DESTINATIONS ST KITTS CARIBBEAN J
ust when you think you know the Caribbean, you arrive in St Kitts
and it throws all your pre-conceived notions up in the air. The beaches here aren’t backed by all-inclusive hotels. There aren’t any resort areas either. And tourist accommodation is dotted about the island, with each property aiming to please a specific crowd, rather than the mass market. Those on a budget can bag excellent
value for money on St Kitts, while luxury lovers will find five-star options on the rise, including Belle Mont Farm and the YU Lounge (see panel). St Kitts isn’t short on adventurous pursuits or ways to laze around either. Here’s our guide to the island’s highlights, whether holidaymakers prefer a pace fast or slow.
w HISTORY PLAY: You’re in for an aerobic workout when you explore St Kitts’ cherry- on-the-cake attraction. Brimstone Hill Fortress sits on a 40-acre site, 800 feet above the ocean. It was built between 1690 and 1805 to protect British trading interests and has an arsenal of guns that can shoot 32lb cannon balls up to three miles. Once
If you’d rather learn your history with your bum on a seat and a cocktail in hand, the St Kitts’ Scenic Railway is for you
you’ve climbed the steps to the fort’s summit it’s hard to decide what’s more incredible, the ingenious design or the astonishing views of the headland and neighbouring island, St Eustatius. PAUSE: If you’d rather take your history lesson with your bum planted on a comfortable seat and a cocktail in hand, the St Kitts Scenic Railway was made for you. While travelling 12 miles along the northeastern side of the island, upbeat guides give you the lowdown on St Kitts’ past, present and future, as you trundle through cane fields and sugar estates, wind along the coastline, cross aqueducts, cut through quarries and pass by villages where the residents and schoolchildren cheerily wave you on.
w NATURE PLAY: Those who love a challenge could see how quickly they can scoot up St Kitts’ highest peak, the 1,155m Mount Liamuiga. My guide, O’Neil, pointed out century-old ficus trees and orchids hidden among the mesh of bamboo, palms and ferns that line the hiking trail. He recounted that his best group did the climb up in 45 minutes and his slowest took five hours; the average time is two hours. It’s tough and steep in places, and you can expect to notch up muddy knees and fingernails as you grasp at tree roots for support to reach the summit and its view of a concave crater enclosed by verdant hillsides. PAUSE: There’s no need to work up a sweat to surround yourself with St Kitts tropical foliage, just book yourself a massage at Mango Orchard Spa. Set in the lush gardens of Ottley’s Plantation Inn, the spa is a single treatment room in an open-sided clapboard hut that overlooks a rainforested gorge. No soothing music from a CD here, just the rustle of the breeze through palm fronds, the chatter of green monkeys and melodic birdsong to aid your relaxation.
HOW TO SELL
A new lounge opened at St Kitts’ Robert L Bradshaw airport in
2014, and it offers more than the usual newspapers, drinks and snacks. Book clients into the YU Lounge upon arrival, and they’ll be met at the base of the plane steps
LEFT: Sky Safari zipline tour
FAR LEFT:
Brimstone Hill Fortress
BELOW: South Friar’s Bay
by a chauffeur and limousine and driven to a swanky
private terminal. While they sip
Veuve Clicquot champagne and nibble canapés, their baggage will be retrieved and customs and immigration taken care
of. The same applies in
reverse on departure. The service costs
$176 per person per visit and travel agents receive 20% commission on bookings.
yulounge.com
56
travelweekly.co.uk 10 September 2015
PICTURE: CARAMBOLA BEACH CLUB
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92