Nevis Smart Splurges

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. Closed August through early October.

On the eastern or windward side of the island, high up in the forested hills, is Golden Rock 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.

2009 SMART LUXURY WINNER
Laid-back Boho Bonhomie

While some gravitate to splashy resorts around the Caribbean hoping for a celebrity sighting or a hot-stone spa treatment, a different type of escapist seeks out the Golden Rock Inn in Nevis. High in forested hills near a volcano, this former sugar plantation serves as a painstakingly preserved time capsule of the early 1800s, a time when tiny Nevis was a commercial nexus dubbed the "Queen of the Caribbees." Scattered over Golden Rock Inn's 100 acres are cheerful gingerbread cottages with spectacular views of Antigua and Montserrat along the horizon. Plenteous tropical trees, plants, and flowers provide a happy habitat for families of affable vervet monkeys. New co-owners Brice Marden, the celebrated painter from New York, and his wife, Helen Harrington, also a painter, oversaw a total renovation and set up a studio where they work. Staying on, though now as a partner, is knowledgeable host Pam Barry, whose great-great-great-grandfather built the Golden Rock estate. She didn't inherit the inn, but instead has worked on salary since the 1970s to gain a share. Completed last summer is a restaurant that serves topnotch West Indian cuisine, a must-visit venue even for those not staying at the inn. Candlelit tables are set among small, interconnected pools, near a gazebo with a crown reminiscent of the copper kettles used to boil the estate's sugar cane. Inquire about the old stone windmill, converted into a dreamy duplex. See more Smart Luxury Award winners

One of the Caribbean's premier properties, this sprawling, luxurious property has 196 rooms and suites, three restaurants, water sports, golf, and 40 decadent, private villas. The open-air reception area is breathtaking, with marble floors, soaring open-beam ceilings, and colonial plantation-style décor; rooms have an upscale tropical feel, with wicker furniture and pastel accents. (Insider tip: Forgo an ocean-view room for a mountain view and you can save up to $200 per night.) For the ultimate indulgence, rent one of the four private beachside cabanas, each equipped with an entertainment center, cocktails and snacks, and a private butler.

2008 SMART LUXURY WINNER
Caribbean Classic

There are easier places to reach than Nevis, and islands with better beaches or more nightlife or those big trampolines. But for us, no place represents the unspoiled, noncommercial ideal of the Caribbean better. And though the island is peppered with a wonderful assortment of guest inns, the Four Seasons is its premier property.

The colonial plantation design and sugar mill ruins are impressive, and an outstanding beachfront location, a much-lauded spa, and a superb 18-hole golf course seal the deal. Hollywood celebs and smart travelers come for the service - from the rum-punch welcome and the toaster delivered for a just-as-you-like-it room service breakfast, to cool misting sprays and fresh fruit skewers at poolside. Best season for value: spring/summer.

Great Value Alternative: The Hermitage Plantation Inn offers great views and tastefully furnished rooms and cottages. From $325/night; www.hermitagenevis.com

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The Montpelier Plantation Inn is situated on the island's northern flank, up a steep, rockstrewn road, 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.

Well-heeled guests come all the way from nearby St. Bart’s and Anguilla just to play this superb 6,766-yard, par-71 course, designed by Robert Trent Jones II. In addition to dramatic views of the Caribbean, St. Kitts, and Mount Nevis, Vervet monkeys make surprise appearances, swinging from the trees or scampering across fairways. Preferential tee times are reserved for guests, but outsiders can play as well, especially during the offseason (call at least 24 hours in advance).

Call in advance for reservations at this unforgettable restaurant, which also happens to be the...more

An excellent spot for original art, this gallery pays tribute to Eva Wilkin, Nevis’s most famous artist (even Prince Charles showed up to see her work, which pays tribute to island life through colorful paintings and sketches). A permanent collection of Wilkin’s paintings and murals is housed here, and originals are also for sale. The setting for the gallery – an 18th-century windmill – is almost as unique as the artwork.

Led by American marine biologist Barbara Whitman, these snorkeling and diving trips not only offer spectacular looks at Nevis’s underwater world, but inspiration to protect the environment. Whitman’s knowledge and hands-on programs, which move from the classroom to the aquarium to the sea, are always a huge hit. Expect to see coral, snapper, starfish, and stingrays among the aquatic life.

For a dinner that’s to "dive" for, check out this unique program at the Four Seasons, which sends guests out on a private diving/dinner excursion under the guidance of local dive master, Ellis Chaderton, and sous-chef Denis Bruemmel. Ellis ferries you out on a private boat a few miles off the island’s coast in search of the elusive Nevisian spiny lobster, which you then lasso and bring back. When you return to the hotel about five hours later, you can either help Chef Bruemmel prepare your succulent lobster dinner, or relax until it’s ready to savor.