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Thinking about St. Kitts vs. Provo for Family vacation. Any thoughts?

Thinking about St. Kitts vs. Provo for Family vacation. Any thoughts?

Old Jan 6th, 2010, 04:17 PM
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Thinking about St. Kitts vs. Provo for Family vacation. Any thoughts?

We are taking a family vacation the first week of August and we are considering a house on Sapodilla Bay in TCI or maybe the Turtle beach house on St. Kitts. We have a 4 yr old and a toddler. Before kids we've done the USVI and the BVI and Bahamas so I think I am a little bit spoiled when it comes to beaches. Does Turtle Beach look as nice as it does in the pictureson the turtle beach house website? Is the water clear? I was reading one of the other threads and was starting to get concerned. Do you all think there is more "culture" on St. Kitts vs. TCI? I would appreciate any of your feedback. Thanks!
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Old Jan 7th, 2010, 03:02 AM
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Hi, I have been to both. If a spectacular beach is your first priority, then the choice must be Provo. However, that being said, there's not much else to do and see on Provo and in my opinion, very little Caribbean personality. The majority of it is one long beach, lined with condo resorts. Not much historic flavor, shopping or activities with the exception of water sports, golf and dining. Much more culture in St. Kitts but frankly, the beaches are not that nice, comparatively speaking. I found Turtle Beach to be just okay. But there's more pretty scenery on St. Kitts, with hills and views of neighboring Nevis and you have the added bonus of being able to take the Ferry for the day to Nevis for a change of scene. Be aware, though, it is quite a ways from TB to most activities/downtown/historic sites. Your four year old might enjoy Brimstone Hill, an interesting historic fort and we also enjoying going to Romney Manor, a very pretty site, and seeing the batik they make and sell there. It depends on how active you can be with two young ones. If it was me with my children when they were young, I would have selected Provo just because there are lots of good condo resorts and they were real beach and pool kids. But not every child likes to play on the beach for hours. If yours don't, you might be better off choosing St. Kitts. You also might be better off choosing a 1 bedroom suite at the Marriott, it's much closer to everything and full service with all the amenities, might seem more like a vacation for you.
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Old Jan 7th, 2010, 03:40 AM
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eileen sums things up quite well and I have to agree while the beach at Turtle Beach is "nice" it doesn't hold a candle to the beaches you'll find at Provo and the ones you found in the USVI's, BVI's were probably all better than Turtle Beach. You don't say where in the Bahamas you were (there are over 800 islands and cays) but most likely the you were on were a;lso better than Turtle Beach.

And, yes, I have to also agree there is "more culture" on St. Kitts than you'll find on Provo. That's the "trade off" between those two islands - for great beaches go to Provo; for Old World Caribbean Charm go to St. Kitts.
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Old Jan 7th, 2010, 04:27 AM
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Thank you both for the comparisons. I am really torn now. We've done St. Thomas, St. John, Biras on VG, and Old Bahamas Bay on the West End of Grand Bahama. I've been looking at a couple of places on Eluthera (cocodimama resort) and also Grand Bahama Isle on Exuma but I am a bit concerned with their remoteness with the little ones in case of a medical emergency. I think I compare every beach we go to now to Trunk Bay so I am thinking I may be disappointed with Turtle Beach after reading both of your opinions.

From what I have been reading on the forums, it seems like Sapodilla Bay on Provo is less built up and a more child friendly beach than Grace Bay. Would you both agree with that? We are not big resort people and like more out of the way places.

Thanks for the feedback!
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Old Jan 7th, 2010, 04:53 AM
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Having been to Trunk Bay and Grace Bay a lot...you would love Grace Bay..that being said with a little one, stay at Sapodilla Bay and venture over to Grace Bay to check it out 1 day or so..there are many public beach Access areas..just bring chairs or towels from the Villa.
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Old Jan 7th, 2010, 06:46 AM
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I hear you on not being big on large resort areas but I have to say that we have found them to be better options with young children. I have a son who is very social and doesn't have a great time unless he finds some friends and was like that even when he was little, so being able to play in a pool or on the beach with other little kids and a family-friendly atmosphere was important. In August, you will most likely find that at most of the condo resorts on Grace Bay. And although I haven't personally been to Sapodilla Bay, I can't really imagine anything being more child-friendly on GB if you choose the right resort -- the sand is like powder, the water shallow and gentle. Just to make you crazy, I will mention one thing we encountered on Provo we have never experienced on any of the many islands we have visited -- jellyfish. We were there in mid-April and the first three days the water was full of "thimble" (I think that's what they are called) jellyfish all along the shoreline and you could not go in. If our kids had been with us it would have been horrible. You might want to post on provo board about that -- I know in August in the US there can be jellyfish (we usually experience them in Hilton Head Island). Another nice thing about Grace Bay is you are very close to restaurants and can even take a short walk on the beach to a variety of restaurants. We did that in Aruba and my kids found it fun to walk along the beach to dinner.
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Old Jan 7th, 2010, 07:28 AM
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Posting as someone who has stayed at Turtle Beach House, while I agree that the beach itself is not like the beaches you'll find in TCI, we really enjoyed the time we spent there. Also, I must say that the house itself, and surrounding area is absolutely stunning if you're looking for an 'off the beaten track' location
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Old Jan 7th, 2010, 05:05 PM
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Thank you everyone for the great info. I will definitely check out the resorts again on Grace Bay or definitely explore Grace Bay a couple times during our stay at Sapodilla bay. This trip is going to be more of a "max relax" vacation so my "other half" can recharge his batteries at the end of a long project. I am really leaning towards Provo now. Have any of you booked your stays at various places on Grace Bay through VRBO.com? Are there better deals there? $400 a night is our max for a suite with at least one bedroom but would prefer 2. Not sure if I can find that on Grace Bay.
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Old Jan 9th, 2010, 05:01 AM
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I just booked Royal West Indies mid April through hotels.com and got a 2 bedroom under $300 then I had a coupon code for retailmenot.com that tood another 10% off. great rates!! Lots of places on Grace Bay beach seem to be having specials for spring! I am a bit nervous about jellyfish post. We live on ocean in New England though & I know you can't predict when they will be there. Keeping my fingers crossed though that they wouldn't be there the whole week! Maybe we'll rent a car & try other beaches around the island if Grace Bay is bad with jellyfish.
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Old Jan 10th, 2010, 12:58 PM
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It was our experience that St.Kitts is a wonderful and fantastic place for families - obviously emphasis there being on the children. We have taken our son to St.Kitts on two different occasions for a period of two weeks each time and we stayed at Timothy Beach (which I LOVE!!!) but I don't think is the same level as Turtle Beach...Turtle Beach being even higher end.

