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Published: December 10th 2023
There are some travel journeys that are seemingly straight forward, but take unforeseen turns, only to eventually work out just fine. Our travel to the lovely island of Nevis was exactly that. Living in Florida, the three-hour journey to the Miami Airport and the flight to St. Kitts were essentially uncomplicated, then the unexpected happened. Let us back up just a little. We had originally booked a nice home to share with our friends Sylvia and Kevin (from the Travelers Century Club) on Nevis back in early July. Normally, you hear from the owners closer to your arrival date with the details about where the home is located and check in information. When Dave did not hear from the host even after messaging him, he placed a call to the owner, only to be told that the he had de-listed the property about a week after the reservation had been made in July. We were disappointed VRBO had not informed us of this as we didn’t know we didn’t have a place to stay until we started this search. A few calls later, and a bit of angst, that issue was resolved and then the search for another property began. Fortunately,
Colorful flora
The Allamanda or Yellow Bell.that was a quick resolution, and we had a new booking. Due to a Nevis phone issue, we had trouble communicating with the owner of the new accommodation, but this was eventually resolved. Okay….that was settled.
It is noteworthy to mention that we were landing in St. Kitts and then taking a ferry to Nevis to begin our trip. As public transportation is non-existent in this beautiful isle of Nevis, we needed to rent a car and take it on the ferry to Nevis. The first hurdle was that while researching the ferries, you could not find anyone to contact regarding a reservation. Some departure times were listed on a general information website, but that was about it. Our flight arrived about 2:30 and we needed to clear customs – which was a non-event and then on to the car rental agency. From our research we knew there were two different ferry locations, and we needed the Sea Bridge Ferry as it had a 6pm voyage. An inquiry at the rental car agency about the ferry location got us a description on how to get to the ferry, so off we went.
Some communication confusion On arrival
at the ferry terminal we volunteered Kevin to go check on tickets and find out where we needed to go. Kevin was told that the ferry was fully booked. We were a bit upset as we had proactive and tried calling and emailing prior to our arrival to make ferry arrangements. Kevin and Merry Jo returned to the ferry office to seek additional information. The first young lady encountered had told Kevin the ferries were booked but was telling Merry Jo there was a ferry at 6pm and to return at 530pm. We asked questions about where and how to purchase the tickets when a second woman came along and informed us the ferry was returning at 5pm from Nevis and would not go back that day. She suggested we return for the 6am ferry. At this point frustration raised its ugly head and we calmly said please help us understand as we know there is a ferry at 6pm. They continued to push back and encourage us to return for the 6am ferry and was told we would have to wait until tomorrow…..not good as it was approaching 4:30 and the sun would set in about one hour.. One
The gang
Andy, James, Dave, Merry Jo, Kevin, Sylvia. last time we asked about a 6pm ferry when we a third woman joined the conversation from the back of the room. She was about six feet five inches tall and holding a baby—it really has nothing to do with the story but added interest to the conversation. She said the Sea Bridge Ferry is on the other side of the island and is leaving at 6pm but she said you’ll never make it as it takes an hour to get there. We asked for an address, and we were told it was in Major’s Bay past Frigate Bay. The lightbulb went off that we were not at the Sea Bridge location and the Avis people had sent us to the closest ferry station, not the one we had requested. Looking at the clock we decided to make a run for it. Back in the car we put the best description we could into the GPS and headed off toward Major’s Bay. Soon after we took off, we got excited because the GPS said it would only take us 20 minutes to get there, not the hour we had been told. Stress was running high in the car and Dave
was distracted by two and a half navigators. Sylvia was being nice and not adding much to our confusion. Dave finally told Kevin & MJ to quiet down so he could concentrate while driving on the wrong side of the road. Message received. Indeed, the GPS was correct, and we arrived with 40 minutes to spare! We saw three cars in line, so we joined in. We got out to ask questions of the car behind us as everyone had their cars facing away from the ferry dock. We learned we would back in so we could pull off the ferry easier. During our wait we made friends with the gentlemen in the car behind us and his family who were originally from Taiwan and had lived in Manchester for several years. For the past four years they have lived on Nevis and own the Calypso Hotel. We will check it out if we return to Nevis. They were so nice, and we were grateful they explained how to drive onto the ferry and that we would pay for the passage as we got off. We enjoyed talking with them about various parts of the world that we had traveled
Fish tacos
Turtle Time to. We love these kinds of interactions when we travel. It makes it very satisfying.
These ferries are (military vehicles from WWII, LCM) Landing Craft Medium and only hold about a dozen cars so get there early just in case. The fee at Seabridge was $140 which included round trip for four passengers. We believe there is a fee for the vehicle and a fee per person. In the next blog we will share a very interesting story about the return trip to St. Kitts.
Our host waited for us to arrive at the house and gave us the tour of her home. We will provide as much information as we can so you can rent this place. It is better than the photos on VRBO and the photos were very good..... Marva was amazingly attentive and kept checking on us. 5-stars on this three-bedroom home. Marva suggested restaurants nearby as we had not eaten since 9am and it was 7pm.
Once we checked in, we headed out to eat as we were quite famished. We had drinks and a lovely dinner at the Yachtsman and then back to the abode for a good night’s sleep. We
Meals and telling tales
Dinner at the Turtle Time on Nevis slept the sleep of the weary but happy travelers. Our first full day on the island was slow to start as we wanted some time to drink coffee and tea in our lovely home and enjoy the surrounding views. And of course, being with fellow travelers, we chatted constantly about travel.
