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Ottley’s Plantation Inn is a truly delightful plantation house hotel set in the north of St Kitts, a beautifully restored great house and outbuildings that sit in lovely tropical grounds high on a hillside above the Atlantic Ocean. It has just 23 rooms, some set in the main house and others in cottages ranged across the lawns, and it is family-owned and run, so it has a very personable atmosphere and a wonderful sense of care. The small hotel is classically elegant but it also has plenty of modern comforts, including a pool (set in the old boiling house) and a spa in a lovely wooden cottage surrounded by tropical greenery. Ottleys has near limitless charm and offers the very best in traditional Caribbean graciousness and hospitality. It is an exquisite traditional West Indian retreat.
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KEY FEATURES
| Ottley's Plantation Inn is one of only two plantation inns on St Kitts, extremely hospitable and charming plantation hotel, 23 rooms and suites in the main house and cottages, including a 3 room villa, spring-fed 66ft swimming pool, floodlit tennis court (hard), beach shuttle, croquet lawn, rainforest nature trail, Mango Orchard Spa. |
STYLE
| Romantic old colonial grandeur, in a stunning restored great house and lawned tropical gardens; a country house retreat with traditional West Indian charm and a private house atmosphere |
CLIENT PROFILE
| Ottley's Plantation attracts well heeled, discerning independent travellers in search of stylish seclusion and privacy, some honeymooners, some older, some families and intimate Caribbean wedding inn |
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The approach to Ottley’s feels like arriving at a smart tropical country house. After a rickety drive up from Ottley’s village, in which the great house dips alluring in and out of view against the mountains, you draw up along an alley of royal palms surrounded by lawns and tropical flowers. The old estate house is startlingly pretty, and its yellow walls, white criss-cross balustrades and shallow pitched grey shingle roof sit perfectly in the scene of tropical tranquillity created by the attractive gardens.
Actually you draw up at the side of the house, where the reception and office are set down some steps in the old stone foundation storey of the house. After checking in, perhaps like most guests you will head to your room for a while, but eventually you will gravitate back to the Gallery, the main veranda on the first floor of the great house. As you walk around the estate house you will notice the care that went into the original construction – and then more recently the love and care in the restoration.
The glory of West Indian great houses is the woodwork. The balustrades seem to run for miles, past pretty louvered windows and doors. There is no gingerbread to overplay the scene around the veranda here, but the slender, arched supports are exceptionally attractive in themselves. Inside there are wooden floors and walls and classic ‘tray’ ceilings of white wood. As a traditional estate house, built before the days of air-conditioning, Ottley’s was designed to encourage a through-flow of the natural air - full height louvered doors open the rooms out and give the rooms a lovely aspect.
The Great Room is the drawing room and bar. It is decorated in colonial style of course, with antique and reproduction furniture and classic fabrics. There are even some traditional Caribbean ‘planter’s’ chairs, with arms that stretch forward to support your legs when you feel like lying back for a snooze. Behind the Great Room is the Library, again furnished with antique reproduction furniture pieces. It has television and a DVD. On this middle floor there are also two bedrooms. The decoration in the Great House, and Ottley’s in general, is very much in classic style. The small hotel does not intend to be minimal or self-consciously modern. Instead it has a strong character of its own that brings the gracious living of plantation times past into the modern day. Upstairs the six rooms have hefty wooden beds with classic floral bedspreads, bookshelves and a variety of tables and chairs including hardwood rocking chairs.
And, of course, they have the view, which carries down over the gardens, through the trunks of the royal palms and to the ocean. The inn has a gracious, leisurely layout, with an expanse of lawn among the surrounding greenery. Ahead of you, on the right, is the dining room and pool, set in ancient walls. Garden furniture is set out on the lawn just above it, cast iron chairs around tables and under parasols, but the main dining room (for breakfast and lunch) is actually set slightly below, in the walls of the former boiling house itself, under cover but open-sided to take in the view over the lawns. Dinner is served in a second dining room with a polished wooden floor and lovely view down to the Atlantic. The cuisine is contemporary Caribbean, fusing tastes from around the world with ingredients and dishes from the Caribbean.
