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| St. Kitts | ||||||||
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These small intimate islands have a lot of "Old Caribbean"
charm. Their strong suits are gracious hotels and old inns, verdant, green scenery,
and lovely beaches. The diving is decent, but there are no thrills.... Scuba Safaris/Oualie Beach Resort, August 1997, Elizabeth and Steve Hilla, Arlington, VA. Nevis recommended as a good destination to go with kids (ages 2 and 5); met our expectations. The hotel has several quaint cottages with 2-6 units in each; isn't luxurious but is fine. The restaurant offered wonderful, gourmet food with an emphasis on local cuisine. The hotel is on a beach with clear, shallow water and a sandy bottom, great for our kids to swim and play. All rooms have a lovely beautiful view of the beach and across the water from St. Kitts. Not a crowded or overdeveloped destination. . . . Scuba Safaris is only dive operation on the island; based at the Oualie Beach and picks up divers from Four Seasons. That means a 30 minute boat ride or more before diving, though most sites are near by. We didn't mind. Two-tank morning boat dive daily. Dive shop owner, Ellis, and his staff were friendly, helpful and fun. Better choice for novices than experienced divers as they ask everyone to stay in a group with one divemaster in the lead and another riding herd at the back of the group. Since we traveled in low season, this wasn't so bad, usually only 5-8 divers in a group. Vis: 50-75 ft. Divemaster set the profile during the briefing. Divemasters found some interesting things like starfish, basket stars, one nurse shark. Great night dive with just the two of us; banded coral shrimp, spotted drum, lobsters, huge turtle. At all sites, the coral was pristine and beautiful. Lots of smaller critters, nice tropical fish, but few big fish. Dive sites are like meadows with occasional ledges, no wall diving to speak of. . . . Island very interesting. Lots of ruins of sugar plantations and sugar mills to explore. Also, ruins of an old fort; and a rainforest at the highest elevation. The island has more monkeys than people (imported from Africa a few hundred years ago). None of the hiking sites are well marked so they usually recommend a guide. The island is friendly but expensive. A taxi ride costs about $10 minimum so many visitors rent a car. (Ph: 809-469-9518, Fax: 809-469-619) (Oualie Beach Hotel, 800-OUALIE-1 or 809-469-9735, Fax: 809-469-9176) Scuba Safari/Oualie Beach Hotel, February 1998, William Edwards, Placerville, CA. Only dive shop on Nevis. Owner, Ellis Chadderington was friendly, knowledgeable and didn't mind taking out just one or two divers. Most dives were within a fifteen minute boat ride. Best dives were Fish Bowl and Coral Gardens. Huge barrel sponges, sting rays, nurse shark and lots of lobsters. Vis: 50-80 ft. Water: 78-80 degrees. Diving restrictions: must stay with group. Dive shop is at Oualie Beach Hotel; accommodations were quaint, but adequate. We were expecting a unit with a kitchenette and were disappointed to find only a small refrigerator. No utensils at all, but the food at the hotel restaurant was very good. They have a lovely beach. St. Kitts Scuba/Bird Rock Beach Hotel, March 1998, Mary Jane and Bill Wagner, Bay City MI. Water 80, vis: 60-80. St. Kitts Scuba was a well-run operation. Good briefings and choice of going on own or staying with divemasters, all of whom were good at finding critters. We were only divers for 2 days). Few large fish, lots of small tropicals and nice corals and sponges. A macro paradise! Bird Rock is an older, typically Caribbean resort-pretty grounds, clean, reasonable.
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