Image courtesy of Christian Horan for the Four Seasons Nevis
Once a hawksbill sea turtle reaches somewhere between 30 and 35 years old, she begins to nest. For every 1,000 eggs she lays, one very lucky turtle makes it to adulthood.
Hawksbill sea turtles, enchanting creatures that have been around since the age of dinosaurs, are critically endangered. Their population has declined by more than 80% in the last century.
Like me, she is a wanderer… Thanks to satellite trackers, we know that these sea turtles have traveled distances from Costa Rica to the eastern coast of the United States, and even as far as Africa. But when she nests, she always returns to the same beach where she originally hatched.
It was on a 36-square-mile island in the Caribbean where I was fortunate to encounter a hawksbill sea turtle, and I did so thanks to a partnership between the Sea Turtle Conservancy and Four Seasons Nevis.
Welcome to paradise
Images courtesy of Kelley Louise
If you’re unfamiliar with Nevis, allow me to introduce you. (“The charm of Nevis is that it’s not really known,” said Liliana Díaz de León, the Four Seasons Nevis Director of Leisure Sales.)
It is the smaller of two islands that are part of St. Kitts & Nevis, and it’s a conscious traveler’s paradise. There isn’t a single traffic light or fast-food restaurant on the island. Nevis gives you a rare opportunity to experience the Caribbean without the cruises (the ships dock on St. Kitts but not Nevis). And sustainability isn’t just for show: Behind the scenes, the destination has adopted a sustainable development framework in conjunction with the United Nations, while also working toward becoming the first Sustainable Island State.
There are a few ways to reach Nevis, but the best way is by boat. You’ll fly into St. Kitts, head to the island’s dock and then take a 15-minute ride to Nevis. Trust me and book the private transfer with Four Seasons — there’s something special about enjoying a Carib while at sea before docking right on the property.
Image courtesy of the Four Seasons Nevis
A stay at the Four Seasons Nevis is a lesson in country club chic. Located on 350 acres, the property has rooms, suites and villas that are swimming in natural light and quietly boast a thoughtful sense of luxury. It was the first Four Seasons property in the Caribbean, and it set the bar high.
“It’s been here for 33 years, so it’s really part of our lifestyle,” said Simone McGrath, the Sales and Marketing Coordinator at Four Seasons Nevis. “Four Seasons is Nevis and Nevis is Four Seasons.”
Take time to slow down on the island (stays are typically five to six days, a treat for you and a win for a mindful travel ethos too, since slow travel is inherently more sustainable). Once you’re ready to explore, you can drive around the island in an hour. For an island so small, you might expect it to be sleepy, but it is anything but (although it does offer an impressive array of options for R&R if that’s what you’re craving).
What to do & where to eat in Nevis
Greg Phillip, founder and CEO of Nevis Sun Tours
To get a lay of the land, you’ll want to connect with Greg Phillip, the founder and CEO of Nevis Sun Tours and a local Nevisian himself (“Living here is priceless,” he said).
Greg offers a wide variety through Nevis Sun Tours, but explained that each tour must be “authentic, immersive and intimate.” Significantly, each experience brings a layer of interaction: “I don’t subscribe to the type of tour where you get on a bus and you’re just talked at,” he said.
The most popular tour from Nevis Sun Tours is their Hamilton experience. (If you’ve seen the play, you may remember that Alexander Hamilton was born on a “forgotten Caribbean island,” and Hamilton was indeed born on Nevis).
“People show up expecting it to be one thing and they realize it’s something different,” Greg said. “The plot twist is a subtle moment where you learn something new about Hamilton. And the place is right here to reconcile with it.”
Nevis Sun Tours will also take you to Cottle Church, a place of worship that is considered to be the first nondenominational church in the Caribbean, as well as the first desegregated one. Going back further in history, you’ll learn about the island’s original habitants, the Arawak Indigenous community. You can go on a tour with a trained horticulturist, and gain insight on traditions in natural medicinal remedies. And there is a Rastafarian farm on the island where you can harvest your own ingredients and then use traditional clay pots to create an Ital dish. (“It’s the type of pot my grandmother taught me to cook in,” Greg shared).
No matter the experience you choose, Greg’s goal is that you gain more than just memories.
“When you leave a vacation, you shouldn’t just leave with stories,” he said. “You should leave with something that impacted you.”
When you’re ready to refuel, Nevis is a foodie and drink lover’s haven.
Nevis Peak Brewery is the first craft brewery in St. Kitts & Nevis. It is a family-owned and operated space. Coming soon, the Four Seasons will have taps on site with the locally produced beer, but for now, it’s just a stone’s throw away on the same beach, Pinney’s. Don’t skip the pilsner — or an opportunity to chat with the owner Robert, who will happily show you a behind-the-scenes of the brewery if you ask.