The people in St.KItts are fabulous - they have the traditional West Indian sense of community that I personally love and the people I met were very loving toward my son - one fantastic woman even remembered my son by name at our hotel - a YEAR later...imagine how many people and children she met in that time!! But she swooped him up in her arms and loved him up by first name!! He is normally a standard fair shy Canadian boy but in St.Kitts he blossomed with all the community sense of community often found in traditional West Indiam communities.

The island itself is steeped in history and natural beauty. It may not have stunning pristine white beaches as it is a volcanic island but there are views that I still hold dear in my memories....rolling hills of palm trees to sweeping vista's of ocean and surrounding islands. Hikes in the rainforest or driving treks - the Railway tour and there is a great time to be had at Frigate BAy with all of the beach bars, safe to walk to and from at night barefoot in the sand....Mr. X's an internationally known phenomenon and the views for you at Turtle Beach of Nevis - plus two islands for the price of one with Nevis a stones throw away!

St. Kitts gets my vote!
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Old Jan 18th, 2010, 04:22 PM
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I'm going to TCI in May so I only know what I've also read. But, I did go to St. Kitts in May '09 with my wife, in laws and my 2 children (3yo and 10mo). We must say that St. Kitts was disappointing at the least.

The island is not prepared for small children. Namely, some restaurants didn't have high chairs (we had to bring our own from the Marriott to local restaurants). The car rental agency's didn't have rear facing car seats for baby's. I was told that they did so I didn't bring ours. I finally had to put my 10 mo old in a front facing car seat that was for a toddler. The big car rental agency's were horrible. We ended up going with Bullseye Auto Rental (a local company with a very nice owner named Winston).

The beaches are OK, Cockleshell Bay was probably the best but there was a annoying local who wanted to rub fresh aloe on you and would hound you for tips even if you told him you didn't want any aloe. The snorkeling was mediocre when I went. I was told to go to Dieppe Bay for snorkeling and black sand beaches but when I arrived the beach was littered with trash and there was no one there so I didn't feel comfortable being there with my family.

St Kitts is definitely on island time, food service took forever at most places which is not fun when you have two little ones with you.

I hope this helps!
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Old Jan 19th, 2010, 09:08 AM
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Thank you so much for your info Brain_E. I will be very interested in what you think of TCI and their beaches. I think we have narrowed it down to Grace Bay/Sapodilla Bay now and are just trying to figure out where to stay. We are thinking if we do St. Kitts to go in a few more years once the kids are older. Looking forward to your trip report in May. Thanks again for the advice!
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Old Jan 19th, 2010, 09:54 AM
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if you really want to chill and a villa sounds good to you sapodilla bay beach will i think please you. i've stayed in a house on the south side (in ocean point villas) which faced onto taylor - the beach next to sapodilla.
either beach would work for you. taylor is extremely shallow (knee deep at most) for almost a football field out. so way safe & fun for little one. sapodilla is shallow also, just not as shallow and gets deep enough for swimming in much less distance. as well yachts often moor out from this beach so very scenic. you are a 15-20 mins drive to restaurants, grace bay beach, grocery. there are a few good villas on either beach. if you choose either locale i could tell you what i remember about the particular properties.
vrbo is fine, renting through one of the local agencies gives you someone to call if you have a house issue.
if you can't get beachfront on either of these beaches i'd say go with grace bay. the sands is reasonsable and has screened porches, full kitchens & washer/dryer. alternatives might include royal west indies, ocean club or oc west.
here's a useful map (if southside villas seem to remote and resorts too crowded look at the houses this map comes from - a group of three w/pool, mini reef and good location on grace bay beach): http://www.aquamarinebeachhouses.com/map.htm
taylor & sopadilla are just left of the airport on map.
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Old Jan 20th, 2010, 05:51 AM
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I agree with Virginia's recommendation. Grace Bay and Ocean Club West or Royal West Indies are also great choices. We have used both always very satisfied. Have a great time.
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Old Feb 12th, 2010, 08:10 AM
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We are going to a Villa on Sopadilla Bay in May and I have questions about that being the right place to go also. And what about the thimbles (jelly fish)?
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