Over the last 5 years living in St Kitts we have made several trips for a staycation on our sister island Nevis. Nevis is quite different from St Kitts with a much slower pace and a more luxurious feel to the island, we originally decided to stay at The Hermitage on Nevis for 2 nights in 2020 when travel was limited and we couldn’t have been happier with our choice.

Since then we have stayed at The Hermitage on every trip to Nevis and we can’t recommend it highly enough for a short stay or a longer break, this is our in depth review.

The Hermitage Plantation Inn is a unique boutique hotel on Nevis, with the plantation Great House being the oldest wooden building in the Caribbean and it still has many original features. The other buildings that make up the hotel including the guest rooms are all built in a traditional colonial style and many of them use original materials that were salvaged by the owners from other derelict plantation houses around the island. Click here to check availability or book a room now.

Location

The Hermitage is located in Gingerland which is in the Saint John Fig Tree Parish on Nevis. It is a 20-minute drive from the water taxi pier at Oualie Beach and 12 minutes from Charlestown if arriving by passenger Ferry. From the Sea Bridge Car Ferry at Cades Bay it takes 18 minutes by car and it is 22 minutes from the Vance W. Amory International Airport.

For full details on travel between the two islands we wrote this post on how to get from St Kitts to Nevis check it out for more information. We would recommend renting a car to get around as taxis can be expensive. Although you would need to be a confident driver, as the roads are not well paved and in places are very narrow. There are also wild donkeys that roam free around the island. It is not easy to get lost on Nevis though as the whole island is only 36 square miles. There is one main road that runs around the island and it takes 45 minutes to drive around the whole thing.

The Hermitage is set high up on Mount Nevis which means there is a constant cool breeze and fantastic views of Nevis peak. Our entire stay was tranquil and relaxing, and we enjoyed wandering around the grounds.

The Hermitage, Nevis was once a sugar plantation and there are still remnants from the old plantation days dotted around the grounds, including large copper molasses pots that were used to boil the sugar cane juices. There is also a traditional water collection and filter system which is still used today to provide the water for the hotel.

Numerous fruit trees, including coconuts, mangoes and papaya, grow around the property and you can help yourself to the fruits, if you get there before the monkeys that is! Many hiking trails start from the grounds of the Hermitage and the trails are clearly marked.

Facilities at The Hermitage

We stayed in a balcony room which was a good size and very clean, and as the same suggests it also has a balcony to sit out on with table and chairs. Our room had a bath with shower over and tea and coffee making facilities with a fridge. There was also an antique wardrobe and dresser for clothes and a small safe for valuables. There was a huge queen sized 4 poster bed in the bedroom area which was very comfortable with lots of pillows.

The room had wooden doors than opened out onto the balcony and with the front door open too there was a good through breeze during the day. At night however everything has to be closed up because of the bugs. Being slightly higher up and surrounded by nature meant there was quite a few bugs that could get into the old wooden buildings even with the screens on the windows and doors. We weren’t too bothered as we get mosquitoes in St Kitts too and if you ask for bug spray at the reception, they are happy to provide it.

There was no air conditioning in the room, but there was a ceiling fan which we found didn’t really keep the room cool enough with everything closed up at night, so we asked for an extra standing fan for the room. The extra fan worked perfectly and was in our room within minutes of us asking for it.

The Great House and main attraction of The Hermitage has nooks and crannies filled with many antiquities and trinkets collected by the owners over the years. We had fun spotting thing we had seen in antique shops, on TV and also Lewis’s Grandma’s house!

In the Great House there is a library and a tv room which we didn’t get chance to use. The library was an amazing little reading nook with an outdoor sitting area and there was a large selection of books to suit many tastes. It was bibliophile heaven! There were also a few toys for children in the library and The Hermitage seemed to be a very family friendly place, with the owners’ two daughters often seen running around in the grounds.

