Where to find history, hiking & hot dips on the island of Nevis
The island of Nevis may be just a 40-minute ferry ride from its big sister, St Kitts, but like many siblings, it has a completely different personality.
It's a laid-back island, with just one big resort and a quieter nightlife than St Kitts (although the Facebook page of popular Sunshine's Beach Bar and Grill bravely boasts "always open").
Instead, it attracts early risers who want to cycle and walk, snorkel and sail; those who are keen to enjoy the lush green interior as much as the beaches and are as content with a beachside shack serving up a fish roti as they are with a fine-dining restaurant. Here's our pick of the best things to do to get a flavour of this bijou Lesser Antilles island.
Getting there: book flights* or a complete holiday* to St Kitts with British Airways*, from where it's a short ferry ride to Nevis Island.
Climb Nevis Peak
The island's highest peak is visible wherever you are, just taunting you to scale it. At nearly 1,000 metres, Nevis Peak looks formidable. Yet, it's a rewarding, if somewhat strenuous, five-hour hike, with a section that requires you to haul yourself up using ropes tied to tree trunks.
That said, many of the local folk have taken their children up with a little coaxing and encouragement. It's actually a volcano, rather than a mountain, but it hasn't been active for at least 100,000 years.
Dine in a sugar mill
The circular room inside a 300-year-old stone-built sugar mill creates a dramatic setting for a romantic dinner. The only restaurant of its kind in the world, the Mill Privée on the grounds of the Montpelier Hotel has witnessed its fair share of marriage proposals and anniversary celebrations.
You don't need to stay at the hotel (which famously hosted Princess Diana and the young princes William and Harry in the early 1990s) to dine here. Opt for a tasting menu to experience the excellent cuisine of Executive Chef Halva Browne.
See where Horatio Nelson got hitched
If you make it to the Mill Privée, then you will be very close to the spot where English admiral Horatio Nelson married his first wife, the local beauty Fanny Nisbet. Their nuptials were held under a silk cotton tree on what was, at the time, a major sugar plantation called Montpelier Plantation*.
Just before you get to the Montpelier Hotel, you will see a gatepost displaying a plaque that reads "On this site stood Montpelier House wherein on the 11th day of March 1787 Horatio Nelson of immortal memory then captain of HMS Boreas was married to Frances Herbert Nisbet".
Visit the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton
In the sleepy capital of Charlestown, you'll find the house where one of the founding fathers of the USA, Alexander Hamilton, spent his childhood. Hamilton has been made famous by the eponymous musical, which describes his birth as being "dropped in a forgotten spot in the Caribbean".
That spot is less forgotten now and has been turned into a museum with boards detailing his life and displays containing objects that have been verified as belonging to him. Next door is the Museum of Nevis History, which is also worth a browse as it has colourful displays detailing the island's past, with QR codes to scan for further information.
Shop at Nevis Artisan Village
A cluster of colourful shacks congregate around a large barn, each filled with local handmade products sold by the person who created them. Perhaps you'll pick up a painted "shack shack" (the seedpod from the flamboyant tree) or a crocheted dress.
The barn is called 'The Craft House', which employs dozens of local people to keep the craft traditions alive. Here, you can buy handmade baskets, raffia place mats and decorative items such as model sailing boats or painted mugs.
Drink killer bees at Sunshine's
What do you dream of when you are booking a Caribbean holiday? Perhaps drinking rum punch on a white sand beach, gazing at a turquoise sea and gently swaying to the sound of a reggae beat?
You can do this all day and all night at Sunshine's Beach Bar and Grill on popular Pinney's Beach. Order plates of spicy chicken wings or lobster salad and sample their infamous "killer bee" rum punch, which will blur time, and you may find day effortlessly turns into night.
Take a dip in volcanic hot springs
It's entirely free of charge to bathe in the thermal waters outside the historic Bath Hotel, which is famous for being the first hotel in the Caribbean and is currently being painstakingly renovated. The hotel opened in 1778, when Nevis was the centre of sugar production in the Caribbean and the health benefits of thermal water were being excitedly discussed.
As a free facility, don't expect any fluffy robes or even changing facilities. It's a case of stripping off, edging in (the temperature is between 40° and 48°C) and then basking for as long as you can bear it. There are three different pools to choose from, of varying temperatures. A little kiosk sells drinks and snacks.
Climate in Nevis
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum daytime temperature °C |  28 |
28 |
29 |
29 |
 30 |
31 |
31 |
31 |
31 |
31 |
30 |
29 |
| Hours of sunshine (daily) | ||||||||||||
| Days with some rainfall |  17 |
 14 |
13 |
13 |
15 |
13 |
17 |
 19 |
18 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
| Sea temperature °C |  26 |
26 |
26 |
27 |
27 |
 28 |
28 |
28 |
29 |
29 |
28 |
27 |
Find out more about the climate in Nevis in our complete guide to the island's weather.
Ready to relax in Nevis? Browse the latest online offers on flights and holidays to the Caribbean with British Airways.
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