St. Kitts and Nevis report 7/6/05
 

Just returned from St. Kitts and Nevis on Saturday. I will tell a few things about our trip. First of all, what beautiful islands and,in my opinion, very different. We were in Nevis from Fri.-Mon. and stayed at the Oualie Beach Resort. It is a small beachfront resort with rooms that are in cottages. Lots of people come here for water sports. The room was large and clean, but not really decorated very much. The four-poster bed was up a step from the sitting area which had a table, 2 chairs, dresser, tv and fridge. Bathroom was on the small side. We visited the FS property and were very impressed. Funny though, while talking to a guy who splits his time between homes in Nevis and California, he said that Oualie Beach had all the things that you need. He has stayed in both places and didn't think the FS was worth it. We met some people on the flight home that agreed. I don't know. I heard great things about Nisbet Plantation. Had dinner at the Oualie Beach hotel and met Jason Bishop, the chef there. The food was outstanding and he came out to meet us since we were from the USA. We had lobster and mahi. Delicious!! Took a tour of the island in a taxi with Tin-Tin, our driver. Very good and informative. Had dinner at Banana's. Excellent food, beautiful view and awesome service. A must, I think. Had mahi and ribs. Yum! Try to get there before sunset, which we did not do. Ate at Sea Food Madness. No atmosphere and so-so food. Maybe it was the night. Snorkeling was ok. The water was calm and nice. Flew on to St. Kitts on Monday. I would take the ferry next time for something different. There we stayed at the Marriott. Very large. The service at all times was friendly, but slow. But hey, you are on island time, so don't worry...be happy! The room was in the Palmetto House building and oceanfront. Very large with a king-sized bed, rugs, huge bathroom (with a bidet), balcony, chair and ottoman, eating table and a large armoire(sp?) for tv and clothes. Had a great time at Turtle Beach and yes, we did see Wilbur and monkeys. Very nice spot. A goat came up and nibbled on my beach bag and then came back to lick my napping husband's foot. Funny! Did the sunset sail and met awesome folks from all over the world, including a couple that lives 15 min. from us and we went to the same high school. Good snorkeling before sunset. We all had dinner at the Marriott and spent time, I mean $, in the casino. Thought we were taking a rainforest hike with Greg's Safari, but it was O'Neils Rainforest Tours (869-465-1307). It was just us on the tour and he definitely knows his business. We saw Alex, the monkey, first and had pictures with him. ($4.00 to the monkey owner, but cute) After the tour, O'Neil had local pastries, mangoes and his homemade juice to rest. He also told us about the island on the whole trip since we had not taken a taxi tour. Dinners....Sunset Cafe...ok..can't remember what I had. Marshall's...outstanding and a great view...had lobster and seabass. Serendipity...another great place with a nice view...had brie, salmon and snapper. Dinner at the La Cucina in the Marriott was more about fellowship, than food. It was typical hotel food. The last night was Stonewalls, which a lot of people like, but we were not impressed. Everything was dripping in butter and just ok. The menu changes daily, so you don't know what it will be even if you see the master menu at your hotel first. Every island that I have visited so far, has so much to offer. I can't liken this to any of them. The people, however; are by-far the friendliest. Most cab drivers won't take money until they pick you up on the return trip from shopping or dinner. That's sweet!!
I hope that I have not rambled too much. We will be back. Actually, we checked into some land to build on while we were there. Oh, Sunshines (Nevis at FS) was great and packed after the music festival. Other places visited before include St. Marteen(2 times and it keeps changing), Guadeloupe, Aruba, Bahamas and Maui (yes, not Caribbean). I really hope that this helps, as I got a lot of great info from previous posts!! Karen

THanks for the trip report, and glad to hear you had such a great time. I took my first trip to Nevis last fall and was instantly smitten. I hope the next time I go back that I'll be able to spend some time on St. Kitts, too.

Guadeloupe is an island that doesn't get a lot of coverage here. Would you mind sharing some of your impressions?

Karen - thanks for the trip report. About Seafood Madness - it was not an off-night it just is not a very good restaurant. If you go back I would suggest staying a Nisbet. It is much nicer than Oualie Beach Resort. Glad you had such a good time.
St Kitts Marriott is nice, but the service can be slow, you are correct about that.

Excellent Trip Report! You should post it on www.islandimage.com and www.myislands.myeyez.net

Your feedback is very helpful to future visitors.

Lots of St. Kitts & Nevis lovers over there.... :)

Thank you for all of your kind words. Yes, I will write about Guadeloupe, but I need to dig out my info. from that trip, so stay posted. Guadeloupe was a very beautiful island. We really enjoyed the rainforest hike. You hike to awesome waterfalls that are amazing, similar to Maui. Also, the volcano hike and tour was neat. I'll write more, because I can't recall specific names of restaurants...more later.

iw - I agree Guadaloupe is a fantastic place. It looks like a postcard!

I hate to be so forgetful with the names of the places where we ate and our hotel. It has been over 5 years since our visit and I did not study French in school! I did take 5 years of Spanish, which did help us translate some signs and menu options. At the time we were there, everything was written in French and we did encounter many waitresses/waiters that only spoke French. Most of the people on the island were pleasant and only a few were rude. Tour guides spoke both languages fluently and were pleasant. We went into the town and saw where Christopher Columbus had a statue. Nearby, the road was lined with beautiful trees. We saw bananas being picked for shipping. We saw many colorful buildings and places of interest. I would go back because of the beauty and lush atmosphere of the island. I do remember that the food was really good. We found a French twist on Mexican food and ate there twice. I can't locate the name in my travel books, so it might not be around. Sorry to be so sketchy. Again, a beautiful place that, at the time, would be easier to get around if you knew the language.

Thank you for sharing your report. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. We are leaning towards visiting Nevis this winter and staying at the FS. I have heard wonderful things about the Oualie, but husband seems to prefer larger hotels. You've calmed all of my fears about the food!

Glad to calm some fears. I agonized over this trip and now that it is over, I'm depressed to be at home cleaning. UGH! The FS was a beautiful property and the staff was very attentive, even to us crashers! We watched some people check in and they were greeted by several people, given a punch of some kind and walked directly to their rooms with the luggage being delivered. While we experienced a pleasant check in , it was not that grand. Have fun and I am sooo jealous!! You might want to check out Oualie for lunch, dinner or beach difference, since the beaches do belong to everyone and the color of your towel does not matter.

iw - I read on another post you are loooking into Nevis property. If you want to give me your email I am sure I can help you...

Thanks for the offer! I am at [email protected].