St. Kitts

[danielbriere]

Of all the ports we've gone to or are scheduled to hit, St. Kitts seems to be the toughest to figure out what to do. There's just not a ton of information about it and nobody we know has been there.

I'm sure many of you have done it and can jump in here with some ideas from your experience.

What would you recommend?

Is there anything to do right around the dock? Is there anything spectacular that we absolutely shouldn't miss?

Open to any and all suggestions.

Thanks.

[rjrpar]

We usually go to a beach but you should check the "Ports of Call" board, many good ideas there

[OCruisers]

The Scenic "Sugar Train" Railway tour is an enjoyable thing to do. :)

 

LuLu

[jenniebnyc]

I recall we stayed on the ship and enjoyed the quiet while everyone else got off. Reason being, I do believe this is a volcanic island with dark sand and not so pretty beaches. We docked in St Kitts on a Summit cruise that left from San Juan. If you are on this one where ports of calls are antigua, barbados, st marten, etc, I would suggest staying on the ship in st kitts, from a pure beach perspective.

[fleckle]

Of all the ports we've gone to or are scheduled to hit, St. Kitts seems to be the toughest to figure out what to do. There's just not a ton of information about it and nobody we know has been there.

I'm sure many of you have done it and can jump in here with some ideas from your experience.

What would you recommend?

I would recommend checking out the reviews on TripAdvisor to see what appeals to you.

Here is a link

 

The Top Things to Do in St. Kitts

 

 

Edited January 8, 2016 by fleckle

[gopro63]

Agree the Sugar caine Railroad. open top you get right up and close to the people, see the beaches, and yes there is a Valcanic beach you see along the way.

 

they not only take you on a rr ride the y also take you around the island..:)

[Sandtrap328]

I recommend "Greg's Safari Tours" on St. Kitts. I posted on TripAdvisor about it called something like "Bumpy, but Great".

 

His jeeps took us all over the island, stopped at a former sugar plantation, samples of rum and juices, and plenty of time at a Caribbean side beach. The Atlantic beaches are rocky and rough water.

 

This was a ship excursion. You might be able to book over the internet directly with his company?

 

Look for green monkeys!

[mickey89]

Some great beaches south of the port, South Frigate, South Friars and Cockleshell.

South Friars is becoming an upmarket resort with a great restaurant, large tented cabanas and fabulous sun loungers. This beach is frequented by the Tall Ships (Royal Clipper) as it has a small quay, many of the loungers and sun shades are reserved early in the day by the passengers of these ships. Better to go early and explore the shopping mall at the port terminal on your return to the ship. Fabulous viewpoint en route to the beaches called Timothy Hill, don't forget to stop and take some memorable photos where you can see both the Atlantic and Caribbean coastlines. Don't stay on board, too much to miss and great snorkelling at South Friars in the man made lagoon, we saw sting rays and turtles in the crystal clear water, with fabulous coral sand not volcanic.

[Daisyloo]

There is a large historic fort on the island, Brimstone Hill, that is very interesting. It is an UNESCO world heritage site. A lot of the tours include that in their itinerary. We really enjoyed it and the view from the top is great.

We did the sugar train on another of our stops there and enjoyed it.

[PORT ROYAL]

Some great beaches south of the port, South Frigate, South Friars and Cockleshell.

South Friars is becoming an upmarket resort with a great restaurant, large tented cabanas and fabulous sun loungers. This beach is frequented by the Tall Ships (Royal Clipper) as it has a small quay, many of the loungers and sun shades are reserved early in the day by the passengers of these ships. Better to go early and explore the shopping mall at the port terminal on your return to the ship. Fabulous viewpoint en route to the beaches called Timothy Hill, don't forget to stop and take some memorable photos where you can see both the Atlantic and Caribbean coastlines. Don't stay on board, too much to miss and great snorkelling at South Friars in the man made lagoon, we saw sting rays and turtles in the crystal clear water, with fabulous coral sand not volcanic.

 

The resort is CARAMBOLA

Book your loungers and Umberellas in advance over the Internet

 

We, and friends, have been booking since opening. It is an insiders thing to keep away the cruise herds, who just turn up, walk straight past reception/check in, or along the beach, do not pay, and start taking the reserved sun beds. Then security are called etc.

 

Send an e-mail to the "info", stating your arrival date/time/beds and Daisy will reply with your booking. The front rank (by the sea) are for booked clients the rear ranks are for the pay on the day arrival guests.

 

When you arrive, attend reception, to your right on entering.

Give your reservation names then pay.