The charming bar area was cosy and informal with a large selection of drinks. The Hermitage also has an honesty system in place at the bar. This means if you want a drink at 2am when the bartender has gone, you can help yourself to a drink. Then you just write what you had on a slip behind the bar so it can be charged to your room. We thought this was a really lovely thing to add, as not everyone wants their night to end at 10pm.

Throughout the Great House and all of the rooms we saw there was antique furniture in traditional colonial style. The Great House is set up as you would have expected to find it back when it was operational in the 1700’s, the only difference being the TV room.

In the grounds there is a beautiful swimming pool for guests to use which is surrounded by a paved area with ample sun loungers, tables and chairs to use. The whole pool area was very clean and well looked after and towels were available to borrow from the reception to use by the pool.

On site there is a small boutique gift shop that sells local handcrafted things as well as souvenirs for tourists. This was closed when we were there but the owners were happy to open it up so we could take a look around.

Food and Drink at The Hermitage

The dining area was a picturesque spacious covered veranda with open views of the gardens. Mealtimes are not very strict and the staff are more than happy to prepare you a meal whenever you arrive at the restaurant within reason.

Breakfast was included in our room rate and it was a la carte style including fruit and homemade yoghurt, fruit juices, tea or coffee. The menu was short but tasty with options including homemade omelette in either a traditional creole style or with cheese, peppers and tomatoes served with sausage or bacon and toast. Also eggs anyway you want with sausage or bacon and toast. For those with a sweet tooth they also do homemade coconut French toast and homemade pumpkin pancakes.

The lunchtime menu had a selection of local dishes including roti, fresh fish, chicken and West Indian curry. We had lunch on arrival and we both chose the roti which was delicious served with homemade chips (fries), salad and homemade chutney.

For evening meals, The Hermitage restaurant has themed menus on different nights during the week. Themes include a hog roast on a Wednesday night and Friday night is wood fired pizza. We stayed Friday through Sunday, so we sampled the wood fired pizza and we were not disappointed. It was one of the best pizzas we have had in St Kitts and Nevis.

Afternoon tea and cake was also included in our room rate and could be taken pretty much anytime after lunch. We had ours in the dining area, but there was also the option to take the afternoon tea in the gardens or by the pool if you’d prefer. You can also exchange your tea or coffee for an afternoon rum punch if that’s more your taste.

Speaking of rum punch, the recipe they use at The Hermitage is said to be the oldest rum punch recipe in the Caribbean at over 300 years old! The traditional recipe is absolutely delicious and deceptively strong. It is made using fresh ingredients from the island and was researched by the owners when they first acquired the old plantation back in the 1970’s. If you want to try your hand at making it, the recipe is very easy to remember. You take 1-part sour, 2-parts sweet and 3-parts rum.

The Hermitage uses freshly squeezed sour oranges that are grown locally on Nevis for the sour element. If you can’t get hold of sour oranges, you can substitute them for lemons at home. For the sweet element they use a simple brown sugar syrup mixing equal parts brown sugar and water which you boil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Mix the freshly squeezed orange juice and the sugar syrup (once cold) with golden rum, add 3 dashes angostura bitters and serve over ice, top with freshly grated nutmeg and voila!

We highly recommend The Hermitage on Nevis for a stay of any length. Book your stay here. If you don’t have time to stay then we certainly urge you to go for a rum punch at the very least. Nothing was too much trouble during our stay, we were made to feel so welcome. Richie the owner was more than happy to give advice on things to do such as horseback riding or visiting the botanical gardens, places to see like the natural hot springs and provide excellent restaurant and bar recommendations.

If you are visiting St Kitts and Nevis be sure to check out these posts:

• 32 Best Things To Do On St Kitts and Nevis
• 33 Best Restaurants in St Kitts For All Budgets
• 13 Best Beaches in St Kitts
• A Walking Tour from St Kitts Cruise Port

Would you like to stay at The Hermitage on Nevis? Let us know in the comments!

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