To the left, the cottages containing other rooms run in a diagonal line across the gardens, forward of the estate house and slightly down the hill. There are 15 rooms in several different ‘categories’ (individual ‘Supreme’ rooms, two-bedroom suites and a three-bedroom cottage), which each have their own outside space, so they have a nice view over the lawn to the ocean. In most cases they are more recently built than the estate house and clearly they use more modern materials, with ceramic tiles and plaster walls, but some West Indian features have also been used, in the pitched wooden ceilings and louvered windows. Many have private plunge pools on their verandas.
If the 35 acres of grounds and gardens have a gracious aspect, they are designed for a gracious kind of leisure too, with benches standing around the lawns and hammocks hanging in the trees. Guests sit out in armchairs and read or talk. There is a croquet lawn if you fancy a game. One of the sons in law of the family that owns Ottley’s is a horticulturalist and so he makes sure that the gardens themselves are immaculate (he also offers impromptu garden tours). To the far side of the great house, in a simpler but still a notably Caribbean style, is the Mango Orchard Spa. It overlooks the gully at the side of the property and it opens out onto the greenery to give a very natural feel.
All around, there is a seamless sense of tranquillity at Ottley’s, often emphasised by the brooding mountains as backdrop, which stand alternately sombre in their clouds and alluringly bare. Just as arriving feels like coming to a country house, so the atmosphere at Ottley’s can have an element of a house party, a very personable environment in which guests gravitate together as they spend their days, gradually get to know one another. Ottley’s is intimate, a lovely gracious getaway in the best traditional Caribbean style. |
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Beach & Swimming
Clearly Ottley’s is not on the beach (it is on the rougher Atlantic side of St Kitts and there are no white sand beaches in the northern area of the island anyway). But then you will have chosen Ottley’s for things other than the beach anyway. For the times when you would like to go to the sea, the hotel offers a free daily shuttle to a choice of two beaches, Frigate Bay, the island’s liveliest, and the rather quieter and nicer Friar’s Bay. Both have beach bars where you can base yourself for the day and some watersports (more on Frigate Bay than Friar’s Bay). Ottley’s also offer transport to the nice beach bar Reggae Beach on Cockleshell Bay near the far end of the south-east peninsular for US$10 per person.
There’s plenty of space to sunbathe and swim at Ottley’s itself. The pool is set in the walls of the old boiling house next to the main dining room. It is fed by spring water, so taking a swim is probably as beneficial as a spa treatment anyway. |
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Sports & Recreation
Most of the pursuits at Ottley’s are as elegant and leisurely as the hotel itself. There is a hard tennis court in the gardens and a croquet lawn. And there is a spa, see below.
There is excellent hiking in St Kitts. Around the property, there is a nice short hike along the gully and it is fun to walk down to the Atlantic coast. Also one of the family members, Marty, who is a trained horticulturalist, offers impromptu walks around the grounds that bring to life some of St Kitts’ extraordinary flora in the area. For longer hikes in the mountains, the inn can recommend a guide. If you would like to go horse riding then that is available. Rides go through the rainforest and down to the beach too.
