Luxury Holiday Guide Blog
Destinations that are a cut above the restArchive for Caribbean Information
Nevis : A hidden Jem in the Carribean
Nearly everybody knows about all those glorious Carribean islands and resorts, which are endlessly touted by travel agents: St Lucia, Barbados, Martinique, you know the places, but that doesn’t mean that every part of the Carribean has been overrun by tourists and tourist agencies, there are still some beautiful little spots tucked away and left unsullied by the masses and their garish ways.
Take for example, the smaller partner in the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, the island of Nevis [pronounced Neevis], although the island seems little more than a dormant volcano, what you miss at first sight is that Nevis is not on any of the major transport routes, and whilst this doesn’t exactly make it hard to get there it is certainly off the beaten track.
The population is comparitively small [appr 12,000], but this has meant that the public facilities have never been close to being over-suscribed, therefore Nevisian schooling and healthcare are among the best in the Carribean [if not the Americas], in fact the recorded level of literacy in Nevis is about 98% which is among the best in the world. The government’s budget is almost unique in that it has been running at a surplus recently, and the economic growth rate is amongst the highest in the western world.
But, this is because Nevis has realised its potential, after the decimation of the artificially held up sugar industry, Nevis turned to its natural beauty to attract both investment and people to bring it to the point where its economy is growing much quicker than its larger neighbour St Kitts.
Flag of Nevis
Turks & Caicos Islands
If you want a luxury Holiday why not try some of the less traveled corners of the globe, instead of joining in the rat-race and going to the usual locations such as St Tropez, Bermuda or Hawaii.
This week I’m going to recommend the Turks & Caicos Islands to put a little seed of an idea into the back of your minds.
First of all some details for those of you who are new to this place. The Turks & Caicos Islands are situated roughly between Cuba and Haiti. It is a British Overseas Territory [meaning it has some autonomy but is still regarded as being subject to UK law]. The capital is Cockburn Town on Gran Turk Island whereas the largest inhabitation is on the island of Providenciales, which is ‘famous’ for having the only Conch farm in the world.
On the other end of the archipelago is the evocatively titled Salt Cay, its name coming from its large production of salt, which was made easy by the large flat plains of the island. After salt production closed down in the 1930s the population dwindled to the current figure of under 200. Many people like to visit the Island as it has large open expanses and large vacant beaches where the long days can be enjoyed in peace. But for the explorer, many of the salt refining operations were left intact, as it would have cost too much to demolish the buildings.
In between these extremes are the Caicos Islands, called West, North, Middle, East & South [which along with Ambergris Island, Parrot Cay, Pine Cay & Dellis Cay make up the T&C], which have everything you’d expect from a Caribbean island and a lot that you wouldn’t.
For example the fourth largest of the islands East Caicos has been uninhabited since the Sisal Plant closed in the 1900s, but the capital city of Jacksonville still stands for the adventurous soul to discover.
Caribbean Luxury Options
Further to our post “Dreaming of Jamaica“, we have been looking at other Caribbean islands which offer a similar experience – albeit a little more relaxed. Read the rest of this entry »
Dreaming of Jamaica
Further to our beaches post, we were tempted to search for luxury holidays in Jamaica. There are a wealth of options for the luxury traveller in Jamaica, our personal favoruite would be one of the Elegant Resorts properties on the island. There is so much to see and do on Jamaica it can be overwhelming, with a resort such as this you have a fantastic base with which to discover the best of the island. Please see this post for just some of the essential attractions which Jamaica has to offer.
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