st. barts or nevis?

[dshilkit]

i realize that i may be asking a biased crowd, but i'm trying to plan a honeymoon, and i think i've narrowed it to st. barts and nevis. one of my concerns about st. barts is the current us$/euro exchange rate, which is clearly working against me right now as an american. but what i read about st. barts continues to draw me.

i'm looking for a small, "off-the-beaten-path" kind of place, thus these two small islands. i am not interested in the big resorts -- i want to rent a small villa, relax, spend lots of time on the beaches and explore the island and its people, activities, etc. probably looking to stay for 10-14 days at end of november into december.

is there anyone here who has spent time on both nevis and st. barts? how are the islands different (besides the obvious ways that i've found on the internet)? can anyone comment about the relative cost/value, especially given current exchange rates?

i think i'm drawn to the french/european influence on st. barts (even though i don't speak french and have spent only a short time in france, though lots of time in europe), but i'm not sure it will be worth the 50% exchange rate premium.

thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice.

dan

 

[tim]

dan,

I've spent only a little time on Nevis but most of the past 11 years on St. Barth. IMHO, as long as you can swing the trip financially, you should choose St. Barth for your honeymoon or regret it for a long time thereafter. Also, there are plenty of ways, if you research the information available on this site, to enjoy St. Barth without slaughtering your bank account.

 

[Steve_in_STL]

Dan,

I've been to both, but it has been some time since we were in Nevis in 1993. Back then, Nevis was the essence of the real Caribbean. Very laid back and very nice, but very different from St. Barts. St. Barts is and was a little bit like Paris with a beach. If you like the French influence, you will not be disappointed in St. Barts, especially on your honeymoon.

S.

 

[MIke R]

all good points and I have been to both as well and agree.....BUT...lets be honest here.... he is looking for, in his words, a place "off the beaten path".....now we all know St Barts path has been beaten to death lately...trampled over ..so he may be getting French this and French that..... and he will get a lot of great things with St Barts...but 'off the beaten path" aint one of them he is getting if he goes to St Barts instead of Nevis....so we shouldnt mislead him in regards to that criteria at least

 

[JEK]

Right.

St. Kitts - Nevis On Par For Record Cruise Ship Season
By Nevis1

Basseterre, Saint Kitts - Nevis
October 09, 2007 (CUOPM)

The 2007/2008 Cruise Ship Season which officially begins next week is set to be the best ever in the history of the industry.

Over 425,000 cruise ship passengers are expected be on board the cruise liners which will either berth at Port Zante or the Deep Water Port or drop anchor in the Basseterre Roadstead.

According to the 2007/2008 Cruise Ship Itinerary released by the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) an estimated 426,302 cruise passengers should visit St. Kitts during the months of October 2007 to July 2008.

March is expected to be the best month with 81,013 passengers 42 ship calls; October sees 12,866 passengers from 6 ship calls; 54,453 passengers are expected in November on board 26 ship calls; 63,943 passengers are expected on board 34 ship calls in December, January lists a total of 68,038 passengers on board 35 cruise ship calls; while 54,320 passengers are expected on board 27 ship calls in February and 33,357 passengers on board 19 ship calls in April.

Although the 2007/2008 Cruise Ship Season officially ends in April, the Carnival Destiny which is calling all-year-round will make six calls with 13,394 passengers in May; 10,568 passengers in June, 13,210 passengers from five calls in July, and 10,568 passengers in August and a similar number from four calls in September.

Including St. Kitts on their itinerary for the first time are the 2,680-passenger Carnival Miracle; the 2,388-passenger Ocean Village II; the 3,100-passenger Emerald Princess; the 3,840-passenger Explorer of the Seas; the 1,800-passenger Legend of the Seas; the 2,642-passenger Carnival Destiny; the 1,050-passenger Balmoral; the 1200-passenger Artemis and the 198-passenger Le Diamant.

Returning to Port Zante are the 1,950-passenger Sea Princess; the 3,500-passenger Crown Princess; the 2,500-passenger Norwegian Dawn; the 2,600-passenger Queen Mary; the 2,020-passenger Empress of the Seas; the 1,975-passenger Aurora; the 2,450-passenger Constellation; the 2,272-passenger Oceana; the 1100-passeger Crystal Serenity; the 1906-passenger Queen Elizabeth II; the 1,975-passenger Oriana the 2,020-passenger Crystal Harmony; the 1,848-passenger Westerdam; the 1,870-passenger Galaxy; the 2,388-passenger Arcadia.

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[onebigdawg53]

Do both and then you have them both covered for future trips.

 

[MIke R]

very nice but I never said Nevis was off the beaten path either......I simply didnt want him to head to St Barts thinking he was going to be off the beaten path...thats it thats all....neither place will make a feature on Lonely Planet for sure......Nevis however i would bet would be a little more so than St Barts givens its size and the fact that cruisers can only go so far in 6 hours

 

[Eddie]

I would choose St Barts. For your honeymoon, you'll want a place that's unique, and that you'll want to return to. It's definitely French. It's romantic. It's clean. It's safe. It has great food. It has great wine.
I plan on having all my honeymoons there..... :-}

 

[MIke R]

so would I..but if I were looking for an "off the beaten path" kind of place I would go to Bequia or South Caicos or Peter Island or Petit St Vincent or even Virgin Gorda

 

[lloyd]

Mike
Coming home last November we flew,and subsequently had coffee in the bar at the PTP airport ,with an artist and his wife, who were returning from an opening at Carole Gallery in Gustavia,the previous night.Told us they now lived on Palm Island in the Grenadines, as they found SBH, in their words "trop civilise( sorry this computer doesn't do accents!)
A to Nevis- we were sitting with Marius in February, when a captain who sailed regularly into Nevis joined us at the office-my vision of Nevis as an unspoiled paradise was dashed, as he talked of all the cruse ships and a huge real estate development that is underway there (that would put SXM to shame)
Saba anybody ??

