Melissa5

Skbfan, thanks for confirming about the non-stop flight from Miami to St. Kitts, I'll be sure to plan the trip accordingly to get that scheduled. Mr. X's Shiggidy Shack has a great name...what is "Shiggidy" ? It sounds like a cool dance to me! I appreciate you giving me a report that the guests are generally over 30...we're getting a little old to be hanging out with a crowd the age of our daughters, who are still in college! (I love young adults, their energy and enthusiasm is wonderful, but we feel more comfortable in a group of mixed ages.)

Melissa5

JeanH, have a great trip, and post a trip report please! How did you choose your islands?

Melissa5

Here is a hard question for non-biologists to answer. But if anybody has a clue I'd appreciate your viewpoint. Hubby is a biologist and is always hoping to find areas which are basically un-touched by man, undisturbed, have never been chopped down and replanted by man...These areas are getting fewer in the world...They are his favorite areas... Does St. Kitts and Nevis have some of these areas?

They would be areas where native flora and fauna are still flourishing. Did you know that the monkeys you see on St. Kitts were introduced by man? I didn't know that. Hubby told me that.

Dominica is a biologist's dream, having large areas never disturbed by man...But we like to exlore new islands we have never tried before. The decision is between a return to Dominica or explore a new island, St. Kitts...We're leaning towards St. Kitts. Have to book soon or there won't be any rooms left for February.

The biology thing, searching for paradise, is hubby's thing...I try to share his dream. but really I like some civilization with dancing, music, fun local restaurants, etc. so we try to combine our interests on vacation!

iw

I have been following your post for several days. I have not been to Dominica, but we were in St. Kitts and Nevis this past summer. While in St. Kitts, we took a rainforest tour with O'Neill and were very pleased with the hike. We had done one in Guadeloupe and this trail (in St. Kitts) is much more natural and unspoiled by humans. We did stay at the Marriott, which was lovely, but it didn't "go" with the rest of the island. In Nevis we stayed at Oualie Beach Hotel and had a great time. Two totally different islands, experiences and hotels. Oualie was clean and the rooms were fine...just bare bones (IMHO)!! The service there was excellent and the food at their hotel is superb....Thanks, Chef Jason!! We visited the 4S in Nevis and it was a beautiful place. Lots of activity. We took cabs everywhere and they were not that $. Next time...hopefully in June when school is out for me...we would rent a car. Driving is not difficult. EVERYONE was kind on each island. Have fun!! Don't stress too much about your decision. Liz, MIM04 and Sunnyboy offer excellent advice.

Melissa5

iw, thanks for sharing your experience on the rainforest trail in St. Kitts. It sounds like you had a fun trip with some variety!

I have posted a question about the new, longer cruise pier which was slated for completion at end of 2005, according to fodors 2005 guidebook. It is a dismaying thought that if this second pier is finished, it will bring even more day-tripping people to St. Kitts...We were hoping for a nice time on a relatively unspoiled island. Does anybody know if this pier was finished, and if it has brought more crowds to the area around Timothy's beach resort? Thanks!

faithie

About the monkeys , I did know that ,. Supposedly the Green Monkeys in
Barbados are native , as are the Red Howlers in Trinidad .....

faithie

And I know I keep repeating it but Tobago has flora and fauna untouched by man , actually has the same flora and fauna ( more closely related )as South America as opposed to the rest of the Caribbean , I think Thats pretty cool , and makes the vegetation pretty darn old !!! ( attatched to south America etc.)Oldest protected rainforest in Western Hemisphere .

Melissa5

Thanks for the help everybody! I have made a decision and decided we will go to St. Kitts with a day-trip to Nevis...that is, if there is room availability for our dates! I found both Timothy's beach resort and Ottley's plantation inn in one of the travel packages my favorite AAA travel agent gave me. I decided to have her try to book it for us, since I'm really busy right now...gotta get out and finish shopping for Christmas with my daughters who are home from college! Keeping my fingers crossed about the room availability...

Laby

Have a wonderful time on your trip! Please let us know how it goes.

JeanH

Melissa, We sort of chose St. Kitts/Nevis by process of elimination. We try and visit one new destination per year. Last year it was Panama. Anyway, we want lush and green, not flat and arid. I'd rather stay at small locally owned properties, resorts generally aren't our first choice.

We went to Grenada a couple years ago, enjoyed it, St. Kitts and Nevis sound somewhat similar, if less populated.

I really think our hearts and minds have been captured by Central America though. Next new destination is Nicaragua.....

ejcrowe

Melissa, I've been following your various postings with both amusement and sympathy, as I went through a similar situation trying to plan a trip for my husband and our granddaughter, and each of us had different priorities. With every new piece of information I started going in a new direction...it's hard when you're the planner and thus responsible for other folks' happiness on the trip.

I'm glad you've chosen a place--for your own peace of mind. SKB and NEV are both wonderful and I feel that you and your husband will enjoy them.

For future trips with the same requirements, I would like to recommend Guana Island, which is part of the British Virgin Islands. It's a small, private island resort but it's also a nature preserve where biologists from around the world go to study various forms of flora and fauna.