Ottley’s has some snorkelling gear for its guests to use. Otherwise sports equipment, kayaks and windsurfers and the like, are available through the watersports operators on the island main beach, Frigate Bay. |
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Spa
Ottley’s Mango Orchard Spa is set in a charming, brightly painted chattel house surrounded by fantastic tropical greenery and with a view out over the inn’s rainforest ravine. The spa is open daily with treatments by appointment only (ideally booked at least 24 hours in advance) and the menu of services includes Swedish, deep tissue, aromatherapy and Shiatsu massage therapies and other body treatments. Products are by Essential Elements and include a cornmeal-infused Honey Body Polish, a Shea Butter Souffle Body Wrap and a warm mud and algae based Rosemary Firming Body Wrap. They also offer a Pevonia Purifying Balancing Facial and a range of manicures and pedicures. Hair styling and make-up services are also available, either in the guest’s room or the massage cottage. Prices for treatments taken at the spa range from US$95 to $110 for massage therapies, body treatments come at US$110, Pevonia facials at US$90, manicures at US$20-40, pedicures at US$40-55 and hair styling at US$45-85. Spa treatments are also available in guests’ rooms for an additional charge. Gift certificates and day spa packages are available. |
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Staff
Ottleys Plantation is owned and managed by the Keusch family from New York. Parents Art and Ruth and their two daughters Nancy and Karen are all involved and so you will see them around the hotel. You will also meet son in law Marty, not least as he surveys his spectacular domain, the 35 acres of gardens. |
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The Rooms
There are 23 rooms in all at Ottley’s and they are in two different locations and styles as well as in a number of different configurations. There are eight in the main house, six upstairs and two downstairs. Most of these are Deluxe rooms, which have a wonderful traditional Caribbean style with antique or reproduction furniture. They share veranda space with the other rooms and of course they have a magnificent view.
The other 15 rooms are set in the cottages overlooking the lawns nearer the front of the property. Most of the cottages are a modern ‘build’ but they have used many traditional techniques and styles including louvered windows and arched doorways. They have a similar classic ‘look’ to them, with traditional antique and reproduction furniture. They all have some outside space, most of them with a plunge pool. There are several configurations of rooms in the cottages, ranging from individual ‘Supreme’ double rooms through two-bedroom suites that share a living room and a three-bedroom cottage that is built into old original walls. |
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Dining
The dining area at Ottley’s, the Royal Palm restaurant, is just below the main house, in the walls of the old boiling house - in which the sugar cane-juice would be heated to extreme temperature to be clarified and then crystallized in pointed ‘sugar loafs’. There is a dining room on a canopied terrace next to the swimming pool for breakfast and lunch. It looks over the lawns and back up to the great house. And then there is a second dining room for dinner. It has a polished wooden floor and candle-lit tables and it is open-sided at the front for the view down to the Atlantic.
The cuisine is contemporary Caribbean, a creative menu that gathers international as well as local ingredients to make an original and satisfying experience. The menu changes nightly, so guests will always have a new choice of dishes over their stay. If you are not staying it is worth knowing that Ottley’s does an excellent Sunday brunch, for which visitors come from all over the island. Reservations are required for dinner and Sunday brunch. |
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Weddings
The house and ground at Ottley’s are a superb location for a wedding and of course the hotel is delighted to arrange it for you. They have a package that can be adapted to your particular needs. It includes the services of a minister, all the regulatory issues such as the licence and registrars’ fees and flowers for the ceremony. And then they can arrange a reception for you for as many guests as you wish. They can provide canapés, a photographer or videographer. Some popular locations for the ceremony itself include inside or around the sugar Mill. There is a also a large lawn for a large reception. |
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Children
Ottleys is a fairly serene environment and although they are happy to accept children it is within certain restrictions. They are allowed to stay in the three-bedroom cottage. Also, because it is close to the dining room, where they would prefer not to have posses of screaming kids, the main pool is regarded as ‘adult only’. |
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Useful Hints
Being family owned and run, Ottley’s has a number of pets which roam freely around the property. Currently they include four cats and Chazz, a golden retriever. |
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Practical Facts
Annual Closure Dates: 05 September-04 October 2009 - 2010 tba
Dress Code: Smart casual. No shorts, jeans or T-shirts in the evenings. A light jacket, cardigan or shawl for evenings is advisable during winter months
Facilities: Royal Palm Restaurant and bar, Great House lounge and bar, 66ft spring-fed swimming pool, floodlit tennis (hard) court, croquet lawn, rainforest nature trail, reception with gift shop, Mango Orchard Spa
Complimentary: Daily shuttle to a choice of two beaches and to Basseterre for shopping.
Other Services: Front desk will arrange activities and excursions. Mountain bikes available. Packed picnic lunches arranged for beach trips. Spa packages and in room spa treatments available. Occasional entertainment in the winter season. Room service available. Cable TV/DVD player available in selected rooms by request.
