St. Kitts & Nevis: its working

By Jason Feinberg Wednesday, 03 February 2010 22:16

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Discovering New Friends in a New World

Photography By Jason Feinberg, Sara March
and courtesy of the St. Kitts Marriott /

 

The sun was still below the horizon and I was stuck in the middle seat in the back of the plane listening to a baby cry and a man vomit before we left the gate. To top it off, the channel selector on my armrest had a sinister sense of humor and decided to constantly change the music channels that were drowning out the awfulness behind me to hardcore Christian rock and ear-piercing static. I wish I were making this up. It’s too early for this and the flight just got longer. The only thing that could make this worse would be an announcement that the in-flight movie was Leonard Part 6.
However, thoughts of my destination helped me doze off and dream of that tropical oasis that awaited me: Frigate Bay, St. Kitts and Nevis … weather in the 90s, skies a clear blue, palm trees swaying in the tropical breeze and a limo waiting to pick me up.
At the airport I was greeted by Lavern Stevens, public relations manager for the St. Kitts Marriott, who whisked me inside the limo and introduced me to several colleagues from other magazines who were soon-to-be great friends or better yet, partners in crime. En route to the hotel we passed several billboards reading,  “St. Kitts, it’s working” or “Education, it’s working” and so on. It was one of the oddest campaigns I had ever seen and I wasn’t quite sure what was working or what had been broken that was now working. But I would come to figure it out before I left.
A few hours after I had checked in and relaxed, it was time to meet up for dinner at the Hotel’s Royal Grille restaurant, a topnotch steakhouse with a very expansive wine selection from around the world. Throughout dinner, while our friendships were forming, the wine kept flowing. Afterward, we headed up to the Keys Cigar and Rum bar. We sat at the outside lounge, just off the main room. Rolling hillsides eerily stared down at us, lit only by house lights reflected off tropical clouds. It was a perfect, relaxing setting. A little later, we made our way inside to comfortable leather couches and chairs. We sat back and enjoyed rich Cuban cigars, mojitos and laughter with what felt like old friends. Needless to say, before we knew it, it was much later then we thought and the rum had been flowing almost as freely as the wine! As much as I was enjoying the company, I knew I’d better sneak off to bed before the sun came up.
The next morning the sun pierced my ocean-view room and the waves came ashore just past the cover of palm trees. It felt early, earlier then I would have liked, but I was anxious to see what all the rave was about the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club across the street from the hotel. Golf director Sean Gradomoski, who may very well have one of the greatest jobs in the world, greeted us. I found out something when I met Sean. People can actually move from Michigan (originally from Ohio) to St. Kitts and get paid to play golf every day on a tropical island golf course. I, too, would soon be enjoying this luxurious land of green, although I would be driving a golf cart watching my new friends Mark Anderson and Kevin Powell show me firsthand why there is a container of sand on the golf cart and what a divot is.
The 18-hole, 71-par golf course is one of the Marriott’s prized possessions. Even if you don’t play golf, you’ll want to take a stroll along the back nine. The 15th hole hovers about 75 feet above the rest of the course, offering a downhill par-3, while the 16th and 17th holes hug the ocean. The golf course is rated one of the best in the world and much to my surprise, we were greeted by St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas, who was about to enjoy a round of golf himself.
Later that day, I took some time to check out the 450-room property. The resort is spread out with several buildings sharing a common swimming pool. Just behind the main building, the Frigate Bay House is a large 24-hour pool with swim-up bar and hidden whirlpool Jacuzzi, which was very relaxing after a long day. The Marriott has three lounges, a mini-shopping mall, eight restaurants and the largest Vegas-style casino in the Caribbean, the Royal Beach Casino.
After winning on my second pull on a slot machine, I was geared up to go out. We headed down the street to Frigate Bay and we grabbed some dinner at the Shiggidy Shack. It always surprises me how you can find the best meals at the oddest of places. The Shiggidy Shack, an open shack that sits on the beach grouped with a row of beach bars, served up amazingly delicious lobster. Before I knew it, we were hitting every little shack bar along the beach, sampling whatever rum drinks the bartenders could come up with; next thing we were dancing the night away at Ziggy’s.
On Sunday, we set out to Reggae Beach to do some snorkeling. We were enjoying the winding roads up and down the hills with spectacular views of the ocean and islands. Music was playing, some of us were singing, and Elyse Anderson from Green Magazine yelled, “Monkey!” If you have never been to an area where there is new wildlife at every turn, then the sight of a green-tailed monkey running across the road in front of your car could indeed shock you. However, it’s not a great idea to scream while driving along a two-lane mountain road. The van came to an abrupt stop, doors flew open and in what looked like a scene out of Cops, everyone ran out to see the wild monkey, who by this time had long disappeared over the edge of the cliff. As we continued our journey, I sarcastically said something about how much fun it is to drive through mountain roads in the fog. No sooner had I said it, than we turned up a hill straight into a thick fog, followed by a very serious downpour. At some point the road beneath us had all but disappeared and whitewater rapids were following us. However, as instantly as it started, the squall passed and we were at Reggae Beach, which seemed like something right out of a Jimmy Buffett song. One of the treats of Reggae Beach is Wilbert, a resident giant wild pig that has been adopted by the locals. Wilbert can apparently outdrink some of those locals and is well respected and treated like royalty, as I was about to find out. Kevin Powell of Sophisticated Groom Magazine and I innocently started joking about Wilbert winding up on the menu. Our host, Lavern, threatened to separate us for the remainder of the day (while trying to hide the fact that she had been laughing uncontrollably only a minute before). After lunch and a few more cracks at bacon bits, we hit the beach for some Caribbean snorkeling.
One of St. Kitt’s treasures is the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park – a must-see during your visit. Begun in the 1600s, construction continued for over 100 years and it served as one of the largest fortresses in the Caribbean. Brimstone Hill Fortress sits 800 feet high, overlooking some very challenging slopes and sweeping views. Today Brimstone serves as a cultural center for tourism and even offers accommodations for a wedding.

 

A long day of jet skiing, snorkeling, hiking or doing any number of activities can be exhausting. Fortunately, located on the lower level of the Marriott’s Frigate Bay House is the 15,000-square-foot Emerald Mist Spa. Emerald Mist boasts eight oversized treatment rooms, including two wet rooms, five dry rooms and one couple’s room with private Jacuzzi and dual-head shower. The spa’s salon can accommodate private groups of up to 13 people for manicures, pedicures and hair services. On top of the beauty and revitalizing treatments, Emerald offers four signature treatments: the Cinnamon Black Rock Therapy, the Kittitian Massage, Mango Sugar Body Scrub and the Emerald Mist Facial. If massages and spa treatments are not for you, try the state-of-the-art health club with complimentary yoga and other classes.
On our last night, we gathered for dinner at the Marriott’s Blu restaurant. I remember the food was excellent but I’m still wondering how we made it through dinner. The laughter started with the first course and continued on well into the casino afterward. It was only a few days ago that we were perfect strangers, and now we were perfect friends. We caught our collective breath for a minute – just long enough to thank our hosts for their hospitality and for a memorable trip.
Everyone we met in St. Kitts was warm, friendly and just fun to be around. You won’t find a fast-sfood chain or many shops  outside the hotel; in fact, I didn’t even see a vending machine. St. Kitts is certainly a unique place to visit. I had been afraid I would be bored. I was so wrong.  St. Kitts and Nevis is certainly working.
For more photos click here and video of Wilbert and more of St. Kitts Click here or,
B Online, at www.boulevardli.com. 
For more information on the St. Kitts Marriott,
please visit www.marriott.com.

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