SSShhhh...Don't tell everyone... (St. Kitts und Nevis)

Member Name: LizzieMcc

Product:	St. Kitts und Nevis
Date:	04/05/09 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Relaxed, friendly, hot

Disadvantages: Bad hangovers

Also known as St Kitts and Nevis in English, this is a place where I have enjoyed a number of holidays. The first being roughly 3 months so I got to know it pretty well.

It is actually two islands which make one principality. They are both reasonably unknown, compared with some of their neighbours, Antigua for example. They are part of the Leeward Island chain and on both you can enjoy the tropical climate. There appears to only be one type of weather, hot and humid! I have always visited during the summer months, between June and September and although this is their hurricane season I have always been very lucky with the weather. Having said that, it is also very windy all of the time but this is brilliant for keeping the temperature down during the day. The island of St Kitts is the largest and most populated of the two and is where I have spent the majority of the time when I have visited.

Getting there
There are flights which go direct from the UK. There is only one direct flight each week and this is a BA flight from London Gatwick. I shall be visiting this summer with my husband and the flights cost around £750 each for a return, although this is in the summer holidays so out of peak season it would be slightly less.

Where to stay
I have always stayed down in Frigate Bay, which is where most tourists stay. Although in essence it is a resort, there is only one large hotel there, the Marriott, the rest are smaller complexes, mainly consisting of self catering apartments. I stay at Sealofts on the Beach which is a complex of around 30 apartments, with a pool and backing onto the Atlantic beach. It is located within well kept, beautiful gardens and reasonably priced at around $1000 per month for a two bedroom condo.

Places to visit
Basseterre is the capital and really the only place to go if you want to do any shopping. The ferry port is currently being developed for when cruise ships arrive so contains numerous tourist shops but is also a great place to find jewellery and also a great place to barter as there are lots offering similar sort of things. Basseterre also has a number of restaurants and bars. I particularly like Ballahoos which is situated within the main square and within one of the collonial buildings.

Beaches - there are numerous different beaches around the island and this is probably the reason for most people's visit. The beaches on the Atlantic side of the island are less busy due to the sea being very wavy most of the time so they are not very good for swimming. On the Caribbean side, there are lovely sandy beaches and the sea is incredibly calm and warm and great for swimming and snorkelling. There are so many beautiful tropical fish which you can see only a few metres in to the sea.

Brimstone Hill
Brimstone Hill is a fort which was erected by the British when they took control of the island around 1700. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and definitely worth a look round. Much of it is still standing and from the top it offers excellent views of St Kitts and other nearby islands.

Rum
I think it is impossible to leave the island without sampling the local rum. The local produce is called Brinley Gold and is Vanilla flavoured. It is quite sweet and easy to drink, especially with a mixer but BEWARE... the hangovers are not pretty.

Nevis
It takes around 1 hour on the slow boat from St Kitts to get there but is well worth a trip. It is the smaller of the two islands and less populated and there are apparently more donkeys here than people. The beaches are beautiful and the Botanical Gardens are well worth a visit. It is more exclusive than St Kitts and lots of the accomodation consists of old plantation inns, which can be very pricey.

Summary
I think St Kitts is a wonderful place to visit. It is beautiful and the people are incredibly welcoming. It is very relaxed and laid back I can't really think of any negative things to say except don't tell everyone....!

Summary: Great place