Our next stop after the BVIs: Saint Kitts and Nevis, meaning more new places for us to explore! We arrived on Tuesday and spent fun rainy days exploring Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Both islands, and many in this region of the Caribbean, are marked by a large mountain, making them easy to spot from sea. Each is a rain forest which we thought accounted for the clouds and rain since our arrival. We have since learned it is just timing. It’s the end of the dry season and rain is much needed.
St. Kitts is larger and less accessible than Nevis, at least from our experience on our sailboat.
Arrival in Saint Kitts
It’s Saint Christopher!!
I learned something new when we got to Saint Kitts. It’s a nickname for the true island name, St. Christopher!
Anchoring in St. Kitts
We didn’t enjoy checking in to St. Christopher. To be honest it was a pain in the ass.
First we tried anchoring near the town of Bassaterre but the waves were rough so we moved down the island a few miles to the anchorage outside the marina in Christophe Harbor.
While the southern anchorage was nice, and the new marina is lovely, we couldn’t check in there. There’s only one place in St. Kitts with customs and immigration. So a $35 cab ride each way back to Bassaterre to check in. At least we got a little island tour on the drive and some restaurant recommendations!
We were tired from our 26 hour crossing from BVI, and arrived at the port at nearly 5pm highly exhausted. Every check-in is an experience, and this was no different! The customs and immigration people were very nice but my sleep-deprived brain made mistakes on the forms and the agents didn’t know how to work the new computer system so it took almost an hour before we were officially checked in to St. Kitts and Nevis.
By then it was too late to get a sim card and we were too tired to explore the main town of St. Kitts. It’s a big cruise port catering to day tourists so we weren’t highly interested. Back to the boat for much needed rest.
Beach Bars in Saint Kitts
One of the best things about exploring Saint Kitts and Nevis is the beach bars! Saint Kitts has some great beach bars, some quite close to our anchorage. The overcast weather didn’t keep us and the cruise ship customers from enjoying drinks on the beach and swimming in the sea. At Shipwreck Beach Bar, we got to see monkeys and connect with other south bound cruisers. Unfortunately, it’s expensive and difficult to explore Saint Kitts, so we sailed to Nevis on Thursday morning.
Exploring Nevis
Nevis, the smaller of the two islands, is known as a tax haven for the rich and selfish. We know it for the generosity and friendliness of the locals, the abundance of animals, and the history. We did some exploring on our own and an island tour with Teach.
Animals in Nevis
One of my favorite things about Nevis is the proximity to animals! Not only chickens like everywhere else we’ve been, the roads of Nevis are full of roaming donkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, and monkeys. We got to see lots of them on our island tour, running across and even playing in the streets.
Nevis is charming and we’d love to get closer to the animals, but they run away when we approach. The goats and pigs climb fences way faster than I would have thought!
Nevis History
Animals aside, Nevis is famous for human residents. The Alexander Hamilton museum, his birthplace, blasts music from the award-winning musical which has boosted tourism to the historic spot. It’s a quick 15 minute walk through the exhibition, and the partnered museum of Nevis History, and probably a miss unless you’re a huge fan.
Admiral Lord Nelson married a woman from Nevis and many island attractions are dedicated to them. His wife, Fanny Nesbit, was incredibly wealthy and her former plantation is one of several on the island now serving as high end hotels for tourists. The architecture, landscaping and views of the plantations are stunning today.
If you come, you can stay at one of several plantations turned hotels, including one where Princess Di stayed 30 years ago! The hotel still has security because of the Princess Diana fans who try to snoop and see where she stayed.
Nevis Nightlife
You can have fun times in Nevis at Sunshine’s Bar at Pinney’s Beach. It’s a laid-back beach bar where they play retro 80s and 90s soul music and serve the popular – and strong – rum punch called Killer Bees. We’ll have a few more later today before we leave Nevis.
We’re Still Moving
We had fun exploring Saint Kitts and Nevis, but we’ve got to keep moving. Next stop: Antigua.
We’re getting closer to our goal of Grenada for hurricane season, which is breathing down our necks. It’s a race we must win, while still having time to visit as many of these lovely islands on the way.
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