1: Volcano-capped, beach-lined St. Kitts and Nevis is as beautiful as any country in the Caribbean, but it’s never been a big tourist attraction. The dual-island nation’s primary industry was sugar until the government shut down the plantations in 2005 and refocused on attracting visitors. The opening last November of the Caribbean’s first Park Hyatt, a 78-room, 48-suite property that’s part of Christophe Harbour—a development featuring a host of new bars, restaurants, beach clubs, and a superyacht marina at St. Kitts’s southern tip—is surely going to rocket that goal forward.
2: Looking for peace, quiet, and fantastic views? The resort offers clear looks across the narrows, where the Atlantic and Caribbean meet, to the 4,413-foot cloud-shrouded Mount Nevis. If taking in that vista from your suite’s private plunge pool isn’t relaxing enough, pop into the 37,752-square-foot Miraval Life in Balance Spa, the renowned Arizona resort’s first Caribbean outpost. Aside from the nine treatment rooms, indoor/outdoor showers, and myriad options for healing and pampering, the replica sugar mill next to the spa makes for a great yoga or meditation space.
3: There’s no shortage of on-site options if you want to go for a dip. The beach-style Lagoon Pool is family-friendly, while the adults-only, infinity-style Rampart Pool is adorned with arches that mimic the island’s Brimstone Hill, a 17th-century British fortress. (Reserve a private cabana to spice things up; a 20-minute couples massage is included.) Or, if you’re looking to be a bit more active, grab a paddleboard or kayak at the beach club and head for Alexander Hamilton’s birthplace, across the narrows. (Note: Rhapsody does not actually recommend trying to paddle to Nevis.)
4: Let’s just say you’re not going to go hungry here. Seafood lovers will gravitate toward Fisherman’s Village, a thatched-roof, open-air space with an ocean-to-table menu. (Watch the chef pluck your lobster right off the end of the pier.) The plantation-style Great House features a prodigious breakfast buffet and à la carte menus with Caribbean-inspired offerings ranging from saltfish fritters to conch chowder to coconut-tempered shrimp curry. The flagship restaurant next door, The Stone Barn, has an excellent wine list and high-end shared plates like seafood paella and crustacean bouillabaisse. And for a nightcap (or a happy hour cocktail-mixing class), stop at Tot’s Rum Bar, which is stocked with more than 70 kinds of the Caribbean’s favorite spirit.
5: If you want to get off-resort for a little Kittitian culture, the concierge will happily arrange a tour. Can’t-miss sites include Brimstone Hill, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage site; Black Rocks, a collection of jagged volcanic rock formations extending into the Atlantic; and the Caribelle Batik, a lovely shop where artisans have been making colorful textiles since 1976.