Nevis Peak Brewery & Dune (image courtesy of Christian Horan for the Four Seasons Nevis)
Nevis, like many Caribbean islands, is known for its rum. Sunshine’s, a charming hole-in-the-wall beachfront bar, is infamous for its “Killer Bee” cocktail, a drink that goes down easily (perhaps a little too easily). Clifton Estate Rum is the local distillery in Nevis… But the real local option is the moonshine.
For dining, you’ll be spoiled for options. The Four Seasons Nevis has four brag-worthy restaurants with locally sourced seafood and ingredients: On the Dune (Caribbean-American), Mango (Caribbean), Kastaway (Japanese-inspired) and Esquilina (Mediterranean in the evenings, and a Caribbean breakfast in the morning that can’t be beat). The property has partnered with the Department of Agriculture, local farmers and fishermen to source local ingredients whenever possible.
In the historic Hamilton Estate, you’ll find Bananas (trust the locals and try the goat water, as well as the homemade banana rum). For Nevisian farm- and sea-to-table dining in a restaurant/art gallery hybrid, go to Drift. Make a reservation for 6:30 and get there early to enjoy the space. At Montpelier, order the tapas menu (and if you’re celebrating something special, opt for a private dining experience in a space transformed from a historic sugar mill). Visit Golden Rock, the place to go for anything lobster. Cool off with one of their homemade popsicles, and make sure to take time to enjoy the grounds: the plants are a work of art in themselves.
Do as the locals do and go to Hermitage on a Wednesday for the pig roast. Expect to meet more Nevisians than tourists. Find your way to the water department (it’s not on a map), which, in fact, is the place to go for barbeque (“It’s like a social club that started more than 30 years ago as a fundraiser, and now it’s the spot to be on a Friday night,” Greg shared). And you’d be remiss to forgo Passion Bar, a charming little gem where the owner is the host, server and cook all in one. Order the grouper and thank me later.
Nevis packs a punch with its outdoor offerings… Of course, carve out a day (or three) to relax poolside or on the beach. Turn around and you’ll see the centerpiece of the island: Nevis Peak, a volcano you can hike up in three to six hours if you’re willing to get a little dirty in the name of adventure. There is a waterfall hike on the northern side of the island. Don’t miss the botanical gardens, a lush oasis with a commitment to conservation. For a souvenir, pick up a bottle of their organic honey, produced on site. Spend a day snorkeling (I recommend a catamaran experience), and if you’re lucky, you’ll spot one of the sea turtles that Four Seasons Nevis advocates to protect.
Community efforts to protect sea turtles
Images courtesy of Kelley Louise
Speaking of our leading lady, the Four Seasons Nevis has been partnering with the Sea Turtle Conservancy for the past 18 years to promote education and advocacy for the endangered turtles. Each year, the Four Seasons property sponsors sea turtles so that scientists can ethically capture the turtles, attach a satellite tracker and re-release them into the wild.
Hotel guests are invited to participate in conservation efforts and activities that, in turn, help them to become advocates for saving the sea turtles, too. (“Saving turtles starts with education,” David said.) Guests can participate in talks about sea turtles, and a standout initiative is their focus on educating children: they have activities and games as part of a kids camp.
The cornerstone event is a guided tracking experience with scientists and the teams from the Sea Turtle Conservancy and a local Nevisian organization, the Sea Turtle Group. You’ll venture out onto the beaches at night to find their nesting sites and capture the sea turtle as kindly as possible before she returns to the sea. She is brought back to the property for a proper Four Seasons spa (cleaning her shell) and to attach her chic new accessory (her satellite tracker). In the morning, she is re-released into the ocean with hotel guests cheering her on.
With her new satellite tracker, the team at the Sea Turtle Conservancy can use the information to learn more about the elusive creature, as well as map out hotspots for the turtles. The data can inform advocacy initiatives to protect regions from overdevelopment and activities that are harmful to the sea turtles’ natural habitats, like dredging.
As a witness to the Sea Turtle Week activities, hotel guests have the opportunity to learn and become advocates themselves.
And a conscious traveler, perhaps one lesson we can learn from the sea turtles is to not miss out on an opportunity to visit a place more than once. Scientists are still learning about their life expectancy, but it’s known that they can nest at least 80 times in their lifetime, always returning to the same place.
“I think that’s what people miss out on sometimes… the familiarity of a destination that you get from going back more than once,” Greg said.
Our Four Seasons turtles can be tracked on the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s website. Her tracker will eventually harmlessly fall off her shell, but we can track her for as long as two years. And perhaps, next year, we’ll be able to see her return to Nevis… I know that I’ve got more than a few of my own reasons to want to go back, too.
