Looking for a destination where you can bring your whole clan for a vacation without sacrificing your quest for peace and relaxation?
Set in the Eastern Caribbean about 1,262 miles from Miami, 4,119 miles from London and 54 miles from St. Martin, St Kitts may be the place for you. St Kitts has the same time zone as New York (eastern time zone), a five-hour time difference with London and is only three hours ahead of Los Angeles. This small time-zone change will have little effect on kids and adults, making it easy for kids to ease into a new environment.
Wondering what there is to do with kids when you’re there? Fear not. We’ve rounded up seven things to do with kids in St Kitts.
1. Spend time at a beach resort
For a family-friendly resort, book your stay at St Kitts Marriott on Frigate Bay. This 26-acre resort has an extensive kids program, a golden sand beach, kid-friendly pool, an 18-hole championship golf course, a variety of restaurants and much more. You don’t have to leave the resort if you don’t want to. There’s enough places to eat and programs to entertain the whole family for an entire week.
There’s also a teen’s game room, fitness center, spa and daily activities like kayaking, snorkeling, tennis, volleyball and yoga classes. Or you can lounge on a beach chair and do absolutely nothing while the kids are in the kids’ program or building sand castles at the beach.
For variety, venture out to Cockleshell Beach and Banana Bay. Enjoy the laid-back Caribbean lifestyle and tropical cocktail.
2. Explore Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park
Water-based activities are just half the fun kids will have when visiting St Kitts. There is a world of history waiting for you at Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park. A Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best preserved historical fortifications in the Americas.
The first fortification was built in 1690, and construction and expansion continued for over 100 years. The fortress was abandoned in the 1850s and restoration started in 1965. Today this 38-acre fortress set 800 feet above sea level offers a glimpse into the rich history of St Kitts and a panoramic view of the island.
3. Take the ferry to Nevis
Nevis, St Kitts’ sister island is only a 45-minute ferry ride from Basseterre. For an even faster trip, head over to Park Hyatt St. Kitts and get on a 10-minute taxi ride to Oualie Beach in Nevis.
Kids will enjoy the ferry ride offering views of both St Kitts and Nevis. It’s $4 per child (under 12) and $8 per adult each way.
4. Ride the St Kitts Scenic Railway
Hop on the St Kitts Scenic Railway and travel back in time and learn about the sugar train route. Started by a group of businessmen in 1912, the Sugar Train delivered sugar cane from the fields to the sugar mill in Basseterre.
The 30-mile circle around the island tour includes an 18-mile ride on the train and a 12-miles on a bus. Sights along the route include the coastline, lush vegetation, old sugar cane estates, St Paul’s Village, Brimstone Hill Fortress and steel bridges.
All guests receive complimentary drinks and live music by the St Kitts Railway Choir. The train has an air-conditioned lower deck and an open-air upper deck.
5. Go snorkeling and fishing
Kids from five and up may enjoy a snorkeling and fishing tour in St Kitts. Go to a reputable snorkeling company that knows the best places to snorkel, away from undercurrents and spiny sea urchins.
Hire a boat for a day and get to Shitten Bay and Whitehouse Bay. Whitehouse Bay is where you’ll find a sunken tugboat.
The Morning Star is their boat, and if you want to spend some time snorkeling, you can book a day on the boat. They will take you out to those sites only accessible by boats such as Shitten Bay and Whitehouse Bay.
6. Join Greg’s Safari island tour
Greg’s Safari offers four adventure tours to the island’s rainforest, sugar plantations, and Mt Liamuiga. The “Off the Beaten Pat” Jeep Safari and Beach Tour is the most popular tour for a family with kids. It’s a tour that combines the beauty of the lush forest and beach.
7. Discover the plants and trees
St Kitts is home to vervet monkeys, Antillean crested hummingbirds, Saman trees and a variety of plants and trees. The vervet monkeys were brought by the French in the 17th century as pets, and today there are more monkeys than people in St Kitts.
One of the best places to discover the plants and trees in St Kitts is at Wingfield Estate and Romney Manor. Look out for the Silk Cotton trees (Ceiba), Poinciana (Flamboyant trees), the Sand Box trees and Noni trees. At the Romney Manor is a 400-year-old Saman tree.
For additional information on St Kitts, go to St Kitts Tourism website.
Is St Kitts in your family travel bucket list?