The gardens at Romney Manor
Cultural kicks and heritage heavyweights
Journey back in time on the St Kitts Scenic Railway, opened in 1912 to transport sugar cane to Basseterre’s sugar factory. Pay a trip to Romney Manor, whose grounds date back to the 1600s. For the past 40 years, the manor has housed Caribelle Batik: a hub of batik design. Adjacent to Caribelle Batik is Wingfield Estate, which has a 350-year history as a sugar plantation. It also boasts 17th-century Amerindian petroglyphs and the Caribbean’s oldest intact distillery. Set in a national park, Brimstone Hill Fortress is an enduring testament to the Herculean labours of African slaves under British rule.
Coral beds off the island
A lobster fisherman celebrates his catch
Island-style cuisine and cocktails
Plentiful and affordable lobster is available year-round in St Kitts. In restaurants, you will find tantalising dishes featuring this delicacy in all its forms: lobster mac and cheese, spicy lobster cakes, lobster rolls, baked lobster, lobster and steak. St Kitts’s craft rums are represented by three distilleries – Old Road Rum, Hibiscus Spirits and Brinley Gold Shipwreck Rum. The latter two create rums uniquely spiced with hibiscus and vanilla.
Swanky hideaways
As secluded as St Kitts is, there are many stylish stays for those who wish to be tucked away from it all. Belle Mont Sanctuary Resort (opening image) has fewer than 100 villas and cottages with private infinity pools dotted discreetly among trees and hills. The five-star Park Hyatt – the only one in the Caribbean – sits on the Christophe Harbour beachfront and offers personalised luxury and activities for all. And Sunset Reef, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, is a boutique resort perched above the Caribbean Sea that provides uninterrupted views of mind-blowing sunsets.
Carnival St Kitts style
