St. Kitts and Nevis

Consult with your hotel for a guide. Hike the guided trails for local flavor. Discover the jungle and the many streams with incredible flora and water. Tour the plantations --Rawlins, in particular.

Quick Tips:

These islands are not overly developed yet. Basseterre is an interesting and lively city. I suggest an upstairs chair in a balconied restaurant above the Circus for a neat vantage point.

Best Way To Get Around:

IMHO, if you rent a car, drive slowly and always be polite, regardless. We all have the same values.

Ottley''s Plantation is just above town. Beneath the jungle, leading up toward Mount Liamuiga, Ottley''s is spread across 50 acres or so. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and maintained to original standards. Passing a pond, then a very fun Victorian croquet garden, you enter the plantation house. There are several rooms in the main house. Below the inn is a broad lawn that leads to cottages and the sugar mill. We stayed in a supreme room, which is a cottage with plunge pool.

Highlights:

#1) The Kuesch family were absolutely wonderful hosts, as were the fine staff at Ottley''s. When we left, it felt like leaving family behind.

#2) Dining was wonderful: The ancient sugar mill has been converted into a lounge/dining room along with the adjoining swimming pool. Really charming, and wonderful food!

#3) Our cottage was absolutely beautiful. I particularly liked hanging out by the plunge pool. While we were there, a revival was occurring. A tent had been erected aongside the old church. Listening to the ancient hymms rockin'' through the valley added greatly to the experience.

#4) Ottley''s is huge. We took trails right behind the hotel that were a good introduction to the local jungle. Look for Button''s Garden. See if you can find Button himself. Tell him Pianoman says hi.

Ottley''s Plantation is just a wonderful place to nest while exploring St. Kitts.

We spent the last two nights of our vacation at The Four Seasons resort on Nevis. We stayed in a timeshare property, located beside their golf course. The accommodations were nice, but not really luxurious. What was luxurious was their great open-air lobby, the multi-level lounge and excellent swimming pools that lead to the beach beyond. Now this was a lot of fun. The pools are really cool. There are actually two pools seperated by a lounge in the middle. The pools bend around and lead in a bunch of directions. What I really loved were the clear, glass tiles along the edge of the pool. Every night, someone turned a switch and the pools started changing colors every 15 seconds. You'd be swimming in purple, then yellow, then green...we loved it. Set between the hotel lobby and the pool was a stage where a reggae band played nightly. Now this was extremely cool. I actually jammed with the band one night. Being Pianoman, I never travel without my Melodica. The band welcomed me aboard with a fine rendition of the UB40 classic: "Red, Red Wine."

Of course, the other guests were a bit baffled by my display, but whatever... Also, a BIG PLUS--adjacent to resort, just down the beach, is Sunshine's. This beach bar/shack is great, with local lobsters and brews. Regarding Four Seasons rooms: sorry, we never saw any rooms here, but I wasn't particularly impressed with the buildings they were located in. They looked like three-storey condos to me. Of course, everyone here was very nice and the place really does shine. Oh, I mustn't forget. In the Four Seasons' dining room, for breakfast they offered GREAT lobster hash. WWWWOOOOOWWWW!!!!!!

I'm just remembering: watching that local worker climbing barefoot, right up that 50-foot palm tree, cutting off some dead leaves. GULP!!!