I first visited the Caribbean, the attractive British Virgin Islands to be particular, in November final 12 months and I immediately fell in love. There was one thing about being so far-off from house, surrounded by chalk-white seashores, jade waters and swaying palms, that allowed me to modify off and overlook about my worries in a means that I’ve by no means been in a position to do on vacation earlier than.
So, once I acquired the chance to return to paradise shores and go to St Kitts this 12 months, naturally, I jumped on the probability. In contrast to a few of its better-known Caribbean counterparts, the tiny two-island nation – the smallest nation within the Americas, FYI – has an uncrowded attract and many to supply past all-inclusive resorts and fly-and-flop breaks.
Draped in lush rainforest and topped by the mighty 3,972ft volcanic peak of Mount Liamuiga, St Kitts boasts very good mountain climbing, footprint-free seashores, historic sights and characterful bars, plus direct flights from London and the chance to go to its sleepier sister isle Nevis. It’s made for many who need to enterprise past the area’s traditional suspects and discover native tradition, in addition to laze by the pool.
Sound like your cup of tea? Listed below are our highlights, together with what to do, the place to remain and easy methods to get there…
So, the place to start?
After all, you can make a beeline for the seaside, however I’d counsel shaking off the jet lag and profiting from the island’s lush, verdant inside with a rainforest hike.
We meet our information O’Neil Mulraine at Wingfield Property, house to previous sugar mill ruins and the primary working rum property and distillery within the Caribbean. The location has been painstakingly restored by Yorkshireman Maurice Widdowson, permitting guests to find the spectacular stays and study in regards to the island’s turbulent colonial previous.
We go away the property behind as O’Neil guides us by way of jumbles of greenery into the dense rainforest. It’s a aid to flee the scorching noon solar and bask within the shade of mango, tamarind and almond timber. O’Neil has been main excursions right here for over forty years and his botanical data shines by way of, as he introduces us to a lot of St Kitts’ most vital crops and their medicinal properties, which have been used for hundreds of years to remedy all types of illnesses.
Within the temper for journey? You may stay out your greatest Tarzan fantasies and plunge by way of the rainforest cover on an exhilarating zip line with Sky Safaris. We skip the thrill-seeking and head again to Wingfield for a masterclass in rum.
In 2020, Maurice’s son Jack based the Outdated Highway Rum Firm, on a mission to reclaim the island’s previous and convey again rum distillation to the island. For now, it’s crafted from imported batch rum, aged for 12 years then blended and bottled.
I get my first style in a wonderful nutmeg-dusted rum punch, which I sip a little bit too rapidly as we tour the preserved aqueduct, chimney, boiling home, mill home and lime kiln. Feeling a little bit woozy, I’m grateful for the bowl of plantain chips plonked subsequent to me as we begin the tasting.
Hit the strip
Now that you simply’ve acquired a style for rum, make your technique to “The Strip”, which borders South Frigate Bay. Right here, you’ll discover a row of rum bars, seaside shacks and informal eating places the place laid-back Kittitians collect to eat, drink and “lime” (native slang for socialising).
We nab a spot on the aptly-named Boozies on the Seaside, and savour ice-cold bottles of Carib beer and frozen mango margaritas, soundtracked by the lapping waves and soulful reggae beats. With the sand beneath my toes and the tropical solar beating down on my face, I discover all of it too simple to get into the limin’ spirit.
We rock up on a Tuesday afternoon, so the environment is comparatively mellow. If you wish to expertise the island’s occasion scene in all its glory, Friday and Saturday nights are your greatest guess, when the strip comes alive with bonfires, barbecues and stay reggae and soca music into the early hours.
Catamaran cruise to Nevis
No go to to St Kitts is full and not using a day journey to Nevis. You may catch a public ferry or water taxi over to the pint-sized island, however a catamaran cruise is a enjoyable technique to do it. We go for a half-day tour with Leeward Island Charters which incorporates snorkelling stops, an open bar and a seaside lunch in Nevis.
As we sail throughout the cobalt waters, watching palm-lined seashores and rugged mountains roll by, I stretch out on the higher deck feeling completely relaxed. After an hour or so, we don our snorkels and float weightlessly within the nonetheless waters, surrounded by all types of tropical fish and multi-hued coral. It’s the proper morning.
Earlier than lengthy, Nevis’ dramatic volcanic peak comes into view and we drop anchor at Pinney’s Seaside, which is lined with a set of multicoloured seaside bars and shacks. We head straight to Sunshine’s Seaside Bar & Grill, which, apparently, is the place to be. Earlier guests embody Beyonce, Jay Z and Oprah no much less.
We’re fortunate sufficient to satisfy the vivacious proprietor, Sunshine, who insists on sending an array of specialities over to our desk. We feast on fluffy rice, smoky kidney beans, grilled snapper and the very best mac and cheese I’ve tried, washing it down with the bar’s legendary Killer Bee cocktail. The precise recipe is a extremely guarded secret, however relaxation assured, it comprises a hefty measure of rum – not more than two glasses is advisable, in line with locals.
A farm-to-table expertise at Liamuiga Pure Farm
If an genuine culinary expertise is what you’re after, St Kitts received’t disappoint. Whereas many Caribbean vacationer hotspots have been closely influenced by US tradition lately, the island has stayed true to its roots and its unpretentious eateries serve up native classics. We’re speaking spicy goat water stew, crispy conch fritters, candy coconut dumplings, fried plantain and the juiciest grilled lobster you’ve ever tasted.
For an actual foodie expertise, Liamuiga Pure Farm, a family-owned espresso and citrus plantation set excessive within the rainforest, is to not be missed. Right here, visitors are invited to study in regards to the farm’s natural practices and uncover the huge array of fruit and veg grown on website (guavas, ardour fruits, coconuts and inexperienced bananas) with the tour culminating in a farm-to-table feast.
