Monkeys, Beaches, and More Touring Nevis
I slept well after a full day that had included an amazing snorkeling trip on a catamaran. After dressing casually I took a stroll down to
the beach to meet my friend and fellow travel writer, Sue Campbell, for
breakfast at Nisbet Plantation in Nevis.
Coconuts is the name of the beachfront restaurant at the
resort. It was once again a beautiful day to enjoy the view of the turquoise
sea while we ate.
I had some tasty banana coconut pancakes with fresh juice and yogurt.
We didn’t have much time to admire the view as we were being
picked up soon for a tour of Nevis with a representative of the island’s
tourism board.
Our first stop was to look at the remains of the last sugar
plantation on the island. It was here we also started talking about the
monkeys.
We were told the green monkeys in Nevis outnumber the people,
yet we hadn’t seen any in the three days we had been there.
There were none to
be seen at the old plantation, so our hopes were on the next stop, a rebuilt
plantation.
We parked the car and took a walk through a lush pathway. It
opened up to quite an oasis.
The modern and eclectic furnishings and art at Golden Rock Plantation definitely caught my eye. Everything around us was a piece of art,
which wasn’t surprising since the owner is a New York artist. Even the pool
appeared to be “drawn” into the mountains (Nisbet is the only hotel on a
beach).
We were back in the car, looking for monkeys again on our
way to Hermitage, a totally different, yet also luxurious property. This one
seemed quainter and still had the feeling of a plantation left within the
pastel walls.
Montpelier Plantation was the next accommodation we stopped
at and it is certainly fit for royalty.
In fact, Princess Diana agreed with
that statement and had been a guest there, along with her two young princes.
By the time we were done touring hotels, I had a clearer
picture of Nevis. Nearly all the hotels on the island are luxury, but not in
the sense you would expect in the U.S.
They were more boutique hotels with
attention to detail and service in a few dozen rooms.
I had heard from locals and other tourists that Bananas was
the bar to visit. We hadn’t had a chance any of the evenings, so we asked to
stop by for cocktails.
Sue and I drank them on the rooftop, watching the waves and
imagining that, yes, this place had to have an amazing sunset.
It was after that stop that we finally saw some monkeys in
the road. We weren’t able to get any close-ups, but at least we were able to
witness them with our own eyes.
After driving through Nevis’ main downtown of Charleston, it
was time for lunch.
We ended the tour with lunch at Chrishi Beach Club. The view
from our table was just amazing, one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve seen.
We also had a view of St. Kitts.
I really enjoyed my
Raspberry Daiquiri and pizza, and Sue couldn’t stop raving about her Fish and
Chips.
Before we left the restaurant, we spoke to the owner a bit.
She showed us the beach houses she has been building next to the restaurant. The
houses themselves were fairly basic, but they had that same breathtaking view
the restaurant did and they were mere steps from the beach.
We were back at Nisbet Plantation in time for my massage.
Although the spa itself is not very big, the masseuse was top notch and did the
job of relaxing me even more.
I dressed for dinner and met Sue up at the Great House for
drinks and dinner. The hotel’s General Manager, Alistair Forrest, was also
there performing with his band. Sue joined in with them for a few songs.
We enjoyed music, cocktails, and our final dinner at Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, which included a tender goat stew.
Fortunately, we did have some time to enjoy the grounds until the next
afternoon, when we’d be heading to St. Kitts.
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