OliverB

Thanks for the clarification! If Nisbet is on Nevis, that should narrow down the options, as I'm quite set on the Hermitage. Do you know anything about the St Kitts properties? Based on some of the TA reviews for Belle Mont, I'm leaning towards Ottley's but I've not seen it mentioned yet on FlyerTalk. I usually take TA feedback with a grain of salt, but the negative reviews of the property seem to be judiciously written. Is 2-3 nights on St Kitts and 6-7 nights on Nevis a sound plan of attack?

OliverB

I'll just add that from the photos I'm seeing online, Ottley's looks like a slightly more upscale and prettier version of Nesbit (also very nice but seems to exude more of a country club resort vibe than historic plantation property) so I think a combo stay at Hermitage and Ottley's should round out the trip diversely and deliver the best of both worlds. I'm pretty sure that's what we'll end up doing.

aa213bb

Swung by Nisbet for a languid lunch when we stayed at the FS a few years ago. Very much enjoyed it.

The only drawback - though a fairly big one - is its location in the hills, making the water a hike.

OliverB

Hermitage is located in the hills as well, no?

Either way, we'll be renting a scooter to zip around the island for the week.

Valveking

Nisbet isn't in the hills. I don't know much about Otley but Nisbet would be a good combination with the Hermitage because you would have one hotel on the water and one up in the hills. The Four Seasons is nice as well, but I don't gather you are looking for a larger resort.

aa213bb

My mistake ... for some reason I confused Nisbet with Montpelier Plantation, the R&C property.

Sorry 'bout that.

Pausanias

Tourism on St Kitts is expanding all the time - BA now flies there direct and there is to be a Park Hyatt quite shortly. It's a lovely island which I last visited in November 2015 on a cruise. We hired a car and drove the island and I'd recommend doing this for everyone. Brimstone Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is magnificent and there are sweeping views across to St Eustatius and Saba. The only blot on the landscape is the hideous Marriott resort.

Back in the day, Rene Lecler used to include Ottley's in his 300 Best Hotels in the World. Then he switched his allegiance to Rawlins Plantation, then to The Golden Lemon.

I've stayed at two places on Nevis and would recommend Montpelier Plantation which is a very pretty place indeed. I don't fancy the Four Seasons at all and actually think it ruined one of the finest beaches in the Caribbean.

MikeFromTokyo

I agree it is a shame Four Seasons was built without sensitivity to the beach and wetlands. But, Four Seasons is not without its good points, and I dare say that it has been far better for the island to have a Four Seasons managed resort as its only large resort than it would have been if a major chain had built one instead. FS has been a great employer for Nevisians, and many are proud of their jobs there.

I agree that Montpelier is very nice, but even when staying there or elsewhere, it is nice to have the ability to dine at Four Seasons or visit its spa. In addition to the other good restaurants on the island, of course.

OliverB

It's been my understanding that Nevis is still somewhat "under the radar" of most travelers; at least as far as Caribbean islands go. Isn't it one of the least developed islands in the Caribbean?

Would you suggest that 5-7 days on Nevis would seem best suited to a leisurely vacation in the tropics? What about St Kitts? Would you recommend dividing our time differently between the islands? Any idea why Rene Lecler switched from Ottley's to the other properties on St Kitts?

Back to Nevis, I've looked into Montpelier and it does seem lovely. The Hermitage is of another era and appears to be the last of it's kind in the islands, and for that reason, it appeals to me more. We certainly plan to visit Montpelier and even schedule a rum tasting in the historic stone mill though.

It's a shame about the FS and Hyatt developments. Hopefully we'll still find our private island hideaway in the off-season. There's really no such thing as bad weather in the Caribbean, right? I think we're aiming for late May into early June of next year; we can squeeze a few more days of vacation time out by planning the trip over Memorial Day weekend.

Pausanias

It's true that St Kitts isn't as developed as, say, nearby Sint Maarten/St Martin but it's growing quickly. I think the government has decided to develop St Kitts while maintaining Nevis as its quieter sibling. Not a bad arrangement, actually.

We spent a week on Nevis which was very relaxing and pleasant and have also combined it with Antigua. Rene Lecler was a long time ago now and a law unto himself - The Gallivanters Guide is hugely indebted to him but Lecler was a proper traveller whereas Ms Middlehurst doesn't seem brave enough to stray too far from a Tod's shop.

Weather in the Caribbean is virtually guaranteed to be lovely. It rains quite a bit but it's the tropics. Beaches can also disappear or change their character because of the hurricanes in Sep-Oct which is the only time to avoid. I don't think anywhere in the Caribbean offers the sort of remote, desert island experience that you find in the South Pacific. It's very Americanised and busy all year round.

OliverB

Thanks Pausanias. It's interesting that you say that... A large part of the reason we began looking at Nevis was because we'd read that it was one of the last vestiges of old island life. Of course, the fact that it's been appearing (at least as of late) on numerous travel lists of most spectacular and lesser frequented island destinations, usually in the top five, is probably an indicator that it's not quite as remote and isolated as it's been marketed. I don't want to veer too off-topic, but do you have any suggestions for such places in the South Pacific? Hawaii is really the only island destination that I've visited in the tropics. I've always fantasized about traveling to French Polynesia, but it seems like the luxury hotel market has transformed many of those islands into overdeveloped and overpopulated honeymoon destinations, which has killed any desire to visit. The private islands are prohibitively expensive and many of the top end destinations seem discordant with my impressions of laid-back island life.

Pausanias

Oliver - I was on Nevis in November 2014 and will be there again in February but only on a small ship/expedition cruise this time. It's roughly the same place as it was 30 years ago and utterly charming. Other places you might like in the Caribbean are St Eustatius and Dominica which have very little tourism, mainly because they lack the beaches that almost everyone craves. When I said that the Caribbean lacks the desert island appeal of the South Pacific I forgot the Grenadines which is part of St Vincent. This chain of islands is gorgeous and has several hotel options. Grenada is also very pretty, like a much larger Nevis, with two or three lovely hotels - Calabash was the one we chose.

I've made maybe a dozen trips to the South Pacific and it remains my all-time favourite place in the world. French Polynesia remains a very laid-back place and even honeymoon meccas like Bora Bora and Moorea lack anything like the hotels you see in Hawaii. For the desert island experience look at the Tuamotus - atolls such as Tikehau, Rangiroa and Fakarava. Aitutaki in the Cook Islands is stunning and undeveloped compared to Bora Bora. If you don't mind sacrificing four or five-star comfort than I'd recommend the Sandy Beach Resort in Tonga. Hard to reach, difficult to leave. Fiji has some high-end, private island options and it's also worth driving the main island. I also love Vanuatu and, especially, the Solomon Islands but hotel options are limited. And finally, I think the most beautiful island in the world is the Isle of Pines in New Caledonia.

aa213bb

OliverB, Nevis is quite charming, and I think will give you most of what you want. It's very lovely, and we spent a long weekend (5 nights) there, quite languidly.

Kent

I realize this is a couple months old at this point, but just wanted to point out that you can actually get to the beach on Meads Bay without using stairs. Take the path towards the fitness center and then go right down the cut-out that is just after it. To get to Turtle Cove, you do have to take stairs.

msm2000uk

Thanks all for the follow-up messages.

My other-half and I have actually cancelled our trip to Antigua/Anguilla due to the Zika virus - with a little person on the way, I'm not taking the risks!

However, we will be back when things clear up!