After a steep climb into the thick rainforest, winding spherical tight hairpin bends and passing mango-stealing monkeys, our ex-military truck pulls up on the plantation. “It’s time for breakfast, I hope you’re hungry!” our information Kerryn “Tiem” Williams exclaims.
On a communal picket desk, we’re introduced with a vibrant unfold created totally from the farm’s produce. I pile my banana leaf (no plates right here) excessive with pumpkin pancakes and papaya jam, breadfruit salad, ackee, saltfish and aubergine ratatouille, unable to withstand rounds two and three, despite the fact that I do know we’ll be consuming once more inside the hour.
Our bellies full, Williams talks us on a stroll across the website, displaying us a number of the substances utilized in our breakfast, in addition to stating pineapples, mangos, inexperienced bananas, avocados, limes and all types of squash. Then, it’s again to the desk for a three-course lunch, which incorporates vegetable broth with a zingy chilli sauce, poached fish, salad and the creamiest espresso ice cream I’ve ever tasted.
Anything I ought to do?
In case your weary legs are drained in spite of everything that exercise, then a visit to the seaside is so as. Cockleshell Bay, on the island’s south peninsula is taken into account one of many most interesting, with a protracted stretch of golden-yellow sand, heat waters and sweeping views over to Nevis. Turtle seaside, which is protected against the uneven Atlantic waves, supplies wonderful snorkelling, whereas South Financial institution Bay on the jap tip of the island is right for many who desire to enterprise off the overwhelmed monitor.
For historical past buffs, there’s Brimstone Hill Fortress Nationwide Park, a sprawling hilltop defence arrange by British forces within the 1690s and now a Unesco World Heritage Website. You possibly can simply spend a complete day right here, touring the well-preserved fortress and in depth army museum and taking within the panoramic views throughout neighbouring St Barths, Saba and Stasia.
St Kitts Scenic Railway, which takes passengers on an 18-mile journey across the north coast of the island, is a superb, low-key technique to see the island. The slim gauge line is the one working railway within the Caribbean and was used to move sugar cane from the plantations to the mills till 2005, when the business shut down. Now, vacationers can get pleasure from a two-hour journey on the historic double-decker prepare, with guided commentary, drinks and leisure included.
The place ought to I keep?
Belle Mont Sanctuary Resort at Kittitian Hill
Set excessive up within the hills, surrounded by lush greenery and wild inhabitants, Belle Mont is a paradise for nature lovers. There are 40 cottages and villas in complete, every with its personal personal plunge pool and open-air rest room, full with a rest room, bathe and freestanding tub. Panic not, privateness isn’t a difficulty – the cottages are enveloped in strategically planted palms, permitting you to drink within the sweeping sea views, with solely butterflies, jungle frogs and maybe the odd vervent monkey for firm.
The lodge’s important restaurant, The Kitchen, is a vacation spot inside itself. The meals philosophy is farm-to-fork (the fruit, veg and herbs are all grown on the property and the fish and meat is all native too) with a concentrate on genuine Caribbean flavours. Assume saltfish fritters, pickled pineapple and aubergine, Mahi-Mahi with papaya chutney, rice and peas, plus tongue-tinglingly scrumptious desserts like candy potato pie and carrot cake. Simply unbelievable.
Rooms at Belle Mont Sanctuary Resort begin from $879 (plus taxes) per room per evening, together with breakfast. Ebook right here
Park Hyatt St Kitts
For beachside luxurious with a facet of Caribbean attraction, head to Park Hyatt St Kitts. The five-star is completely positioned on Banana Bay, a curve of flawless seaside with calm crystalline waters. Rooms (there are 126 in complete) are ethereal and fashionable, with floor-to-ceiling home windows and personal balconies or patios with vistas over the manicured lawns and glittering sea. Prime degree rooms additionally boast personal plunge swimming pools and sundecks. The meals is a delight, whether or not you go for the lavish breakfast buffet, a seafood-heavy lunch on the Fisherman’s Village or a elaborate high-quality eating expertise at Stone Barn. Service is slick and the workers are heat, pleasant and attentive, with out overdoing it.
The sprawling resort is a best choice when you’ve got youngsters in tow – there’s a big kid-friendly pool overlooking the ocean, a complimentary children’ membership and myriad day by day actions from kayak classes to film screenings. Whereas the little ones are occupied, dad and mom can laze on a sunlounger by the adults-only pool, head to the Sugar Mill spa for a pampering remedy or benefit from the lodge’s water taxis and discover the island’s environment.
Rooms at Park Hyatt St. Kitts begin from $375 (plus taxes) per room per evening on a room solely foundation. Ebook right here
When to go to
Peak season runs from December to April, when the climate is at its greatest (heat, clear and dry) however the costs are increased. Charges are cheaper throughout summer time and autumn when it’s hotter, stickier and wetter. Hurricane season formally runs from June to November, with the very best danger in August and September and October.
When you go to on the finish of June, your journey will coincide with the legendary St Kitts Music Competition, which has drawn family names through the years together with Shaggy, Jason Derulo, Sean Paul and Shaggy. Mary J Blige is on the line-up this 12 months. December can be a good time to go to if you wish to take in the occasion environment, as St Kitts Carnival (often called Sugar Mas), is in full swing from mid-December to the start of January.
The right way to get there
British Airways flies direct from London Gatwick to St Kitts twice weekly, with return flights ranging from £506 per particular person. The flight is round ten hours and consists of an hour-long stopover in Antigua every means, however you don’t need to disembark. Ebook right here