It's too pricey for your wants in the winter, but their summer prices are much better, and they include all meals and most of your beverages, so that evens the pricing out a bit. It's got hiking trails all over the island in various degrees of difficulty, snorkeling is great off shore, there are a handful of beaches on the island (some of which you can only get to by hiking or by boat). They grow much of their own food organically, bake their own breads daily, and serve freshly-caught seafood.

It's not a place where you can mingle with locals, as nobody lives on the island, but you could split time between there and Tortola for a perfect blend of romantic solitude and being social with locals and like-minded travelers. Check it out at www.guana.com or look for travel packages on Luxury Link. It's an amazing place!

Melissa5

Laby, thanks for the good wishes, I'll definitely let you know how the trip to St. Kitts goes.

JeanH, I agree, you usually get nice atmosphere when staying in locally owned properties. Loved Costa Rica by the way, but Nicaragua is too scary for me. Isn't travelling great? Wishing you happy aventures wherever you head this year.

ejcrowe, okay, I'll keep Guana island and Tortola in mind for a future trip. British virgin islands were on our list, but you're right they are sure expensive in February. I think it's great you got to travel with you granddaughter, and I totally understand about different people with different priorities, and trying to put it all together. Happy future travels.

Melissa5

Okay I actually booked a package with 3 nights at Timothy's beach resort and 3 nights at Ottley's plantation inn, both on St. Kitts...and it's almost February! Any advice anyone wants to add about what to pack, what to wear to dinner, or more advice about food/activities is welcome! Thanks everybody for the help.

I think the more complicated research is that hubby (biologist) needs to figure out where he wants to hike and how to get there...(We will rent a car.)

Oh yeah...any advice about best rental car places?

Sunnyboy

Melissa, try not to plan you vacation down to the last detail - leave some room for spontaneous things and you'll enjoy your trip that much more.

As far as clothing is concerned, at Otley's (and any other upscale dining place) for dinner you'll need either a sundress, skirt & blouse or pants and blouse. You husband will need a pair of Kakahis or Dockers, a collard shirt (golf shirts are OK) and closed toe shoes (boat shoes will be just fine). For casual dining shorts and t-shirts are acceptable. Since you are going in February you might want to bring a light cover-up in case it gets cool in the evenings.

For fine dining try Marshall's. For casual lunch or dinner try Spratnet, Ballyhoo or the Circus Grill. Golden Lemon has good food and Rawlins Plantation severs a very good West Indian Buffet at lunch (call ahead for reservations).

You'll fine conact information for rental cars in my response to your post on that subject.

Have a great trip.

Melissa5

Sunnyboy, thanks for all the advice. Okay I will tell hubby he needs closed-toed shoes for dinner at Ottley's, but what are boat shoes?

Also what about women, can women wear sandals to dinner? (Not beach flips, I mean sandals that you would wear with a sundress.)

Sunnyboy

Yes women can wear sandals (not flip-flops or Tevas).

Boat shoes are oiled leather "loafers" with a crepe sole that are "non-slip" on wet oat decks. They are a casual shoe that is equally at home on the beach, on the boat, while walking in town or dining in Caribbean restaurants. Almost everybody down here has a pair. They are available in every shoe store or over the internet. Look for manufacturers such as Sperry, Top Siders, Timberland, Docksiders, and a host of others. etc.

ejcrowe

Hi, Sunnyboy--I wanted to share with you a chuckle I had when reading your post just now. You know you're a Southern girl if when you read the phrase "collard shirt", you first think, "There's a special shirt for eating collard greens?" rather than "oh, a collared shirt." I'm so glad you made that typo so that I can have a private chuckle to myself all day long. And as always, good advice for Melissa. Thanks!

Sunnyboy

To ejcrowe - your quip gave me a good laugh. I'm not sure what's worse, my typing or my spelling. Either way it sometimes makes for interesting reading.

Melissa5

Sunnyboy and ejcrowe: I of course knew that Sunnyboy meant hubby would need shirts the color of collard greens. Assuming that collard greens are green, I have been shopping for green shirts for hubby to wear at Ottley's. Green is actually hubby's favorite color, but I am wondering how I will tell him apart from the other Ottley's male guests who will also be wearing Collard Green.

Thanks everybody for the great tips and also for the fun!

(Sunnyboy don't feel bad, I have written some quite funny things totally innocently...in the Ireland section on tripadvisor, I posted a question about wanting to sleep someplace with some Irish character...OOps! Didn't quite come out right, as someone pointed out...)

ejcrowe

You know, though I'm a a bit of a grammar hound, I find myself making all kinds of mistakes when I type versus writing something out longhand. I know I've used "their" and "there" incorrectly in my typing, though I wouldn't do so in writing. Isn't it funny how our fingers are sometimes more in tune with our ears and the way words sound than with actually getting the words write? Er, right?

Melissa, I'm sure your husband will be quite handsome in his Collard Green shirt. Have a great time in St. Kitts!