Alexander Hamilton and more We finally made it to Café des Arts by 1130am and had fresh juice and a nice breakfast before heading off to enjoy the Museum of Nevis History and Alexander Hamilton’s home. This small museum is full of historical information on Nevis, St. Kitts, the evolution of this island nation, slavery, battles and more. Evidentially, this is the smallest U.N. nation. We learned a wealth of information about Alexander Hamilton who was born a bastard child on this island before moving to St. Croix at the age of ten and eventually to New York City. His life was a full and interesting one…up until his fateful duel with a fellow named Aaron Burr.
We spent the next few hours driving slowly and taking in the flora and looking at the architecture of the churches, which most are Anglican, of which there are
many for a small island of about 10,000 people. We spent a little time wandering graveyards including the small Jewish graveyard of eleven. We stopped at the grocery to purchase breakfast foods for our remaining days. The weather was lovely as were the continuing conversations as we made our way back to our temporary abode. Andy and James had arrived on the island by then and we met them for dinner. Andy is also a TCC member, who has traveled with his long time friend James for more than a few trips over the years. Putting this many TCC members together is a recipe for hearing multiple stories of places traveled and those to come.
The next day had us up and nosing around this lush green island circumferentially, stopping at Golden Rock Inn, which was an unusual hotel built of granite surrounded by all types of native plants and flowers. Regrettably, the trees had grown taller as the years have passed, cutting off what are most likely spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean. We wiled away the day in each other’s company eating, drinking, and telling even more tales of travel. This is not uncommon when you are
The lovely Marva
Our Host at VRBO among fellow travelers who share this passion. Our drive in through these forested hills took us to a recommended restaurant on the water next to the airport called Drift. We highly recommend a leisurely stop to enjoy the beach and food.
We vacillated on whether we wanted to find the St. Charles Fort but decided we should as we were told it had nice views. As imagined it is old run down and in disrepair. This is not a site the locals are counting on for tourism. But, indeed this location did have great views of the sea and some interesting canons.
Nevis has a lot of colorful Caribbean architecture with gingerbread house trim on many of the homes. Many of the homes are well cared for and as in many island nations many of worn and fairly decrepit. One curious thing we noted on Nevis is an enormous number of new buildings that had begun and never finished. A great deal of money has been put into these structures before they were abandoned. We were never able to answer the question as to why there were so many of them. Did they anticipate a great influx of
tourism on this tiny island? Did a steep economic downturn thwart the completion? Hard to say.
That afternoon we made a point of finding where the ferry would launch for tomorrow’s travel back to St. Kitts. You may be asking why we would do that, and the answer is simple; when we arrived after darkness, we simply followed the bumpy road up to the main road in search of our accommodations, not able to note where the entrance was as we made a few wrong turns. Add in the fact that even with GPS mapping, there was no way to determine the location of the ferry launch. Most people are familiar with ferry terminals, but this is an island-to-island ferry which pretty much just has its own place on the water where the ferry lands. There are no signs on the road either to tell where it is. We simply drove along the road looking at the coast until we saw the ferry and then made our way down to it…..recon complete! Turns out it is only about five minutes from our accommodations.
The next morning we arrived at the ferry one hour in advance of
Our friend from Taiwan
Waiting for the Sea Bridge Ferry departure….ready to head back to St. Kitts and more fun!
Two pages of photos.
Where we stayed On VRBO
Property #3429540 Contact Marva via What's app at +1(869)660-8820. The Vintage Sanctuary.
We loved staying in this beautifully appointed three bedroom house. It's in a great location and allows for privacy.
The host is exceptional is customer service.
Restaurants Recommended Drift -- a favorite!
Cafe des Arts
The Yachtsman
Turtle Time Beach Bar
Ferry Information We suspect this information is subject to change so do your best to check.
The ferry in dowtown Basseterre, St. Kitts leaves for Nevis at 6am and 3pm.
The Sea Bridge Ferry located in Major's Bay leaves for St. Kitts at 8am, 1pm and 6pm. It returns from Nevis to St. Kitts at 7am, 12pm and 5pm.
A few dates to consider: 1627-1635 Britain colonists Nevish, Barbados, Antigua, Montserrat, Anguilla, Tortola and Windward Islands.
1626. The English and the French Invaders massacre most of the remains Kalinago population at Bloody Point in St. Kitts.
1676-1700. Africans are captured and taken on a Transatlantic voyage into enslavement. These slaves
Cute Nivian Shop
Gingerbread House Trim came from Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Togo, Benin, Western Nigeria, Congo , DRC, Angola, Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
1690. Jamestown, then the capital of Nevis, is destroyed by a massive earthquake and tsunami and completely abandoned.
1650-1730. was the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean.
1967. Nevis Entered into Associate Statehood with its sister island, St. Kitts.
1833. Slavery is abolished with the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act.
August 18, 1977. the Nevis Reformation Party called and unofficial Referendum for Secession from the Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis. This did not pass.
1983. St. Kitts & Nevis gain independence from the UK.
August 10, 1998 the people of Nevis voted in a second Referendum for Secession and was defeated as the vote was 62%!a(MISSING)nd they need 67%! (MISSING)
Alexander Hamilton is best know for his role in leading framer of the US Constitution and the nation's first Treasury Secretary. He is credited for the gradual abolition of slavery in New York.
These islands are filled with reggae and calypso music.
The vigor of government is essential to the security of liberty. Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist, October 1787
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
It sounds like quite an adventure to find the right ferry...
I have reached that point in life where I avoid such adventures if at all possible!