Children: Welcome. Children under 10 years normally only accommodated in Royal Suites or Grand Villa. Babysitting available from US$11 per hour.
Weddings/Honeymoons: A basic wedding package is available at US$995 (inc. tax and service) for stays of 7 nights or more and includes arrangements for the marriage licence, registrar's fees and taxes, services of a Minister/Magistrate to perform the ceremony, a bottle of Champagne, Hors d' oeuvres for two, a wedding cake, bride’s bouquet of tropical flowers and an exotic boutonniere for the Groom. Cost of the wedding package for shorter stays US$1,498 including tax and service. Photography and video packages are available and customised weddings can be arranged. See special offers below.
Accommodation: 23 rooms
Room Types: All rooms are individually decorated and have air-conditioning, ceiling fan, mini-bar fridge, tea/coffee maker, iron and ironing board, safe, hair dryer, en suite bathroom with shower (some also with bathtub), balcony or terrace. Cable TV/DVD player available in selected rooms when requested in advance. 3 x Standard Rooms are located in original stone cottages, are smaller than the other rooms and have either a queen bed or two twins which convert to a king bed. (Maximum occupancy 2 persons). 10 x Deluxe Rooms more spacious with 8 located in the Great House which have either two queen beds or a king bed and 2 located in cottages which adjoin a supreme room to create a Royal Suite. (Maximum occupancy 4 persons). 10 x Supreme Rooms have colonial style furnishings, are located in cottages and have either king or queen beds, an Italian tiled bathroom with Jacuzzi tub and a private terrace with plunge pool and sundeck – one has a smaller bathroom and the Jacuzzi (instead of a plunge pool) is out on a private terrace. (Maximum occupancy 3 persons). The Royal Suites are in two separate cottages, each with an interconnecting deluxe and supreme room which together create a Royal Suite. The supreme room (with Jacuzzi bathtub and plunge pool) becomes the master bedroom and the deluxe room converts into a sitting room with sofa. (Maximum occupancy 5 persons). The Grand Villa is made up of a cottage with 3 interconnecting supreme rooms, one of which converts to a sitting room with sofa and full kitchen. (Maximum occupancy 7 persons).
Credit Cards: American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Discover |
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Rates
| | 16 Jun- 31 Oct 2008 | 01 Nov- 14 Dec 2008 | 15 Dec- 15 Apr 2008-09 | 16 Apr- 15 Jun & 01 Nov- 14 Dec 2009 | 16 Jun- 31 Oct 2009 | | Standard Room 1-2 persons | 208 | 254 | 318 | 254 | 208 | | Deluxe Room 1-2 persons | 248 | 304 | 418 | 304 | 248 | | Supreme Room 1-2 persons | 354 | 394 | 518 | 394 | 354 | | Royal Suite – 2 room 1-4 persons | 508 | 574 | 778 | 574 | 508 | | Grand Villa – 2 room 1-4 persons | 724 | 814 | 998 | 814 | 724 | | Grand Villa – 3 room 1-6 persons | 1,048 | 1,174 | 1,498 | 1,174 | 1,048 | | Extra person/child* | 68 | 78 | 98 | 78 | 68 | | Meal Plans (per person) BP MAP AI | 24 85 152 | 24 85 152 | 25 89 160 | 25 89 160 | 25 89 160 | All rates are in US$ per room, per night, room only, single or double occupancy and are subject to 9% Government Tax and 10% Service Charge. *Children under 10 years accepted in the Royal Suites or Grand Villa only. Meal Plans must be purchased for duration of stay, are per person per day plus 19% Government Tax and Service Charge: BP (Breakfast Plan) = full American breakfast (continental breakfast on Sundays). MAP (Modified American Plan/Half Board) = full American breakfast (continental breakfast on Sundays) and dinner. Half price for children on the ‘kids meals’ dinner menu. AI (All-Inclusive) = full American breakfast (continental breakfast on Sundays), lunch (Champagne brunch on Sundays), dinner, all house drinks and house wine by the glass. All rates are subject to change without notice. Minimum stay of 7 nights for arrivals over 25 Dec-04 Jan. A three night or 50% deposit (whichever is the greater sum) based on the first night and last two nights stay is required to secure all reservations, with the balance due 30 days prior to arrival – 45 days prior to arrival for stays over Christmas/New Year. Cancellations received 30 days prior to arrival (45 days for Christmas/New Year) will incur a 10% service charge and those received within these periods will incur a loss of deposit. |
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Special Offers
Please contact Ottley's Plantation Inn directly for information on current Special Offers or to request a tailor-made package, which could include significant savings, for stays of five nights or more.
