JamesD

Just booked a vacation to St. Kitts & Nevis (spending time on both islands). I just read that Nevis does not have the crystal clear & blue water that I have been dreaming about...is this true. What about St. Kitts? I've read that the beaches on both islands are beautiful but not having been to the carribbean before, just assumed that the water would be idylic? Please help! Thanks.

Nancy

James, If you've already booked the vacation, don't worry. St. Kitts and Nevis are fantastic. <BR>The water in the islands depends on the origin of the sands - coral or volcanic (St. Kitts and Nevis being volcanic).<BR>Both St. Kitts and Nevis have very nice beaches and lovely water, but you will not get the blindingly white sand and crytalline clear water some of the other islands - say Anguilla or Turks and Caicos - have. <BR>If this is crucially important to you, perhaps you could see if you can rebook to another island. If not, relax and enjoy, you'll have a wonderful time.

JamesD

Thanks so much Nancy. Much appreciated. All I really care about is that the water will be clear (so I can see the bottom in more shallow areas)...if it is not bright blue, that is ok. I've read amazing things about St. Kitts and Nevis...thanks again.

Nancy

No problem James. You will truly enjoy your trip. The people are so friendly, and the islands are both beautiful. We love it so much, we are building a house on Nevis.<BR>If you have any questions, don't hesitate to post. Most of the people on the board will be glad to help you any way they can.<BR>Be sure to rent a jeep or get a guide on both islands and take a tour.<BR>On Nevis, go on the catamaran snorkel trip with Captain Knox at Oualie Beach, spend some time in downtown Charlestown (not very picturesque to some, but an excellent example of old island architecture and a huge dose of local flavor.) Go horseback riding on the beach. Eat at Unella's, Cla Cha Del - both inexpensive and Miss June's and Montpelier Plantation - both expensive.<BR>On St. Kitts, be sure your tour includes Brimstone Hill - the fortress with a great view and a good chance of seeing the vervet monkeys, and also Caribelle Batik, where they make beautiful men's and women's cotton clothing that will give you memories of your trip for years to come. I think the neat restaurant we usually eat at on St. Kitts is called the Circus and overlooks the town square with all kinds of activity going on.<BR>Have a great time

anon

Nancy, we've been to St. Kitts but not Nevis. Is it true Nevis basically has no beaches?

Nancy

Anon,<BR>No that's not accurate. There are two really gorgeous beaches on Nevis - Pinney's and Cade's Bay (wide, pretty and sandy with fantastic views of St. Kitts), and several other very nice ones - Oualie, Nesbit, etc.<BR>Pinney's took a hit when the hurricane came through in 1998, but it had built back up most of the way the last time we were there in October.<BR>

anon

Thanks.

sandi

Hi, the restaurant on st kitts is called something like "ballahoo", look for it upstairs once you get to the "Circus". Under the restaurant is my favorite clothing store, "island hopper", which sells lots of silk batik stuff and gift items like quilted pillow covers.

Meredith

Both Nancy's and James' views are helping me decide on where to spend my ten-day honeymoon next June. The Golden Lemon (goldenlemon.com) on St. Kitts looks pretty good. Any opinion on it, Nancy? I am unsure if I would want to rent a vehicle and it sounds as though one must in order to take advantage of what the islands offer.

fyi

Hi Meredith. The Golden Lemon is up for sale. This may or may not have an impact on your stay. I'd be nervous plunking down a big deposit with that kind of uncertainty.

Cornel

I've been to St Kitts and Nevis and my one complaint about the islands is that everyting is MEDIOCRE. Nothing really stands out. The water are not as clear as say Cancun, the beaches are not as beautiful as Turks, the food is not as good as St Marten, and the diving and snorkeling were not as good as Cayman. And oh, the people were not as friendly as Aruba. Things were NOT bad, but they weren't great either. Just mediocre.<BR><BR>There is one area though where these islands stand out. And that is, they are relatively underdeveloped than most other Carib islands. You won't see the mega-resort that you see on other islands. As such, it is relatively less commercialized.<BR><BR>Just my two cents worth.

Nancy

Hi Meredith,<BR>Sorry, I was out of town and just saw your e-mail. <BR>fyi makes a very good point. The Golden Lemon has been up for sale for much of 2002. The person who owns it - Arthur - spent many years lovingly running and decorating it until it was a Caribbean staple of hospitality. But, sometimes, when a property is up for sale, the service suffers as the owner may have given up day-to-day operations.<BR>If you are looking for something similar, I would suggest Montpelier, Nesbit, or Hermitage on Nevis. <BR>It is best to rent a vehicle on either island as taxis are prohibitively expensive. (But I would suggest taking an island tour either via a taxi or organized tour in a van.)<BR>

Been There

Go to Nevis just posted my trip report here http://www.geographia.com/guestbook/kittsnevis/messages/97200_00_00_00_00_00.htm<BR>If you can't get it with that link post again. Nevis is a fabulous place. The beaches are great! Try Lover's Beach very clear and blue and turquoise.

Anon

Hi James,<BR><BR>St. Kitts and Nevis are both gorgeous islands. There is nothing mediocre about them in my book, but then it is the natural beauty of the land and water that we're seeking on vacation. Then too, there is such a sense of history. I think it takes a more sophisticated traveler to appreciate these two little gems. They don't yet have the big glitzy hotels, other than the Four Seasons on Nevis which has drastically driven up the prices at the other hotels on Nevis as compared to St. Kitts. <BR><BR>The person named Cornel did have a point. These islands aren't at the top in any of his or her categories, but on the other hand they are as good or better than most of the others in each of his/her categories so to me that makes them nearly perfect. St. Kitts was one of our first islands to visit but we've been to many others since and whenever we go elsewhere we are a little disappointed, but everyone has their own viewpoint.

He's back

I cannot believe that Cornelio found his way onto this board! He visited SK a couple/few years ago and then blasted the place on the official newsgroup for the island with his term "mediocre" over and over again. He would not stop. Started telling all kinds of stories which were completely untrue.<BR><BR>The waters on SK are gorgeous. They are clear and you can see your toes. Snorkeling is great on the island. The volcano tour and rainforest tours as well as the all day catamaran trips are not to be missed.<BR><BR>Please take his comments with the smallest grain of salt you can find.<BR><BR>You will highly enjoy your stay on either SK or Nevis.

brad

......that would be "the &lt;largest&gt; grain of salt you can find".

ML

The people on SK's are wonderful and I think the food was very good at most places. Try Marshalls. However I agree with the other post that compared to other islands, just mediocre. Something was missing.<BR>The beaches were OK, nothing great.