nisbet or montpelier
 

Considering Nevis in the spring, love the sound of the quiet,friendly,relaxing atmosphere of the island. My only concern is where to book,I like everything I have read about Nisbet Plantation , but on one post, not on this board, I read that the beach directly on this resort is not good,and I know that Montpelier has a private beach about 15 minutes from the resort,did not like what I read about the Four Seasons, so it is between the first two resorts, Any suggestions or anyone familiar with these resorts, would love to hear from you.
Thanks!

We loved Montpelier, but the beach is not a high point for those that love a beautiful beach. It is mainly grass, with a small sandy area and not very swimable. Montpelier is quiet, relaxing, with great food, very friendly staff, and a beautiful pool --not a beach lover's paradise -- an intimate, sophisticated oasis. Four Seasons has a better beach, but is a typical Four Seasons Resort with lots of hustle and bustle, families around the large pools, food not as good as Montpelier. Don't have any personal experience with Nisbet.

If being directly on a beach is the most important thing to you, choose Nisbet. If you plan to rent a car and get out & about around the island, being right on the beach becomes less important with a car to explore to other beaches.

I thought the beach at Nisbet was quite nice. Long enough for walking, lots of shade provided by both palm trees and thatched umbrellas. The surf tends to be high there, so the water is better for playing in than swimming. During our time on Nevis, we spent two days at Nisbet and found we preferred over Pinney's beach for tranquility.

It may not still be true, but last fall the two inns were offering a package together--3 nights in one, 4 nights in the other, with transfers between the two. If you like the sound of both places for different reasons, why not give this package a try? I believe it included the MAP meal plan the entire week.

Even if you were to stay at Nisbet with a mealplan, dinner at Montpelier is not to be missed!

Nisbet is closer in proximity to other restaurants and thus going out at night to dinner would be easier.
Walks on the beach at night a reality too.
Being on the Atlantic, there is probably a breeze in the evening.

Montpelier is higher up on a hillside which affords 180 degree views from the top of Mt Nevis on the right to the Caribbean on the left.
It is also very near the Botanical Gardens.
Being high up means that there is always a breeze blowing.
Monpelier is out in the country so going out at night is somewhat more of an adventure. Which is not a bad thing!
However, if this is your first time in the islands, you may prefer to have a taxi take you to a restaurant.
Montpelier is in a very tranquil setting.
Both plantations are very nice and place a high priority on service.
All that said, I have never stayed at either, but have been to each for dinners and breakfasts.
We would not hesitate to vacation at either one.

Both are beautiful properties. If you want to be on the beach I would recommend Nisbett.

Nevis is a beautiful, unspoilt island. You can visit sister island of St. Kitts as well. Two islands, one paradise!

A website you might enjoy is www.discover-stkitts-nevis-beaches.com

The other posters have given you very accurate information. Just to clarify, Montpelier's beach area is on the Caribbean side of the island. It's located about a mile or so north of the Four Seasons Resort. If you'd like you can walk to the 4S from the Montpelier beach at low tide (thre's and outcropping of rocks just south of the Montpelier Beach that's difficult to traverse at high tide).

The beach at Nisbet is quite picturesque with lighter colored sand than you'd find at either Montpelier or 4S (Pinney's Beach) but the water there can sometimes be wavey since it is on the Atlantic side of the island. There is always a cooling breeze coming off the water. If you are adventurous and don't mind climbing over a few fallen palm trees you can walk along the coast for about 1 1/2 miles past Herbert's and Camp's beaches.

As for the differences between the resorts, Montpelier is a typical small Plantation style inn with only about 15 rooms that are tastefully decorated with antiques and colorful linens. It's located on the mountainside with great views of Mt. Nevis, Charlestown, the Caribbean and neighboring St. Kitt's. It's a very quite and pastoral setting. Nisbet is more like a typical seaside resort rather than a mountain plantation. There are about 38 comfortable guest units located, in perhaps, 15 to 18 different "cottages" scattered across the property. The rooms ans jr. suites are tastely decorated but are similar to what you'd find in any moderately upscale hotel. The Great House is the only building on the property which has a "plantation feel".

Both Nisbet and Montpelier have terrific staffs and serve excellent meals with Montpelier getting the nod for having one of the most romantic dining spots on the island.

You can't go wrong with either place. Choose Nisbet if you want to stay at a beachfront resort (note there are no real beachfront rooms at Nisbet - the closest room is about 75 yards from the sand). If you want piece and tranquility in a beautiful garden surrounding pick Montpelier. Whichever you choose consider getting a rental car so you can explore the island and discover the wonderful treasures Nevis has to offer. Lastly, if you haven't yet done so, visit www.nevis1.com for a website that will tell you everything you need to know about Nevis.

Went to Nisbet this past March and enjoyed alot. The beach is very nice - quiet wide with spaced out palapas and in one direction you can walk a bit. It is very scenic. If you truly enjoy the beach more to swim then just a caution that Nisbet isn't a real swimmers beach as there are lots of rocks and alot of sea grass and it can be rough in spots. We did find some nicer areas to swim by walking just a short distance to right which were also very private. But again not a gorgeous open calm area to swim at main beach area. But again we loved nisbet and loved the beach itself. only went to Montpelier for lunch which was lovely but can't comment on beach.

Here's the deal: Montpelier and Nisbet are both stunningly beautiful places to stay but Montpelier is in the mountains and nowhere near the water. The beach at Nisbet is awesome