Hotel of the week: Park Hyatt St Kitts, Christophe Harbour

For this week's Hotel of the Week, Cathy Hawker stays at the Caribbean’s first Park Hyatt hotel 
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Cathy Hawker16 February 2019

The Caribbean’s first Park Hyatt hotel opened in St Kitts & Nevis, in November 2017, adding a new level of luxury and sophistication to one of the world’s smallest independent nations.

The hotel’s uncluttered, contemporary design aims to bring a new generation of visitors to the quiet and friendly country and is all part of the ambitious residential development and super-yacht marina at Christophe Harbour on the gloriously undeveloped southeast peninsula.

Where is it?

St Kitts & Nevis is a laid-back and friendly twin-island nation covering 68 square miles with a beautiful landscape of green hills, dormant volcanos and coastlines on both the Atlantic and Caribbean Seas. The country is fifty five miles from Antigua and St Barths with an international airport that welcomes twice weekly direct British Airways flights from London Gatwick.

The Park Hyatt has taken one of the most dreamy spots on St Kitts: twenty minutes from the airport on the curving soft sands of Banana Bay. The smaller island of Nevis is a six minute water taxi ride away.

Park Hyatt St Kitts

Style

Unfussy, beach-friendly and contemporary Caribbean. There’s not a hint of rattan sofas or bright orange cushions: instead you’ll find Scandi-inspired furniture and punches of colour and geometric pattern from cushions to jaunty painted wooden chairs.

Guests arrive to a framed view of the Caribbean Sea at the end of long walkway beside fish-filled reflecting pools with th rooms and suites in eighteen three storey buildings. The landscaping still has some way to go to soften these concrete blocks but with the tropical climate, that shouldn’t take too long.

There are plenty of nods to the island’s history from the sugar mill where yoga classes are held to the wide stone arches around the adult pool that echo the seventeenth Century fort at Brimstone Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Facilities

Families head to the large child-friendly Lagoon pool, steps from the beach while couples have a smaller, more intimate adults-only pool. There’s a well-stocked gym, popular with the predominantly East Coast USA guests, and a wonderfully serene Miraval spa with excellent therapists. A staffed Kids Club with indoor and outdoor space is complimentary for children from 2 to 12.

On Banana Bay guests can snorkel, paddleboard and kayak while Cockleshell Beach has a range of motorised watersports.

Park Hyatt St Kitts

Extra Curriculum

St Kitts has a rich history as the first Caribbean island to be colonised by the British crown and the first to mass produce sugar cane. Must-see locations include the Wingfield Estate, site of the first British colony, and Brimstone Hill Fort.

A day trip to quieter Nevis should include a visit to Nisbet Plantation where Horatio Nelson married Fanny Nisbet in 1787 followed by a stop at Sunshine’s Bar on beautiful Pinney’s Beach for one – or more - of their legendary Killer Bee rum punches.

Food and Drink

Three restaurants serve locally-inspired and international dishes. The Fisherman’s Village has the freshest seafood while Stone Barn, the smartest of the three restaurants, is open only for dinner with a Spanish-French menu. The Great House is an elegant homage to the grand seventeenth and eighteenth Century Estate Houses of the sugar plantations that once covered the island and serves meals throughout the day.

Breakfast is a treat, laid out as a buffet in the open-plan kitchen at The Great House with an extensive la carte including local Johnny Cakes, chilli eggs with avocados and egg Benedict.

Park Hyatt St Kitts

Which Room?

All 78 rooms and 48 suites face the sea and have large baths, double sinks, terraces or balconies and top-quality linens. Top-floor suites have plunge pools while ground floor rooms (my favourites) open directly to the gardens and blocks 1 to 5 are quieter and more secluded.

Room categories range from Park Rooms, a good standard room choice, up to the three-bedroom Presidential Villa with private beach access. All have well-placed plug and USB points, plenty of storage, coffee machines and large safes.

Best for

Young families, couples and larger groups all mix in well and are effortlessly absorbed into the spacious grounds. Even when full the hotel doesn’t feel crowded. Several rooms can be easily joined together to provide a family suite.

Details

Rooms from US $335 (£261). Park Hyatt St Kitts (1 Banana Bay, St Kitts; +1 869 468 1234) parkhyattstkitts.com

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