Princess Diana found quiet sanctuary here three decades ago. Last year, Kelsey Grammer escaped here in “Christmas in Paradise.” Everyone from Jay Z to Beyonce to
John Cleese have come to the shores of Nevis, looking to indulge in the island’s particular brand of small-island charm.
Because in Nevis, being a small island is an art form.
Whether you’re indulging in grand comfort at the Four Seasons Resort Nevis or exploring an historic inn on the foothills of Nevis Peak, you’ll find a magnificently uncrowded, ecologically pure and elegantly laid-back destination.
Indeed, the island made famous by Hamilton (if you haven’t seen the show, US founding father Alexander Hamilton was born and spent his early childhood on the island) has quietly become one of the region’s more sought-after tiny islands, rewarding those who make the trip here with a blend of seclusion and sophistication that is not so easily matched.
That’s nowhere more true than on the island’s historic inns, from the Montepelier Plantation and Beach (where Diana stayed) to endlessly charming places to stay like the colorful, family-run Hermitage Inn.
Then there’s the Golden Rock, a spectacularly-designed hotel designedly a pair of artists that is a truly enchanting retreat, right on the foothills of the dormant volcano that crowns the island.
There’s a culinary scene, too: no trip to the island is complete with an evening at Bananas Restaurant or the stunning oceanfront eatery called Mango at the Four Seasons, all exemplifying the best of contemporary Caribbean fare, buoyed by the island’s burgeoning farm-to-table movement (one that has its epicenter in neighboring St Kitts).
That brings us to a Nevis party piece: its outstanding collection of beach bars.
Even for an island that has long been a celebrity magnet, there is no bigger celebrity on the island than Sunshine, the proprietor of the eponymous Sunshine’s beach bar on Pinneys Beach, world-renowned for its Killer Bee rum punch, a cocktail that is as delicious as it is potent.
It’s part of a dynamic group of beach bars in greater Pinneys beach, joined by lovely watering holes around the island like the Yachtsman Grill and the Gin Trap Club. (The latter is a cocktail-forward private club that doubles as a beach bar on the weekends).
There’s even a fine local rum, Mark Theron’s award-winning Clifton Estate, which has quickly become one of the most popular spiced rums coming out of the Caribbean (and whose headquarters is another essential stop on any Nevis getaway.)
This summer, the 36-square-mile island heats up in its own way, with the Nevis Mango Festival (Nevis has more varieties of mangos than anywhere else on earth) running at the end of this month, joined by the vibrant festival called Culturama at the end of July.
There’s even a Sea Turtle Summer Camp at the Four Seasons, where you can spend a week learning about the critically endangered sea turtles that nest on Nevis and take a deeper dive into the marine conservation movement on the island.
Because while Nevis is the perfect place for doing nothing, there’s always something to do.
For more, visit Nevis.