Courtesy of the Hermitage Plantation Inn
A hillside cottage at Hermitage Plantation Inn, in Nevis
Nevis
A tiny sovereign nation exudes a laid-back, yesteryear gentility
Marlon Brando is driving along the calm Caribbean coast past a cloud-shrouded volcano festooned with pink coralita vines, on the tiny island of Nevis. Not the Island of Doctor Moreau Marlon Brando. That guy is, of course, no longer living. This Marlon Brando is a native of Guyana who owns a rental-car service and a used-tire store here. Dodging goats, roosters, dogs, and green monkeys along the 20-mile road that circles the isle, he tells the story of how he chose Nevis as his home. On a visit to the island 15 years ago, he bumped into a friend from Guyana who was completely distraught. On his way to the bank, he had dropped his wallet, containing many months’ wages. Brando accompanied his friend to the police station and there it was, not one eastern Caribbean dollar missing.“I was so shocked,” says Brando. “I thought, I want to live where no one touches your purse!” Today, he says, not much has changed. “There is a bit more development, but the people, they are the same.”
While many Caribbean islands have succumbed to cruise ships and casinos or cater to a crowd that craves a high-voltage social scene, this jewel in the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands exudes mellow, old-school class. Despite its diminutive dimensions—it’s all of 36 square miles—Nevis was a powerhouse back in Europe’s colony-building days. For more than 150 years, it was a bitterly contested battleground among France, Spain, and England, which eventually won stewardship. By the late 1700s, the emerald speck, dubbed Queen of the Caribees, was a bustling commercial and social nexus with sugar plantations churning out liquid gold, and all the fashionable West Indies types flocking to the planters’ mansions and bathing in the hot springs at the Bath Hotel, the Caribbean’s first spa. These days, Nevis attracts a manageable number of tourists, so much so that strangers on the street will greet each other with “Good afternoon,” as people would in a small town.
It’s easy for travelers to soak up an authentic Nevisian experience by opting out of the bigger resorts and instead selecting one of the plantations, now exquisitely restored as inns. With cannons, windmills, flowering gardens, and stone and timber great houses, the inns radiate bygone charm and character. Choosing among them may be the most difficult part of the trip. If waking up to waves caressing white sand is your priority, choose the friendly Nisbet Plantation Beach Club; the rest of the inns are high up in the forested hills. Built in 1778, the great house of the club is the ancestral home of Fanny Nisbet, the Nevisian society widow famously wooed (and later abandoned) by the dashing Lord Horatio Nelson—there are plaques all over the island, and even a museum in town, dedicated to Lord Nelson. Twenty-two cheery yellow cottages dot the gently sloping lawn, which grandly unfurls itself toward the picture-perfect beach. Though it’s technically on the Atlantic Ocean side, the iridescent water is nearly as mellow as the Caribbean. After dinner, slide into the beachside hot tub, and watch the stars crawl across the sky.
On the island’s northern flank, drive up a steep, rock-strewn road to the Montpelier Plantation Inn, where Nisbet and Nelson exchanged vows in 1787 under a mammoth ficus benjamina tree that still stands sentinel at the great house. As befits such noble nuptials—not to mention Princess Diana’s much-touted stays—Montpelier, a Relais & Châteaux property, is the most refined and elegant (yet unpretentious) inn on the island. Hidden within lush gardens bursting with pear and ackee trees, palms, and bougainvillea, are 17 cottages, each with its own veranda, wicker and wood furnishings, and crisp white linens. At the inn’s restaurant, a former sugar mill fittingly called The Mill, you dine by candlelight. It’s the island’s most exclusive, so save it for your last night.
