Navigating Nevis

Whenever I was asked where we were going on vacation and I replied "Nevis", the response was a quizzical "Where is THAT?". In fact, I myself hadn't heard of this little 35 square mile island just off of St. Kitts in the Caribbean just a few months ago. My choice of vacation spots depends on three things: beaches, palm trees, and an idyllic vacation rental cottage. Nevis had not only those, but a dormant volcano, lush jungles and a happy people with a high literacy rate. The icing on the cake was when I found the Lazy Turtle, a beach cottage with a pool and a gazebo, located right next door to the number one resort and spa in the Caribbean - and we would have resort privileges!

Nisbet Plantation is the quintessential Caribbean resort, dotted with palm trees and yellow cottages, but offering the old traditional English elegance complete with a formal afternoon tea, that is missing from so many cookie cutter luxury resorts today.

Little did I know In the planning stages what it would take to make our way here: Saturday night at a park and fly hotel at Detroit Metro; up at 4am to fly to Miami; Sunday overnight in Miami; Monday flight to St. Kitts; per instructions from the cottage owner we were picked up at the St Kitts airport by Isaac, who took us by taxi 25 minutes over the hills of St. Kitts to Cockleshell Beach; where we got picked up by Wincent in his speedboat; a thrilling speedboat ride for 6 minutes to Nevis; where we were met at the dock by Marlon Brando (I kid you not) who drove us to our rental, "The Lazy Turtle", where he had our rental jeep waiting. Doreen, the owner's representative met us at the cottage to give us the rundown and, now here we finally were, 48 hours after our journey began.