CHARLESTOWN, Nevis -- From the front porch of the Blue Cottage,
circa 1640, I could just see the pool behind a small rise near the
doghouse.
From the upstairs screened-in veranda, I watched green vervet
monkeys clamoring for mangos in the trees.
I was at the Hermitage Plantation Inn in the town of Figtree in
the parish (county) of St. John in the Gingerland district of
Nevis, staring out at lush foliage and listening to bird calls.
There was not an ocean wave within sight or sound, and it suited
me just fine.
Usually, beach views and beach access dictate my lodging
preferences in the Caribbean, so this was a radical departure from
my standard operating procedure.
Later, of course, I did see the beach, several beaches in fact,
plus botanical gardens, other plantation inns and resorts, pots of
red Nevis clay at the Newcastle Pottery, thermal springs, Alexander
Hamilton's birthplace and a hill called The Flats, a fort, a port,
stone churches and ghauts -- deep cuts in the earth that carry
rainwater to the sea.
Nevis Peak in the center of the island dominated every view. It
soared 3,232 feet, and its peak seemed always smothered in
clouds.
My guide warned me the first day never to hike alone on Nevis
Peak. The trails are impenetrable and steep, and hikers can easily
lose their way. It hadn't been on my activity list anyway, but I
was glad for a legitimate excuse.
Nevis is small -- only eight miles long by six miles wide. One
main road circles the island, which has yet to install a traffic
light or open a movie theater, although Nevisians are quite proud
of their four on-island ATM machines.
My visit -- my first, although I cannot figure out why I'd
waited so long -- offered a quick peek at a destination that's long
attracted nontraditional visitors in search of unique
accommodations, historic ruins, good restaurants, local culture,
little nightlife and even less glitz.
One hotelier described Nevis as "a place for significant
individuals who don't want to be recognized, who are well-traveled
and elegant. Nevis is not a place for hotshots."
Helen Kidd, the CEO of the Nevis Tourism Authority on whose watch
visitor numbers have risen significantly -- 12% in 2003 over 2002
-- reported a "significant" first quarter with more than 40,000
land-based visitors, helped in part by the launch in March of
American Eagle's daily service from San Juan. (A second daily
flight begins July 1, which continues on to Antigua.) Cruise calls
also are way up.
"Nevis is ideal for small, luxury cruise lines, and they seem to
be discovering that our island is a favorite for their passengers.
We anticipated 67 cruise ship calls for all of 2004, but through
mid-May, we had 106 calls bringing more than 14,500 passengers,"
Kidd said.
So, how do these visitors spend their time on Nevis?
Most explore by rental car for a day or two (driving is on the
left) before booking a dive, hiking a rain-forest trail or settling
in a hammock.
Here's what I did:
• Pinney's Beach is probably Nevis' best-known attraction. Its
seven miles form the beachfronts of several resorts, including the
Four Seasons, Oualie Beach Hotel, the Cliff Dwellers, Hurricane
Cove and the beach clubs for Hermitage Plantation Inn and
Montpelier Plantation.
Don't look for the aquamarine waters of the Bahamas or the soft
sands of Antigua -- Nevis has grainy sand, some of it volcanic
black -- but Pinney's Beach is wide and uncrowded.
Grab a Killer Bee rum punch at Sunshine's beach shack just down
from the Four Seasons.
• The eight acres of Nevis' Botanical Gardens sit in the shadow
of Nevis Peak. This site has been open only six years but rates
high on visitor comment cards for its natural streams, waterfalls,
lagoons, fountains, tropical flora, flowers, spiraling blue jade
vines and bronze statues.
Allow about an hour for a walk-through; group tours take longer,
but Martha's Teahouse upstairs in a plantation-style great house
offers sea views and snacks.
• Although Bath Springs and Bath Hotel, which dates to 1778, had
damage from storms and neglect over the years, restoration work is
under way.
