excellent sporting and spa facilities that
come with it (from stand-up-paddle
boarding, tennis and golf, to exercise
classes, amazing spa treatments and
oodles more) – the hotels I encounter are
family-owned boutiques on the site of
old sugar plantations. The historic great
houses and old stone windmill bases have
been incorporated into the hotel designs in
wonderfully inventive ways, and they each
have individual character, so are well
worth visits for lunch or dinner if you’re
not fortunate enough to stay in them.ISLAND TIME
I’m lucky enough to overnight at two of
the island’s plantation hotels during my trip.
First stop is the Nisbet Plantation & Beach
Club (nisbetplantation.com) on the north
coast of the island. After a hugely busy
run-up to my trip, I’m in desperate need
of some down time, so when I’m shown to
my spacious private villa looking out to sea,
I know I’ll soon slip into slowed-down,
laid-back ‘island time’. And sure enough,
I find that, by day two, I’m happy to let
breakfast take an hour (it would be rude
not to try the coconut waffles and sip my
way through most of the pot of coffee,feel like I’m in a giant tropical
fish tank as I swim underwater
among the rocks, using a slow,
powerful breaststroke, with sea
hins, starfish and colourful fish all
undme. The fish dart away to hide
ween gaps in the rock as my large
urelooms overhead. It’s silent,
eautiful and very calm. But this is
noaquarium; I’m snorkelling just
a few metres from the beach in
theWest Indies.
It’s my first time in the Caribbean,
and I’m very lucky to be on the rather
exclusive, yet amazingly unspoilt
ndofNevis (pronounced ‘nee-viss’),
r St.Kitts – its larger and better-known
hbour. But where St. Kitts has
braced the larger-scale hotel complexes
andcruise ships, Nevis has no deep-water
harbour and just the upmarket, low-rise
and tasteful Four Seasons Resort in its
top-notch location on beautiful Pinney’s
Beach. Apart from that (and all themmaLewisdisconnectsand
lowly unwinds in the perfect
setting – an unspoilt island
in the West IndiesEmma's characterful 'gingerbread house'
accommodation at The HermitageCaribbean
dreams
The Four Seasons Resort