Land of eternal summer...the tiny paradise of Nevis

Ancient tree greets visitors at Montpelier a former sugar plantation now a resort on Nevis  (Taylor)

NEVIS, November 21, 2015 – On most days, the biggest event on the tiny island of Nevis is the sunrise. After that time moves slowly with it perpetual rhythm that will not be rushed.

In the world of travel, the tiny island of Nevis is a perfect synonym for serenity.

Nevis Peak surrounded by clouds  (neviscycleclub.com)

Nobody really knows how Nevis got its name which is derived from the Spanish Nuestra Senora de las Nieves meaning “Our Lady of the Snows.” The reference comes from a rare snowfall on the Esquiline Hill in 4^th century Rome. Many believe the theory is based upon the clouds that usually surround the summit of Nevis Peak which apparently reminded someone of the miracle snow in Italy centuries ago.

Nevis’ is also known as the “Queen of the Caribees” thanks to its once thriving sugar industry in the 18^th century. Today tourism has replaced sugar as the primary source of revenue, but the island has wisely incorporated its past to sweeten the transition.

Big sister St Kitts is just two miles away  (Taylor)

Situated a little more than 200 miles east-southeast of Puerto Rico, Nevis and her larger sister St Kitts, gained their independence from the United Kingdom in 1983. They are separated by a shallow two mile channel known as “The Narrows.”

Most visitors arrive in Nevis by water taxis which take approximately 10 minutes from St. Kitts, but the island does have an airport as well which can accommodate small planes.

For a tiny place, Nevis has a rich history which it ingeniously utilizes to promote modern day tourism. When Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, the French Canadian founder of Louisiana decided to drive the English out of Nevis in 1706, many plantation owners burned their property rather than allowing the French to take control.

Ruins of a sugar plantation at Nisbet Plantation hearken to the days of Nevis' past  (Taylor)

Ironically, it was primarily the African plantation slaves who took up arms to defend their families against the French invaders.

The famed Avenue of the Palms at Nisbet Plantation is the gateway to the beach  (Taylor)

Two important consequences resulted from the attack; the sugar industry ultimately collapsed and small plots of land on the plantations were offered to the previously enslaved families. Today, Nevis has a population of roughly 12,000 inhabitants who are largely of African decent.

When slavery was abolished in 1834, the first Monday in August was set aside as Emancipation Day as part of the island’s annual Nevis Culturama Festival.

Sugar mills have been converted into restaurants and even honeymoon suites  (Taylor)

But given its laid back personality, there are other historical aspects to Nevis which are fascinating.  British naval hero Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson was married to the 22-year old daughter of a plantation owner on Nevis in 1787. The Duchess of Bronte, Frances (Fanny) Nisbet lived at Nisbet Plantation which is today one of four sugar plantations that have been renovated into upscale resorts.

The first United States secretary of the treasury, Alexander Hamilton, was born on Nevis and spent the first years of his life there.

The signature garden at Golden Rock  (Taylor)

Also from Nevis was Rupert Crosse, the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Another well known Nevisian actress, Cicely Tyson, won multiple Emmys and was nominated for an Oscar in 1972.

Even lesser known, but no less important, is the story of Captain John Smith who visited Nevis while sailing to Virginia in 1607. It was during this voyage that the first permanent English settlement of Jamestown was founded in the New World.

Yet, with such a rich history, time still passes slowly on the island of Nevis and the residents wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Bath Hotel & Spa was the first hotel in the Caribbean dating to 1778  (Taylor)

Electricity wasn’t introduced until 1954, but it was not available throughout the island until 1971. Despite that, Nevis was home to the first hotel in the Caribbean, the luxurious Bath Hotel and Spa built by John Huggins in 1778. Huggins created his property to take advantage of the small but soothing medicinal waters of the nearby hot spring that is fed by the thermal activity of Nevis Peak.

Thermal baths fed by Nevis Peak  (Teylor)

Though the hotel is now used as an office building, the hot springs remain active for visitors to enjoy “taking the waters.”

Four of the former sugar plantations have been converted into resort hotel properties, each with its own charm and character. The deluxe Four Seasons Hotel is the only chain hotel on Nevis as well as the only Four Seasons hotel in the Caribbean.

As would be expected, life centers around the water. Pinney’s Beach, on the western coast, is the most developed beach on the island.

Four Seasons Nevis is the only Four Seasons property in the Caribbean  (Taylor)

Though tourism thrives, the island is too small to accommodate large cruise ships, and with 400 hotel rooms, half of which belong to the Four Seasons, Nevis’ goal is not to add more hotels but to fill the rooms they already have.

Typical cottage situated along the Avenue of the Palms at Nisbet Plantation Resort  (Taylor)

Nevis is an island of eternal summer, “where the livin’ is easy.”

Nevis is a place where a chorus of tiny invisible tree frogs will serenade you to sleep. A place where soft breezes caress the palm trees to sound like a gentle rain. A place where time somehow gets lost within its own timelessness.

Originally published in  Communities Digital News

For more travel stories and tours:  Magellan Travel Club