St Kitts & Nevis, Leeward Islands. May 2017.
The tourist office blurb for St Kitts and Nevis runs: Two islands. One paradise. While there may be a little poetic exaggeration, they are indeed a beautiful destination with a laid back lifestyle, lovely climate and dramatic volcanic peaks. Here are some of the things we particularly enjoyed doing on a recent visit.
1 Drink Rum.
A by product of the sugar industry that is the local tipple of choice. Drink as a fruity rum punch or try the infamous Killer Bee with passionfruit at Sunshine’s on Pinneys Beach on Nevis. Good brands to take home are Cavalier, Mount Gay or Appletons.
2 Visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Brimstone Hill on St Kitts dates back to 1690 and was built by African slave workers (brimstonehillfortress.org). It has several layers of walled fortifications snaking up the hill, culminating in the Citadel at the top, with a superb view. There are many photogenic cannon and an informative museum. Go in the afternoon once the cruise ship’s throng has passed through and you might have the place to yourself.
3 Eat Local
Try container food: all over the island old shipping containers have been converted into funky eateries. Bobsy’s just north of the Frigate Bay roundabout does great melt in the mouth ribs and there’s a pretty good smoothie bar next door.
Just east of Basseterre is the 10-container food court next to Ram’s cash and carry at the junction of the Bird Rock road with Bay Road. Chose from Jamaican at Jamrock to great lamb shawarmas at Shawarma King.
4 Take a Souvenir Home
Caribelle Batik (www.caribellebatikstkitts.com) at Romney Manor has some lovely batik tops and dresses – not sure about this look for men though – as well as jolly cushion covers and tablecloths. The shop boasts that it has the most photographed washing line in the Caribbean: it is indeed very colourful.
5 Try the Hot Springs
The historic Bath Hotel in Charlestown, Nevis, was built in 1778 and graced by Nelson. Now it is the Ministry of Tourism,but the hot springs still exist. The old bath house is in a sadly neglected state but round the corner is a small bathing pool. The water is an extremely hot 42° so you won’t want to stay in too long – just long enough for a photo.
6 Lime at a Beach Bar
‘Lime’ is local speak for hangin’ out. There are numerous ramshackle and colourful beach bars for doing this : the Shiggidy Shack at Frigate Bay, the Shipwreck at South Friars Bay on St Kitts, or Sunshine’s at Pinneys Beach on Nevis. All are great sunset spots.
7 Visit a Sugar Plantation
The last factory closed in 2005 on St Kitts bringing an end to 350 years of sugar production on the islands. They have an inglorious history in the slave trade with at one time slaves outnumbering whites by 10:1.
Wingfield Plantation is just under Romney Manor and an interesting ruin to wander around. On Nevis, there is the New River estate with the colonnaded remains of a fine manor house. Below it, at the Coconut Walk Estate, there are the remains of the largest windmill on the island. The rest of the buildings are too overgrown to access.
8 Check out the Gardens
Romney Manor (home of Caribelle Batiks) on St Kitts is surrounded by lovely gardens. It has the only surviving bell tower on the island, once used to regulate the working lives of the slaves, so they are now seen as a sign of oppression. Most have been destroyed, but Lord Romney was a benevolent master and this one survived. You cannot miss the huge 400 year old Saman tree from South America whose glorious spreading branches cover ¾ of an acre.
9 Stay Caribbean Style
We stayed at the Timothy Beach Resort (www.timothybeach.com) which has a 5 star beach location on Frigate Bay with 3 star prices. Not as flash as some and indeed a little old fashioned, but all the better for it, with a cheerful relaxed Caribbean vibe. Monkeys drink at the lovely swimming pool and there is an array of free range cats and hens. ‘The Strip’ of lively beach bars is right on the doorstep.
10 Just relax.
After all, that’s what the Caribbean is all about. Find your perfect beach bar, kick back with a rum punch, revel in the perfect climate that never seems to be too hot or too cold, the breeze in the palm trees and the blue blue sea. Talk to the locals: they’re friendly, and make new friends and memories to take home.