A "relaxing pool" opened in May, where visitors and locals can
dip in the hot thermal, therapeutic waters with temperatures
ranging from 104 to 108 degrees. Soon to come will be a restaurant,
massage huts and changing rooms.
The hotel, once used as a playground by the rich and famous who
came to Nevis to dip and dunk in the therapeutic waters, plans to
reopen with a cultural center and historic exhibits.
• Charlestown, the waterfront capital, is about as Caribbean
quaint as they come, with weathered facades, stone buildings and
churches, Victorian fretwork, some shops, schools and the small
Museum of Nevis History housed in the birthplace of Alexander
Hamilton. The ferry to and from St. Kitts docks right off Main
Street.
Try curried lamb, rice and peas at Unella's on the waterfront
where locals and boaters hang out.
• Stop at Newcastle Pottery on the north coast. Red clay pots,
statues, vases, bowls and bottles are shaped by hand, fired over
burning coconut husks and sold at modest prices.
To contact reporter Gay Nagle Myers, send e-mail to [email protected].
• • •
Nevis contacts
• Mount Nevis Hotel and Beach Club, (800) 75-NEVIS, www.mountnevishotel.com.
• Montpelier Plantation Inn, (869) 469-3462, www.montpeliernevis.com.
• Nisbet Plantation, (800) 742-6008, www.nisbetplantation.com.
• Four Seasons Resort Nevis, (800) 332-3442, www.fourseasons.com.
• Botanical Gardens of Nevis, (869) 469-7246, www.botanicalgardennevis.com.
• Newcastle Pottery, (869) 469-1746.
• Nevis Tourism Authority, (866) 55-NEVIS, www.nevisisland.com.
On Nevis, accommodations run the gamut
By Gay Nagle Myers
CHARLESTOWN, Nevis -- Agents have to think outside the box when
it comes to recommending accommodations on Nevis. This is not an
island of big resorts, save for the Four Seasons, which, with its
179 rooms, 43 villas and 17 suites, "is the engine that drives this
island," as one hotelier said.
No hotel can be built higher than a palm tree, but that law
doesn't apply to some of the old plantation inns set high in the
hills, such as the Hermitage's Victorian-style Main House and its
gingerbread cottages or Montpelier's fieldstone great house and its
hillside rooms.
Whereas Nisbet Plantation Beach Club combines an 18th-century
manor house with yellow Bermuda-style bungalows that line a
sweeping lawn leading to the beach, Hurricane Cove's units cling to
a cliff overlooking Oualie Beach. Mount Nevis Hotel and Beach Club
sits on a former lime plantation.
"Our accommodations are a real mix, which appeals to our
guests," said Helen Kidd, CEO of the Nevis Tourism Authority.
"Nevis is not just plantation hotels. There is a place here for
modern properties, too."
Hotels in Nevis "do not compete head to head because there is
such variety. Visitors who come here don't want, nor do they expect
to find, the standard fare. There's real pride of property on
Nevis," Kidd said.
The Nevis Tourism Authority, based in an historical building in
the center of Charlestown, puts out an impressive array of tourist
material, and its Web site (www.nevisisland.com) has loads of
accommodations information.
Some observations not found in the brochures:
• Hermitage Plantation Inn, where I stayed, is definitely not
standard fare. The main house is 300-plus years old -- the oldest
surviving wooden house in the Caribbean.
One- and two-story, pastel gingerbread cottages are tucked
throughout the gardens and near the pool. Owners Richard and
Maureen Lupinacci are gracious, fun hosts who are around much of
the time to chat with guests. The small bar in the parlor sets the
mood for dinner on the veranda.
One morning, I walked up the road to the plantation's stables
and barnyard, photographed horses and goats and had to remind
myself that I was in the Caribbean, not at summer camp.
• Four Seasons Resort Nevis opened its spa last year, which "is
as popular with men as with women," according to Robert Whitfield,
general manager.
