ST. kitts
After I got back from my study abroad experience in Asia, my family decided to visit the beautiful island of St. Kitts and Nevis. These lesser-known but luxurious twin islands in the southern Caribbean are breathtaking. They are surprisingly secluded, so it was a great opportunity to unplug from reality and spend some quality time with my family. I highly recommend vacationing here, and hope this serves as a travel guide if you are planning a trip anytime soon! We stayed at the Park Hyatt resort, the most beautiful place I had ever seen. Our first night was spent at the Reggae Beach Bar and Grill, enjoying fresh drinks and live music. There is so much cool wildlife on the island, our favorite of which were the cute monkeys that come out around sundown. This is what makes the Reggae Bar so fun because they'll come right up to you and are super friendly. Where else can you enjoy a pina colada and pet a monkey at the same time??
My mom and I are obsessed with mangos, and we were lucky enough to be staying right across from a mango and coconut vineyard. You could pick ripe mango right off the tree and just bite into it- it was like nothing else. Being able to pick something and having them turn it into a delicious juice or smoothie was absolutely amazing.
After a few days on St. Kitts, we took a day trip to the beautiful sister island of Nevis, where we stared the day with a tour of the coast. I have never seen water so blue and clear in my life, and the lush greenery was breathtaking. After taking in the best views of the island, we got to see it all again from a new perspective by taking a zip lining tour. Ziplines have become popular across several Caribbean Islands, but no place does it quite like Nevis. The best course is on the rainforest-covered slopes of a dormant volcano and carries you 250 feet above the ground, and up to 50 miles an hour through the treetops.
The cool thing about Nevis is that it is a 10-minute boat ride away from St. Kitts, and there is a port right at the hotel that is fairly inexpensive. I think the food was better on St. Kitts, so it was easy for us to just pack snacks and catch an evening fairy back for dinner. I highly recommend checking out travel websites to plan a day trip here! There are historical tours, private beaches, and lots of other fun things to experience. I recommend hiring a driver or renting a car to get around the island because it is fairly cheap and while the island is super small, it is too spread out to take it on by foot.
The best part of the trip for me was just hanging around the resort and enjoying the amenities. The pools were absolutely beautiful and were like the ones you see in travel ads or in magazines. We started every day by doing seaside yoga, attempting to paddleboard, or enjoying the enormous breakfast spread. After a fast-paced trip to Asia where I was doing something active every day, it was so nice to just relax and unwind in one of the most tranquil places I have ever been to. Even in the off-season St. Kitts & Nevis are a must-see and offer something for everyone!
