Nevis Villa for a Month
Part 2 of 4-Part Nevis Villa Review

Detailed Nevis Villa Review written by a Canadian Visitor

In strict villa terms, our "cottage" was modest, by Caribbean standards. We had everything necessary in a well maintained, delightfully decorated villa, fully equipped for self-catering. Added benefits were a private plunge pool and a half acre of lush flora, only a hundred yards to Oualie Beach and the small hotel thereon. Dealing directly with the owner (rather than a management company) was a mutual benefit to both of us. Even though a company does look after the physical property and desires to collect a commission for booking, it doesn't hurt to seek out the owner and negotiate your own deal. We actually started e-mail correspondence in May, having found the villa's web site in our research. We mentioned our ideal travel dates, length of desired stay and remained as flexible as possible for the owner who was happy to accommodate us during the time frame and budget we were prepared to pay.

Keeping the above in mind, I would recommend a villa on Nevis (and elsewhere) if any reader anticipates two or more weeks in one place. Its especially good if you're a family group or travel with another couple or two who can share the weekly cost. A hint is to try and have the local taxes included in quoted rates.

Making your own breakfasts, lunches and dining out occasionally really makes a difference…we ate out, more or less, every third day and night and found the balance, about right. Unfairly, I've left out that some smaller hotels/inns do have "self-catered" rooms/suites…small stove and refrigerator…ideal for quick meals and snacks, great if travelling with kids or the diet conscious.

Okay, that got some basics out of the way but what can you do on island that is only 32 square miles and that you drive around in two hours. First off, for any lengthy stay, or a villa experience, a rental-car is almost essential. It probably doesn't sound like a wise choice but it's not that much of financial burden if you negotiate a weekly rate. The benefit is the freedom to explore, visit the grocery stores when they have supplies in and just maintaining the psychological freedom to roam…especially to different beaches. Driving on the "wrong" side (left) of the road is an easy challenge but the local drivers and their habits of speeding and friendly beeping of horns, takes some getting used to. My daily mantra, when driving a small 4x4 was, "stay left young man, stay left."

Continue to Part 3 of Richard's 4-Part Nevis Villa Review.

Return to Part 1 of Richard's 4-Part Nevis Villa Review.

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