The spa is designated as an adults-only facility, which is a
relief since much of the resort, particularly during holiday
periods, resembles recess time at PS 22.
The redone Grill Room, renamed Neve, opened last fall. A travel
agent on a fam trip to the resort came up with the name, which
means "snow" in Italian.
It all ties in: In 1493, on his second voyage to the New World,
Columbus named the island Nieves, the Spanish word for "snows,"
because its volcanic peak reminded him of the snow-capped
Pyrenees.
• The dining terrace at Mount Nevis Hotel and Beach Club on the
island's north end has a dramatic view of St. Kitts and the narrow
channel separating the two islands.
If diners are lucky, some of the Meguid family members, who own
the 32-room resort, will stop by to spin a bit of Nevisian and
Kittician history.
DVD players, Internet and Wi-Fi access in rooms, a 60-foot lap
pool and a fitness center suggest a hotel more contemporary than
colonial, although the 18th-century ruins of the Thomas Cottle
Church are on site.
"Mount Nevis lives on repeat bookings," Adly Meguid said. "We
pay 15% commission and award a free room to every agent who books a
room with us. Agents can accumulate these free rooms, use them for
themselves or give [them] to clients."
• Montpelier Plantation Inn, built in 1966, was bought two years
ago by the Hoffman family, who did a top-to-bottom renovation,
leaving only the trademark kapok tree in the center of the main
walkway untouched.
Lincoln Hoffman described Montpelier as a "17-room, family-style
boutique inn with no plans to expand."
Although the hotel has three restaurants, including one in an
old stone windmill that seats 12 for candlelight dinners, Hoffman
stressed that "Montpelier is a hotel with restaurants, not
restaurants with a hotel."
• Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, set on 30 acres with 38 cottages
sweeping down to the sea, is embarking on a $3 million renovation,
according to Don and Kathie Johnson, general managers.
The cottage count will be reduced to 34; bathrooms expanded with
double Jacuzzi tubs and outdoor garden showers; and high-speed,
in-room Internet access installed next fall.
A full gym and spa will be added, and Coconuts restaurant will
be extended farther along the beach.
"We sell romance and reconnection at Nisbet in everything from
heart-shaped pancakes at breakfast to having no TVs in the rooms
and no kids' program," Johnson said. "Life is short. We want Nisbet
to exceed guests' expectations of the old Caribbean."
To contact reporter Gay Nagle Myers, send e-mail to [email protected].
• • •
Room key: Hermitage Plantation Inn
Address: P.O. Box 497, Gingerland, Nevis
Phone: (869) 469-3477
Reservations: (800) 682-4025
Web:www.hermitagenevis.com
Managers: Richard and Maureen Lupinacci
Location: Nestled 810 feet above sea level in
south-central Nevis, surrounded by a rain forest, mango trees and
tropical gardens with a distant view of the sea (15 minutes away).
Charlestown, the capital, is 10 minutes by car and Vance Amory
International Airport, 30 minutes.
No. of rooms: 15 rooms and suites with bath in
individual island cottages.
Facilities: Plantation hotel centered around the
340-year-old Main House, believed to be the oldest surviving wooden
house in the Caribbean. Gardens, a pool, bar and dining verandah,
the Water Lily Spa, a library, a tv room in the Main House, tennis,
stables, Fanny's Closet Shop boutique and carriage rides with
Belgian horses and Victorian carriages. Hermitage Beach Club, 10
minutes away at Pinney's Beach, is open for lunch and dinner.
Rates: From $180 per room, per night, double in
hillside rooms to $265 in luxury cottages, through Dec. 14.
Includes Planters breakfast and complimentary transfers to its
beach club. Packages available.
Commission: 10%
Review: What's not to love? Heirloom canopy beds,
antiques, porches with hammocks, afternoon tea, ceiling fans,
highland breezes and vervet monkeys scampering among tree branches.
The restaurant is a standout as well. It does not get much better
than this.