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Nevis map
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Airport
Vance W Amory International Airport is at the northern tip of the island. Expanded in 2002, it is now open after dark and can take planes with up to 70 seats, the Super ATR. There is a plush new terminal building with a couple of shops that open according to the flights and the time of day. The departure lounge also has a couple more. There is an ATM at the airport. |
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Banks
Banking hours are 8am-2pm on weekdays, with an extension on Friday afternoons in most cases. There are a few ATMs located in Charlestown and one at the airport. They dispense only EC Dollars.
The following commercial banks have branches on Nevis:
Bank of Nevis, Main St, Charlestown, t 469 5564, bon@caribsurf.com, www.thebankofnevis.com
Bank of Nova Scotia, Main St, Charlestown, t 469 5411
First Caribbean International Bank, Main St, t 469 5309
National Bank, Charlestown, West Memorial Sq, t 469 0194
Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, Chapel St, Charlestown, t 469 5277 |
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Bars & Nightlife
There are not that many bars on Nevis. Some are attached to restaurants and they can attract a lively crowd before and after dinner, but the beach bars also sometimes stay open into the evenings, attracting a friendly mix of Nevisians and visitors. Many of them have a busy night of the week to which the crowds gravitate. There is sometimes entertainment in the evenings in the hotels, from the piano accompaniment to dinner at Nisbet to string bands at Oualie Beach and poolside bands at the Four Seasons.
Eddy’s, Charlestown, t 469 5958
Set on an upper floor and balcony in a nice Creole building in Memorial Square in the middle of Charlestown. Hearty fare and lively bar trade, particularly on Wednesdays, where there is a 5-8pm Happy Hour.
Le Bistro, Chapel Street, Charlestown, t 469 5110
Congenial surroundings in a traditional building in town, restaurant with passing bar trade
Oualie Beach Bar, Oualie Bay, t 469 9735
A hotel bar that sees lots of drop-ins, often a good crowd, music a couple of times a week
Sunshine Bar and Grill (Sunshine’s), Pinney’s Beach, t 469 5817
Ever popular bar and restaurant on Pinney’s Beach, just south of the Four Seasons
Nightlife on Nevis, in the sense of discotheques, is generally pretty quiet and there are just a few irregular local discotheques. |
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Beach Bars
Gallipot, Jones Estate, t 469 8230
Octagonal open-sided bar and terraced dining room just above a tiny bit of (migratory) sand on Tamarind Bay, with nice swimming and good snorkelling.
Mango Restaurant (next to Four Seasons)
Cheerfully painted wooden open sided beach restaurant with a deck fronting onto the sea in the middle of Pinneys Beach, with good swimming, snorkelling, days sailing and watersports. Serves a fine lunch and dinner.
Montpelier Beach Bar, Pinney’s Beach, t 469 3462
Pretty setting at the top end of Pinney’s Beach, restricted to hotel guests only.
Oualie Beach
The bar at Oualie Beach Resort, open-sided and set back from the sand.
Sunshines, Pinney’s Beach, t 469 5817,
Ever-popular, ramshackle wooden bar right next to the Four Seasons, dead cool, reggae music and Killer Bee cocktails
Chevy’s Calypso Bar, Pinney’s Beach (Charlestown end), moderate
A classic wooden bar set on a lovely stretch of Pinney’s Beach, with bench tables under umbrellas on the sand. Straighforward fare - sandwiches and burgers with fries, a plate of local fish or a Caribbean curry.
Double Deuce, Pinney’s Beach (Charlestown end), moderate
Very easy-going garden bar with tables and deck chairs set under the palms and a lovely view over teh calm sea to St Kitts. Well prepared burgers, steaks and lots of local fish, from a daily menu board. Sees a daytime crowd of villa owners and hotel guests.
Sea Breeze, Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, t 469 9325
A wooden bar and parasols on the beach in the north of the island, at Nisbet
Turtle Beach Bar, St Kitts
For a nice day out you might consider the Turtle Beach Bar just across the Narrows at the southern tip of St Kitts (and closer to the hotels on Nevis than most on St Kitts). It is easily accessible by water taxi from Oualie Beach. Try Tambo or one of the watersports companies.
Turtle Beach Bar is currently closed but is projected to re-open in December 2007. |
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Beaches
As a volcanic island with coral growth the sand on Nevis varies between a light brown (often called golden), sometimes patched with jet black and blinding white and powdery (in the north of the island), but all the beaches are classic Caribbean palm-backed strands. The island’s best known beach is Pinney’s Beach, on the western side of the island. It is developed with hotels (not at all along its entire length), but makes for a good day out. Other beaches rim the island, some with good hotel beach bars but others with no development at all. If you choose to go to these, then remember that you should take all you need in the way of water and possibly food.
Pinney’s Beach
Backed along its entire three and a half-mile length by a tangle of tall and beautiful palm trees, Pinney’s Beach is the main beach on the island. There are a couple of hotels, some villas and some beach restaurants and bars, with some sports facilities. A fantastic view across the Narrows to St Kitts.
Oualie Beach
Very nice protected stretch of sand under palms and casuarinas trees, with a hotel and sports including scuba diving and windsurfing (also mountain biking) and a dock for deep sea fishing boats.
Lovers Beach
Down a rickety, hole-ridden track a lovely undeveloped strip of sand, natural and occasionally windy, covered in flotsam.
Nisbet Beach
Ocean facing strip of good sand (retained by a couple of revetments) between tall palms, good snorkelling and with the nice Nisbet bar/restaurant to retreat to. Sometimes a bit windy.
Cades Bay
Cades Bay is a calm and pretty cove protected by a steep headland. There is a beach restaurant. The Sea Bridge departs from here and development is scheduled.