Across the road, the comparatively quaint Hermitage Plantation inn has enchanting timber-framed gingerbread cottages sprinkled near the great house, likely the oldest wooden dwelling in the Caribbean. The Lupinacci family of Philadelphia has been running the place since 1971, and chances are Richard Jr. will greet you at reception or from behind the bar, where photos of the family racehorses decorate the walls. The Lupinaccis keep a large stable of horses that guests can ride to explore the surrounding Gingerland district; on national holidays, they organize races at the track in the middle of the unpopulated, wild southeast. Invigorating treks to the summit of misty Nevis Peak originate at the Hermitage; call or email amiable resident biologist Jim Johnson—expert in all things fauna, flora, voodoo, and bush medicine—and arrange a time.
On the eastern or windward side of the island, high up in the forested hills, is Golden Rock Plantation Inn, recently purchased by New York painter Brice Marden and his wife, Helen. The cottage rooms are modest compared with the other inns, but the 200-year-old mill, converted into a charming two-story suite, is truly special, and as such, often booked. Nevertheless, spend the afternoon here, having a lunch of lobster salad and grilled prawns among the red umbrellas and the many monkeys. The view from this serene oasis—out to sea, where Antigua and Montserrat are visible along the horizon—is breathtaking.
No matter where you stay, at some point direct yourself to Sunshine’s Bar and Grill on pretty Pinney’s Beach, just south of the Four Seasons Resort Nevis (recent winner of a Sherman’s Travel Smart Luxury Award, it is set to reopen once renovations in the wake of Hurricane Omar are complete). Sunshine’s owner Llewelyn “Sunshine” Caines is Nevis’s unofficial goodwill ambassador, and both his charm and his infamous creation, the Killer Bee—a deceptively strong rum concoction topped with freshly grated Grenada nutmeg—lures locals, ex-pats, guests, and judging from the photos on the walls of the cozy, Rasta-colored shack, celebrities such as Bill Gates, Beyoncé, and Tiger Woods. Dinner and lunch menus are pretty much the same; try the grilled lobster. On Saturday night, Sunshine lights a bonfire on the sand and the bar stays open until the last bee has stung.
MAKING IT HAPPEN
GETTING THERE
American Airlines flies nonstop to St. Kitts from Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico, once a day. If you land on St. Kitts have your hotel arrange for the 10-minute flight or 15-minute ferry from there to Nevis. American Eagle flies nonstop from San Juan to Nevis once every day.
WHERE TO STAY
Sherman's Picks
* = Smart Splurge
+ = Great Value
* Montpelier Plantation Inn Morning Star; from $400/night starting April 15; 869/469-3462, montpeliernevis.com
* Nisbet Plantation Beach Club Newcastle; from $415/night starting April 1; 869/469-9325, nisbetplantation.com
+ Golden Rock Plantation Inn Gingerland; from $200/night starting April 15; 869/469-3346, www.golden-rock.com
+ The Hermitage Gingerland; from $170/night starting April 16; 869/469-3477, hermitagenevis.com
WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
Sunshine’s Beach Bar and Grill Entrées from $12; 869/469-5817, sunshinenevis.com
All the inns have excellent restaurants. Nightlife follows a dependable routine: Wednesday nights at Hermitage for rum cocktails and a pig roast; Thursday-night karaoke at Double Deuce (Pinney’s Beach; 869/469-2222); live music Friday nights at Oualie Beach Hotel (Oualie Beach; 869/469-9735, oualiebeach.com); Saturday-night beach bonfire at Sunshine’s.
WHAT TO DO
Local biologist Jim Johnson leads hiking trips, including nighttime stargazing expeditions and themed walks on bird-watching, historical sights, and bush medicine (from $20; 869/469-9080, walknevis.com). Hotels can arrange snorkeling, scuba diving, boat charters, horseback riding, and other activities.
RENTAL CAR
M&M, owned by Marlon Brando; 869/663-2013, marlonbrando82@hotmail.com
WHEN TO GO
The high season on Nevis is relatively short, starting in mid-December and stretching to early or mid-April. April and May are the best months to visit Nevis thanks to lower rates and prime temperatures. From late June to November, many shops and restaurants close, so call ahead before making plans.
See Bahamas Travel Guide | See Jamaica Travel GuideSee Nevis Travel Guide
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