading that the cruise ships stop at St. Kitts now? We chose St. Kitts because it was "less-developed" than a lot of other Marriott sites I had to choose from. Do the cruisers flood the island? Are there set days they show up?

re: Marriott. We've got the budget room there and I'm wondering if there are some areas of the hotel we should avoid room-wise? We look at the room as somewhere quiet to sleep at night, don't care about the view.

Thank You! I'm ready for all that knowledge you have!

Rain Forest, Greg's Safari (it will be hot)
Horses, Trinity Stables
Catamaran, Leedward Charters (real fun day)
Cell phones will not work. You make the first call home and have them call you.
Cruise Ships, Tuesdays and Thursdays, go to the beach.
You will find phone numbers for these at the hotel. Call them yourself when you get there.

After you arrive on Nevis stop first at the Nevis Tourist Bureau - they have a wealth of information on sights to see and things to do. It's located on Main Street about a block from the ferry dock. Plan on visiting Nelson's Museum, the Nevis Museum, the Botanical Gardens, the Nevis Village, hike to the top of Saddle Hill to see the old fort and spectacular views of Montserrat and Rodonda, visit the ruins at Coconut Walk and the Eden Brown Estate, stop for lunch or an afternoon drink at Sunshines.

The last ferry leaves Nevis for St. Kitts at different times on different days (usually between 4 and 6PM) - check the schedule for the day you are planning to travel. You'll find one in the Tourist Magazine that will be in your room at the hotel.

Contrary to what Dblebee says, some cell phones will work on St. Kitts and Nevis but not sure if Verison is one of them. I have service with Singular and mine works just fine but you pay roaming fees which get pretty high. Dblebee's suggestion that you have people call you (set a predetermined time when you'll be in the hotel) will be much cheaper.

Sunnyboy, You may be correct. Verizon will not work, my wifes Sprint works. 8 calls, $32.00 averaged $1.57 per call. Not to bad considering the convenience. I met a person who had Singular and he was ready to throw it in the ocean. I think Singular has upgraded and someone built a tower on the Half Moon hill. (maybe Singular)

Thanks for the info, Dblebee. I guess it depends where on the island you are standing when you make a cell phone call. Anyway, what you paid for your Verizon service seems reasonable enough. Personally I try to avoid making or receiving calls when I'm on vacation but that doesn't always go as planned.

Went to Nevis two years ago. I was able to use my Verizon phone after signing up with a local provider (Eastern Caribbean Telephone, I believe). Sign up for a month long contract for 20-40 (don't remember it being real expensive) and the phone worked fine while on Nevis. Didn't try it on St. Kitts however.