Indian Castle/Windward Beach
Large secluded beach on the Atlantic side of Nevis, just beyond the race track (horse racing held on bank public holidays), with lively surf and fine pale sand. Good spot for body surfing/surfing – beware of strong currents. No facilities.
Herbert’s Beach
A pretty white sand beach with some good swimming and snorkeling areas, just east of Nisbet Plantation. Set against a backdrop of coconut palms. Beach bar currently closed. |
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Calendar of Events
2009
JANUARY
01 & 02 Jan, Horse Racing, Indian Castle Race Track
11 Jan, Alexander Hamilton Birthday & Tea Party, fund raising events arranged by the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society
15-22 Feb, History and Heritage Week
MARCH
15 Mar, Carino Health Spa Triathlon, international event with Olympic Distance, Sprint Distant and Try-a-Tri events c/o the Nevis Cycle & Triathlon Club
mid Mar, House & Garden Tour, annual conducted tour of private homes and gardens by the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society
29 Mar, Nevis to St Kitts Cross Channel Swim (Bente Weber Memorial Swim), c/o the Nevis Cycle & Triathlon Club
APRIL
10 Apr, Good Friday Kite Flying Contest, St John’s Community Improvement Club
11 Apr, St Kitts & Nevis National Triathlon Championships – Olympic Distance and Sprint Distance
13 Apr, Easter Monday Race Meet, horse racing, Indian Castle Race Track
22 Apr, Earth Day, activities organised by the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society
MAY
04 May, 7th Annual Church Ground Community Club 10km Road Run, Church Ground
31 May, Whit Sunday Race Meet, horse racing, Indian Castle
JUNE
04 Jun, World Environmental Day, activities organised by the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society
06 Jun, Round Nevis Run, 20 mile race, Nevis Cycle & Triathlon Club
JULY
24 Jul-04 Aug, Culturama, Nevis’s major cultural festival, a seven day celebration in honour of the end of slavery. Includes calypso competitions, beauty pageant, horse racing (04 Aug), street parades and jump ups, centred on the Cultural Village in Charlestown (a few minutes walk from downtown, near the High School). Culminates with the carnival-like street parade and Last Lap jump up on 5th August. For more details contact the Culturama Secretariat, t 469 1992, or visit the Nevis Culturama Website
AUGUST
Culturama activities continue - 04 Aug, Culturama Street Parade and Last Lap jump up.
08 Aug, Caribbean & International Food Fair, St George's Rectory
SEPTEMBER
19 Sep, 26th Anniversary of Independence, Military Parade at Grove Park, Charlestown and Independence Day Race Meet at Indian Castle
20 Sep, Independence Day Road Race, 60 miles, c/o the Nevis Cycle & Triathlon Club
OCTOBER
02-03 Oct, 15th Annual Nevis Sport Fishing Tournament, Oualie Beach
24-31 Oct, Pirates of Nevis Week, inaugural island wide event with a wide range of pirate themed activities, parties and dinners including a beach party with bonfire, a mock invasion, pepper sauce contest, movie nights, fancy dress, horse racing and donkey derby (Sunday), and a treasure hunt with daily clues posted in hotels and broadcast on local radio. See website for full schedule.
NOVEMBER
21-28 Nov, Pirates of Nevis Week, second week of events as before. See website for full schedule.
29 Nov, Nevis Off Road Triathlon, Nevis Cycle & Triathlon Club
30 Nov, Thanksgiving Race Meet, horse racing at Indian Castle
DECEMBER
26 Dec, Boxing Day Race Meet, horse racing at Indian Castle
Nevis public holidays 2009: 01 & 2 January, 10 & 13 April, 04 May, 01 June, 03 & 04 August, 16 & 19 September, 25 & 26 December
Please note that the above events and dates may be subject to change/cancellation. Please check locally for confirmation of details. |
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Car Hire
It is fun to hire a vehicle to explore Nevis’s lovely countryside, its visibly historic buildings, a few sites, and of course the beaches. They are all available on the regular tours of the island, but you are able to explore at your own pace and stop where you feel like it to enjoy chatting to the Nevisians themselves. There are also a few restaurants to visit in the evenings, so if you are staying in a hotel it is a good idea to hire a car for at least a couple of days. Of course if you are staying on one of Nevis’s many excellent villas then it is probably essential. You will need a visitor’s licence if you drive on Nevis, and these can be obtained through your car rental agency or at a Police Station on presentation of your licence from home. It lasts three months and costs is US$25. We recommend TDC Car Rental for their consistently reliable service. If you wish to visit St Kitts for the day, and have hired a car through TDC, then they are happy to make an exchange for the day so that you can drive while you are in St Kitts too. Here we list a guide to rental rates, which are quoted in US$ per day/week and are subject to 5% government tax: Suzuki Alto – 40/240 Suzuki Ignis – 45/270 Suzuki Samurai – 45/270 Toyota Yaris – 55/270 Mitsubishi Lancer – 55/330 Suzuki Sidekick – 55/330 Suzuki Jimny – 55/330 Suzuki Liana – 60/360 Suzuki Grand Vitara – 60/360 Mitsubishi Galant – 70/420 Suzuki Vitara – 70/420 Dodge Caravan (7seater) – 80/480 To read our review on the company and view full details of rates, services, terms and conditions, please click on the company’s name below: | | TDC Thrifty Car Rentals, NevisOn Nevis we recommend TDC Thrifty Car Hire because of their solid and reliable service over many years. They have a fleet of around 80 cars and jeeps in the season. TDC Thrifty is part of TDC, one of the largest companies in Nevis, which has a sister company in St Kitts, which makes it easy if visiting from one island to the other as you don't have to duplicate rental documents. |
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