Take your receipt to the beach, where you see sunbeds with umberellas laying down and showing reserved plaques.

Select your position with the assistance of the beach attendant.

Hand over the receipt and he will bring your large/thick mattresses, and errect your umberella.

A small gratutity is greatly appreciated.

 

2 beds and umberella $30.00 total

Edited January 8, 2016 by PORT ROYAL

[Tak8]

I normally hit a beach. We went to Cockleshell Beach last time. There is a nice beach restaurant there. Not a long ride from the pier.

[ClaudiaB]

The Rail and Sail excursion is nice - the train ride around the island followed by a catamaran cruise with lunch.

 

Brimstone Hill is interesting and is included on many all-inclusive island tours.

 

We aren't beach people but there are plenty of beaches (going to the right as you leave port) and upscale resorts with day passes.

 

We've been there so many times that last time I just stayed on the ship, didn't get off for a minute. My husband played golf, although it's not his favorite golf course in the Caribbean. He won't likely play there again. It's one of those ports that is often the one people treat as a sea day.

[jerseygirl3]

Love Carambola Beach. We book there every time we're in St. Kitts.

[fleckle]

There is a large historic fort on the island, Brimstone Hill, that is very interesting. It is an UNESCO world heritage site. A lot of the tours include that in their itinerary. We really enjoyed it and the view from the top is great.

We did the sugar train on another of our stops there and enjoyed it.

We took those tours too. The cruise ships sell them a lot and they can be booked on board, so no need to buy tickets in advance, for those wanting to use OBC to pay for them.

 

There are many detailed reviews of both in the link I posted previously,

in post #5.

 

 

Edited January 8, 2016 by fleckle

[luv2travel06]

I recall we stayed on the ship and enjoyed the quiet while everyone else got off. Reason being, I do believe this is a volcanic island with dark sand and not so pretty beaches. We docked in St Kitts on a Summit cruise that left from San Juan. If you are on this one where ports of calls are antigua, barbados, st marten, etc, I would suggest staying on the ship in st kitts, from a pure beach perspective.

 

 

If the beaches on St. Kitts are unsatisfactory, we have found the catamaran excursion to a beach on Nevis enjoyable.

[dodger1964]

We've been there twice.

 

First time did sugar cane train. It was good...long bus ride to get to the train, pretty scenery.

 

Second time (last week), we rented a car from hertz and made a lap around the island. Stopped at the fort, a beach, and a couple of churches. Pretty drive, and had a great time.

[Finabear]

I second Brimstone Hill!

I took the ships tour and loved it. Our bus driver - Trevor- talked about the island and gave a nice tour of the island. The fort is beautiful and the exhibits were very interesting.

[FunCruiser56]

St Kitts is a beautiful island, it would be a shame to stay on the ship and miss it. Visit the port of call board there are many good company's th a t will do a good tour for you. We did find there were some available right when we got off the ship if you don't book something ahead.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We've been to St. Kitts twice and did Catamaran snorkeling tours. This year we are going to Carambola Beach Club.

[bbeltmom]

We have enjoyed the Rail & Sail tour.

[susietb]

If you are very adventurous try the Mt. Laimuiga Volcano Hike.

[Flafun888]

great snorkelling at South Friars in the man made lagoon, we saw sting rays and turtles in the crystal clear water, with fabulous coral sand not volcanic.

 

Thanks for sharing. Did you have to get to this area by boat or was it accessible from shore?

[bbeltmom]

If you are very adventurous try the Mt. Laimuiga Volcano Hike.

 

 

Can anyone who has done this tell me how they found it. We are planning to try it in a couple of weeks...

[awhfy]

The taxis will take you around the island including Brimstone Hill (stupendous views) which is an additional charge. Best rate is for 6 folks. The Batik factory is really nice (I have slip covers that are over 10 years old & havent faded a bit). The Marriott is also great, I've booked before getting there & once we got there nice way to spend the day

Edited January 9, 2016 by awhfy

[purpletequila]

Reggae Beach is nice. Water is typical Caribbean--tranquil, warm. There is a restaurant/bar, changing area, monkeys (albeit in cages), jet ski rentals, massages....

 

On a non-cruise I stayed at the Marriott and would recommend a beach day there if it's not too expensive. There are a couple of pools, a swim up bar, waiter service from the bar on the beach and the beach is the Atlantic side so there are decent waves.

 

If you're more adventurous or active, there is a decent zip lining company there too called Sky Safari or something similar. That's fun.

 

Good Luck.

Edited January 9, 2016 by purpletequila