Saint Kitts is hard to describe. After we came back we spent some time to reflect on our trip and experience there. Saint Kitts doesn’t have the best beaches in the Caribbean, it doesn’t have the best food scene; we actually ended up going there by chance and I am so glad we did.
You see, Saint Kitts has this charm about it and in the center of it are its people.
So why an introduction to St. Kitts?? Well, it is a port town and most people actually get a very small glimpse of the island and don’t actually experience it. Most of the reviews or comments online are by cruise ship passengers who spent 8 hours on the island and left; sometimes they are conflicting, wrong or don’t paint the whole picture- they didn’t experience St. Kitts. We stayed there for 2 weeks and wanted to give people a better and more accurate preview.
With topography like that ^ Experience, I would say, is the key word for St. Kitts. It is not buzzing developed Caribbean tourist destination but it has big plans. Thankfully they are 10 years out.
Here are some thoughts on the most important topics:
Beaches
The island has the Atlantic on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other. The Atlantic side is not swimmable and the Caribbean Sea doesn’t have the crystal clear turquoise waters of Antigua. The beaches are fine. There are a handful of beaches around the island and they all have their own unique attraction.
Expect beautiful sunsets at South Frigate Bay. Bonus tip: If you watch the sun as it’s about to go below the horizon sometimes it emits a spectacular green ray.
Here is a separate post on the beaches with more details because there is so much wrong and confusing info on Trip Advisor/online.
Accommodations
The best part of St. Kitts to stay I would say is Frigate Bay. It central and there are some fun little pubs and restaurants to walk to. From there you can also can explore the south side of the island much easier. It is the ‘happening’ area.
St. Kitts’s most luxurious accommodations are the new Hyatt and Belle Mont Farms – which is amazing but not by a beach.
There are fairly limited options for accommodations; a few hotels, a few AirBnbs, and a couple Bed & Breakfasts. The best ‘bang for your buck’ hotel would be Timothy’s Beach…it is at my favorite location on the island.
The Marriott is on the Atlantic side; they cleared the beach and setup a rock formation in the ocean to make the waters in front of the hotel swimmable. Oh they also have has a casino 😉
Transportation
Bus – We took a bus once by chance after we finished a hike and had no other transportation options. It was simple and super cheap. I’m not sure exactly how it works or routes but the buses are actually vans that hold about 10 people. They don’t seem to go to East of the Island and mostly focus on the bringing people downtown from the West side. Mostly for locals. You would probably never use one on your trip but if you are stuck on the West side of the island wave down a van with super loud music!
Taxi – They are everywhere and easy to catch – except the South side but a business can order you one. You can also rent them for a day or hourly. You don’t need to negotiate too much. A fare from Basseterre to Frigate Bay is $12US, use that as your benchmark.
Rentals – There are limited car rentals options on the island but you can also rent scooters and ATVs. We rented a scooter for one week and drove it around the whole island, it was a blast! (Amie would disagree). Our cost for a scooter was about $60 US a day including fees. That is during the high season. It is a rip off. During the high season I would recommend booking your rental choice ahead of time or you might not get anything. In general if you like exploring I would definitely recommend renting your own transportation. So much to see!
Food
I think it is fair to describe the average food around St. Kitts as pub food you would have in North America. But every little place or eatery has it’s own special dish that is amazing; Conch Chowder at Mr. X’s – I probably ate my body weight in that.
There are high end restaurants that have pretty fantastic food, and a good selection of genera from Indian to Sushi. My general comment about food is the actual quality of ingredients; I wouldn’t say it is the best which is surprising considering the local volcanic soil is so rich.
Ram’s is the local grocery store with a number of locations. We ended up going to it and stalking up on food and snacks. They have AppleWood smoked cheese!!
If you are vegetarian there are plenty of options but not so much for Vegans.
Snorkeling
I love snorkeling which is why I made its own section. I like to spend as much as possible in the water, and after all why would you go to an island and not snorkel? St. Kitts definitely does not have the best snorkeling around but it does not suck as so many people say online. I actually enjoyed it a lot and snorkeled at every beach. There are some little hidden gems to explore at every beach and lots of spawning grounds.
On the Atlantic side you could see sharks and sting rays. But I would say only experienced and strong swimmers should attempt.
In British Virgin Islands you have rich corral right by the shores – St. Kitts does not have that. But the marine life is plenty and the Caribbean side is excellent for all levels.
There are a few sunken ships you can see while you snorkel and an octopus!
From talking to locals, developers and business owners around the island – St. Kitts has an amazing future a head of it. There are so many attraction opportunities that are not even developed yet or to their full extent.
If you are one of those people that prefers to lounge around the beach for most of your time on a vacation, St, Kitts is probably not your best choice. You will miss on beautiful hikes and water adventures.
On different days of the week different places around island have their own attractions; including beach fires, and buffets. It is a good idea to check it out when you get there or before. St. Kitts is a quiet island compared to its neighbours though – which is not a bad thing.
Oh and the people? Are just awesome, friendly and like to have a good time. Even the expats. Within a day we made friends and even did a hike with a couple of locals. The people are absolutely fantastic!
We look forward to following the development of the island and coming back soon!