Sophisticated St Kitts and Little Nevis – Jewels of the Caribbean

My first experience when visiting St Kitts and Little Nevis was during a sea voyage round the various Caribbean Islands.  I considered these two islands to be among the most desirable areas in the Caribbean.  The history is fascinating and I learned that when Columbus discovered St Kitts in 1493, he liked it so much that he decided to name the island after himself and the saint – Christopher, but 130 years later it was renamed by Sir Thomas Warner as St Kitts and that name still remains.  The British and French fought for a long time for control of the islands but eventually the British finally took over and sugar plantations appeared on the scene.

Today St Kitts is a beautiful island, as I discovered during my stop over and remains unspoiled thanks to a sensible policy of controlled development.  The population of the island are determined to keep it that way.  Basseterre meaning “low land” in French is the capital town with approximately 15,000 population where a delightful market is held regularly. I was fascinated when wandering up the side streets to find tiny shops offering original hand made jewellery – simple but decorative pieces made of shell or bone.  I was fascinated too by the sandy beaches, ruined forts, old colonial style mansions as well as a selection of modern hotels, water sports and golf facilities. A further delight during my visit was ‘eating out’.  The seafood is fantastic especially lobster, crab, sea urchin, turtle, stewed, fried, baked or grilled and served with various interesting sauces.  Of course, meat and poultry dishes were equally as tempting.  Life for people lucky enough to live in this paradise is of the highest quality.

Did you know that Lord Horatio Nelson was involved in a whirlwind romance with Fanny Nisbet while his ship was berthed off-shore on the island of Nevis.  He married her in Fig Tree village church when she had no idea at all that he would become Britain’s greatest ever naval commander.  Since then Nevis has long been the hideaway vacation ground of the rich and famous.  Nevis is also known as the “Queen of the Caribbees”, part of the Leeward Islands in the West Indies.  I was lucky enough to visit this Island which lies two miles south of St Kitts by Catamaran and enjoyed a pleasant picnic on the beach followed by swimming in the clear blue sea.  I learned that eco-tourism is an important part of this island’s industry.  There are nature trails for hiking, horseback riding, biking and facilities for tennis and golf.  There are a number of shops, museums and historical sites.

More on other islands in the Caribbean to follow in future blogs and welcome comments from other bloggers about their experiences in these beautiful islands.

Eugenie