 

[madison1]

I was on Nevis for a couple of days about a year ago. We were also there about 15 years ago. Like many places, a lot has changed in that time. Very different than SBH, but that has been well documented. British Colonial versus French. Much less shopping/retailing than SBH. If you like the notion of a town to stroll there really isn't that sort of thing in Nevis. The luxury side of the equation is divided between the four seasons and several high end inns. If you like hiking and exploring there is much more of that in Nevis. Much more dense rain forest type of vegetation and climate. Unless its changed in the last year, the Cruise ship situation is not different than SBH. Mostly small ships that tender. There is a fair amount of construction going on but its not yet anywhere near St. Thomas or St. Maarten.

Off the beaten path - In my opinion no. That pretty much ended when the Four Seasons came to town. Not much of the Caribbean qualifies anymore. The only places I know that are off the beaten path are essentially the same ones Miker mentions.

If the exchange rate is an issue, perhaps split your time as others have mentioned. 10-14 days should be enough to try two places.

Best of luck and congratulations.

 

[Myrllyn]

Has anyone been to Jost Van Dyke lately - The SandCastle? Ten years ago that seemed pretty off the beaten path to me. Ditto Virgin Gorda - The Bitter End.

 

[lloyd]

As I think about it again, it may well have been S Kits where all the big construction boom is

 

[MIke R]

I was on St Kits last year.they are building a huge freakin mega outdoor "mall" where the cruise ships tie up...

thats says it all

 

[ChipN]

JasB,
I just got back from 10 days in the VI. Jost Van Dyke and the Sandcastle in particular have changed a bit. Depending on what day of the week and what month they can get pretty crowded during the day. We rented a boat for the day in St. Thomas on a Monday. We had great weather and were able to make it to the Baths at Virgin Gorda. We arrived at around 10:30 AM and there were no moorings available. We anchored and fought through big crowds to walk through the Baths. We continued on to Jost and the beach at White Bay was packed. We ended up going to Ivans to eat lunch since Soggy Dollar was SRO. Now my understanding is that it is mainly day trippers that leave before dark. As for Bitter End it is probably quieter. If you want off the beaten track in the VI your best bet is Anegada.

For the OP. My two cents is go to St. Barths, rent a villa and cook in some in order to help your budget. Beaches are still free and you can pack a picnic lunch and make a great day of it. We have been married for 10 years this year and are returning to St. Barths this summer to celebrate. We have been fortunate to travel much of the Caribbean and St. Barths is our favorite place.
Congrats on the upcoming marriage.

Chip

 

[JoshA]

We've been to many of the places mentioned by posters. Virgin Gorda still has a peaceful vibe and you can be pampered at Little Dix Bay or rent your own villa as we did. Here's the view from Mahoe Bay at sunset:

But if you want to visit the Baths, go very early or you'll be trampled by cruisers.

Jost van Dyke is very popular with sailors, especially White Bay where the Soggy Dollar is located. It's peaceful at night but during the day the scene is crowded:

Anegada is cerainly off the beaten path. You'll share a large island with less than 200 inhabitants. Finding your own private beach is no problem if you don't mind the lack of infrastructure.

Saba still retains a touch of the old Caribbean and would be a reasonable honeymoon trip if you want to go through SXM (St. Barts and Nevis were mentioned) - especially for divers. Very friendly, peaceful and off the beaten path.

The Grenadines are still off the beaten path and Bequia is a charming place. Here's a view of Admiralty Bay:

If you are a sailor, there is no better place than the Grenadines. Anchor in the Tobago Cays and wake up to this:

The Grenadines also has what I think may be the best honeymoon destination on the planet - Petit St. Vincent. It's a private island with 22 units. Imagine your own private piece of beach with all the pampering you want.

You also have access to lots of activities and great food. It's definitely off the beaten path.

 

[MIke R]

great picks Josh....VG is our place to go if it all gets to be too much on SBH.....

this place was a place I loved and vowed to return but havent yet.. http://www.abacos.net/elbow.html

 

[MIke R]

the other advantage to being in the Grenadines is latitude....if you are living on a boat in the Caribbean as we will do some day..many insurance companies will not cover your boat during hurricane season if you are north of 10 degrees..... some of the Grenadines sit just south of that....which is why they get such a migration of boats in the summer months

 

[JoshA]

Yeah, I've heard the Abacos are great for boaters. Are you sure you have to be south of 10 degrees N latitude for insurance? That would be South America. If it's 12 degrees, then Grenada would do. I think 12.5 degrees separates St. Vincent and its Grenadines from Grenada and its Grenadines.

 

[MIke R]

Yeah, I've heard the Abacos are great for boaters. Are you sure you have to be south of 10 degrees N latitude for insurance? That would be South America. If it's 12 degrees, then Grenada would do. I think 12.5 degrees separates St. Vincent and its Grenadines from Grenada and its Grenadines.

no I'm not sure but I know its whatever line is just north of the Grenadines..I'll pay closer attention to the details of it all when the time gets much closer than it is now...but the guys I know who do this sort of thing have told me there is a line you cannot cross and still have full coverage between June and October..and a lot of these guys go to Grenada, so that must be the magic number