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St. Kitts Hotels European Plan
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Introduction to St. Kitts
The Caribs, the early settlers, called
the island Liamuiga, or "fertile isle." Its mountain ranges reach up
to nearly 1,200m (3,936 ft.), and its interior contains virgin
rainforests, alive with hummingbirds and wild green vervet monkeys.
The monkeys were brought in as pets by the early French settlers but
were set free when the British took control of the island in 1783.
These native African animals have proliferated and can be seen at
the Estridge Estate Behavioral Research Institute. The British
brought in mongooses to control rats in the sugar-cane fields, only
to discover that the predators slept during the rats' most active
forays. Wild deer are found in the mountains.
The capital of St. Kitts, Basseterre, lies on the
Caribbean shore near the southern end of the island, about 2km (1 1/4 miles)
from the airport. Its white colonial houses with toothpick balconies look like a
Hollywood version of a West Indian port.
Sweet Treat
At some point during your visit you should eat sugar
directly from the cane -- any farmer will sell you a huge stalk. Ask your taxi
driver to take you to one of the sugar-cane plantations that dot the island.
Strip off the hard exterior of the stalk, bite into it, chew on the tasty reeds,
and swallow the juice. It's best with a glass of rum.
Additional Information about travel to St. Kitts
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St. Kitts has become a resort mecca in recent years. Its major crop is
sugar, a tradition dating from the 17th century. But tourism may overwhelm
it in the years to come, as its southeastern peninsula, site of the best
white-sand beaches, has been set aside for massive resort development. Most
of the island's other beaches are of gray or black volcanic sand. 