Fall in Love with St Kitts Offer – 4th and 7th Nights Free
Pay for 3 nights and receive 4th night FREE or pay for 5 nights and receive the 6th and 7th nights FREE for stays from 15 April to 14 December 2009. PLUS receive US$20 Food & Beverage resort credit per room/suite per day. Cannot be combined with other offers.
Ottley's Delicious Deal – One person eats Free
Book a stay of 5 nights or more at the regular nightly rates, in Deluxe, Supreme or Royal Suite Cottage accommodations and add MAP (Modified American Plan/Half Board) at US$89 (plus tax and service) for one person, per night, for the entire stay and the second person’s MAP Meal plan is FREE. MAP = full breakfast and gourmet dinner daily except on Sunday when a continental breakfast is included. Offer valid for stays from 15 April to 14 December 2009. Cannot be combined with other offers.
Complimentary Airport Transfers
Ottley’s offers free airport transfers for stays of 7 paid nights or more
FREE Wedding Package
Wedding couples booking 14 nights on a Half Board or All-inclusive basis receive the Ottley’s Wedding Package (worth US$995) FREE of charge. Offer valid year round and is not combinable with other offers.
Honeymoons & Anniversaries
Complimentary Champagne and fresh flowers on arrival for Honeymooners and couples celebrating a Silver or Golden Wedding Anniversary.
Offers subject to change without notice |
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How to book
If you wish to make further enquiries or a reservation, please use the WEB LINK or DIRECT EMAIL ENQUIRIES facility at the top of this page to make contact with Ottley's Plantation Inn, or if you wish to telephone them, their telephone number will be revealed if you click on the CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER link. |
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UK Tour Operators
If you wish to book through a tour operator or travel organiser, please follow the TOUR OPERATOR link below.
See List of UK Tour Operators
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Locality
Ottley’s is located in the north-east of St Kitts, quite isolated from the main tourist infrastructure of the island, which is south of Basseterre in the south-eastern peninsular. There are just a couple of local villages in the area, but there are some ‘sites’ in the north of the island. Brimstone Hill Fortress is one of the most extraordinary relics of military history in the whole of the Caribbean. It is so large that it makes the promontory on which it sits look square. Just further south along the Caribbean coast, in the small town of Old Road, you will find some petroglyphs, interesting Amerindian scribblings on a volcanic boulder, and the Spratnet, a fun and fairly local fish restaurant. Romney Manor is a restored plantation in eleven acres of gardens with a batik factory called Caribelle.
Basseterre is a small town with a few streets of pretty creole buildings (with stone ground stories and wooden uppers) set along the waterfront, around a traditional Circus and an open garden square. It’s worth a quick look. |
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Meet & Greet
If you are travelling independently then Ottley’s ask you to let them know your flight time so that they can organise a taxi for you. If your flight is delayed the driver will wait. The one way fare is US$30, which can be settled in cash or Ottley’s can add it to your bill. Alternatively, if you would prefer to be taken care of from the minute you arrive at the airport until the time that you leave, a Transfer and Concierge Service is offered by Kantours.
If you are travelling with a tour operator then your transfer on arrival and return to the airport should be included. Please check with your travel organiser. |
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Getting Around
You may be happy to spend much of your time at Ottley’s without leaving the property, but it is worth getting out to explore the island. It is easy to arrange an island tour, which is best through a private cab with a registered driver who knows the history of the island. Ask at reception.
If you would like to explore under your own steam it is easily possible to hire a car. On St Kitts we recommend TDC Car Rentals, who will deliver to the property. |
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