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Published: December 19th 2023
After a thoroughly enjoyable time on Nevis with our friends, we packed it up and headed out to take the Sea Bridge ferry back to St. Kitts to finish our time in these small islands. This ferry leaves Nevis at 7am, Noon and 5pm. We didn’t want to take a chance of missing it after our adventure a few days before on St. Kitts, so we arrived early. As a matter of fact, we drove over to the dock the afternoon before to make sure we could find it as we had arrived in the black of night a couple of days earlier. Signage is greatly lacking....no, it actually does not exist so we made a test run. Arriving one hour early the next morning and first in line, we waited eagerly for this ferry ride as we enjoyed it so much on the ride to Nevis. This trip was our first ride this type of military vehicle known as Landing Craft Medium (LCM). With great care and experience the ferry crew gave direction in how to back onto the vehicle to maximize capacity. On this return voyage there were two good size commercial trucks that swayed way a little too
Landing Craft Medium
Our ferry to and from Nevismuch for our comfort as our rental car was parked next to one. The ferry crosses a small channel that not only separates Nevis from St. Kitts, but also is also where the Atlantic and Caribbean meet. It gets a bit choppy and breezy here at times and we got to experience that on a seemingly calm and sunny morning. The rocky sea caused the cars to sway in a rhythmic fashion. We were thrilled that a couple of inches of air stayed between the sides of the vehicles and no damage was done by the swaying vehicles. After disembarking, we headed on to our new digs at the Timothy's Beach resort, which is one of a handful of places on the island that is actually on the beach. The property was a bit dated, but served us well for the next couple of days.
Visiting Caribbean Islands was a large part of our life early in our marriage. We didn’t get a lot of vacation time so we would take off and go scuba diving for a week or two on one of the islands each year. We did that for years, so we’ve been to more than
a few Caribbean islands. We love that each island is so unique and different and has its own personality. We had read that St. Kitts and Nevis are the smallest nation in the United Nations and indeed we found that to be true. These are small islands are perfect for people who want to lay by the pool, swim in the sea and enjoy water sports. Outside of that, there's not a lot going on this small volcanic-formed isle.
A highlight for us on St. Kitts was a drive to Black Rocks on the northeastern side of the island with our friends. The stunning black volcanic formations decorate this lovely beach. The seas crash against the rocks and glisten in the sunshine. The views are well worth the short drive.
Both Nevis and St. Kitts have a ring road around the island. On Nevis, it takes about an hour to make the circle and maybe an hour and a half on St. Kitts. This is if you're not in a hurry. In reality, you can probably do it quicker if you don’t make stops. Mount Liamuiga is the highest point on St. Kitts with an elevation of 3,792
feet. It is ever changing with the clouds moving in and out and sometime surrounding the area. It is the simple things but we always enjoy islands with many goats wandering about. The locals we met on both islands were in the service industry and were extremely happy and friendly. They are very attractive people as well. There is something about the islanders that we admire as they don't experience that hustle and bustle of mainland life, so their outlook is quite different.
On our journey around the ring road, we stopped to look at a tug boat, which was busy rusting out on the shoreline. Looks like the vessel may have run aground years before and did not sink. It was just resting there with the waves slapping at it. Maybe a fierce storm was the culprit. It looked like it had been there quite a while and had no intention of moving.
On our drive around the island, we noticed a fort up in the hills. At this point, none of us were in the mood to visit the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park. We retuned a couple of days later after our friends went on
to explore other islands. We got up early and explored the fortress before the cruise ship passengers showed up. Being a UNESCO site, we should have known it would be worthy of the stop.
This restoration project has been going on since 1965. Traditional techniques have been used in the project as well as a discreet use of modern and traditional materials. The Brimstone Hill fortress showcases engineering from the 17
th and 18
th centuries in a Caribbean context. This was a British project built on the backs of the African slaves to protect the coastline from a sea attack. From a military perspective the elevated position provided an advantage and today it provides magnificent views not only of St. Kitts, but on this day, you could clearly see St. Eustatisus On a clear day, one can see the islands of Saba, St. Eustatius, Saint Martin/Maarten and Saint Barthelemy. We are glad we went back as we enjoyed the fortress, the museum and the views.
In 1623, St. Kitts was the site of Great Britain’s first Caribbean Settlement. Just as Nevis this island was populated for two hundred years with slave labor on the sugar plantations. Slavery was abolished
Enjoying Black Rocks
James, Andy, Sylvia, Kevin, MJ, Dave on St. Kitts in 1883. A story often repeated throughout the Caribbean islands.
We enjoyed two days on St. Kitts after our friends left that allowed us to relax around the pool at our hotel and swim in the Caribbean. We had been quite busy since Dave's assignment ended a couple of weeks ago and it was good for the soul just to kick back and do a lot of nothing for a day or two. From our perch at the pool, we watched a group from the cruise ships go sea kayaking and another group rode off on small inflatable boats or zodiacs. While we were swimming in the Caribbean a dolphin swam slowly into the cove and allowed multiple people to pet him. He was traveling alone, and we are not sure he was healthy. He seemed in respiratory distress.
Both islands are populated with monkeys and mongoose. We saw two mongoose and one monkey but they moved too fast for photos. We will post a photo we took of a stuffed monkey while at the museum. LOL. We guess he didn’t move fast enough. There is a medical school and veterinary school if you want
to study in a warm climate.
We had a nice trip, but these two islands are rather unremarkable. Yes, they are lush and green but we like other islands that we have been to better. St. Kitts and Nevis are small and the perfect stop on a cruise which is not the case for many Caribbean islands… in our opinion.
As a side note, in December 2021, the Travelers Century Club (TCC) split St. Kitts and Nevis into two entities for our counting purposes. This decision was based on TCC’s federation rule, which admits certain constituent parts of federations. I’m not sure I completely understand the process or why Nevis qualified, but it had something to do with the TCC allowing for constitutional monarchies within federations.
It was now time to head home, but as is not uncommon in the islands, our flight was delayed some four hours out of Miami, so we made ourselves at home in the St. Kitts airport for a long stretch until our plane arrived. Ah....the islands....
Place we stayed: Timothy’s Beach Resort – good location- you can walk to restaurants and bars.
Restaurants recommended: Boozies at the
Margarita Night
At The Monkey Bar Beach – our favorite
The Shipwreck
The Monkey Bar
Zanzi
Our previous blog: Navigating Nevis
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alex waring
Alexander Waring
St Kitts
I really need to do a Caribbean trip I think. So many islands, so unique and distinct from each other. St Kitts seems slightly more happening than Nevis, although still a chill place to spend some time. Glad you were able to get some down time in after Dave's last assignment. It seems a trip that perfectly combined rest time, friend time, food time, and a bit of adventurous exploring on the side. Not to mention not just one, but now two, more TCC locations to tick off!