Nevis, St Kitts & Nevis Reviews and Ratings

Don't buy into the hype about Nevis and its \unspoiled beauty\. I lived there for almost a year in 2001 and 2002 (arriving one week before 9/11). There are many problems visitors will encounter there unless you are staying at The Four Seasons-Nevis or one of a select handful of resorts. The island is privately called \The Giant Anthill\ for a very good reason. Nevis is home to an amazing number of ant species who will make themselves known practically the second you attempt to eat anything. And most are resistant to insecticides. Same goes with mosquitoes who carry dengue fever. I was there and contracted it during that year's epidemic. Compared with other Caribbean islands you will encounter less availability of Western level modern convienences(i.e. air conditioning suitable (reliable)rental cars uninterrrupted electricity comfortable furnishings interesting shopping or decent grocery stores.) The majority of the habitable island is along the main road ringing the island. Don't get any silly notions of hiking into the interior up the mountain. Travelers frequently are lead to believe that they will have some access to that \unspoiled\ set of vistas as part of the brochure pitchs. Privately the islanders speak of people lead out there and just plain lost or injured badly. It's not a Costa Rica Rainforest kind of island. This place is hill-billy style unpleasant not \rustic\. As for the Nevisians they are just plain hostile to outsiders and every interaction is going to cost you money...lots of it! All in all there is NOTHING on that rock that you can't get better cheaper with less uncertainty and with more of a cultural experience on another island along the chain. Which brings me to St. Kitts the sister island of Nevis. St Kitts has all the modern convienences beautiful scenery reasonably decent shopping hotels gambling and historic sight -seeing that you expect when you go on an island vacation. Look at St. Kitts instead that's my advice.