If you are planning for an amazing Nevis Vacation, just how are you getting there? Most travel by plane, but you can get there by boat as well.

Here is a bit of investigative information for you, the Nevis Traveler, like myself.

In the Caribbean, American Eagle has two flights per day from San Juan. Other airline service is also available from Antigua and St. Maarten. Fly into St. Kitts and take a ferry ride over to Nevis Island.

Cheaper flights are most often available in the low season, June 1 to November 30, mainly becuase this is thought to be hurricane season. The shoulder season is often cheaper too, which goes from about April 15 to June 1. Airfare is pretty much most pricey during the peak season, lasting from December to early April, and during holidays. This is when people really love to TRAVEL TO NEVIS.

So, what kind of numbers are we looking at here? Well, low season can range between $500 to $600 round-trip, and between $700 and $1,000 in peak season.

FYI - Here are some great travel tips that could help you on your Nevis Vacation!

1. Don’t forget your passport! All passengers must show a valid passport and a return ticket upon arrival to Nevis West Indies. U.S. and Canadian citizens need proof of citizenship: a passport, birth certificate or voters’ registration card. U.S. residents need their green card.

2. Tip your servers as you would if you were at home. Ten, 15, to 20 percent is the norm, based on the service of course. Some restaurants and hotels will automatically add a 10 percent gratuity, so make sure you aware of that whe nthe bill is dropped. Ask if you don’t know. Porters and bellhops receive 50 cents per bag while Nevis taxi drivers should be tipped 10 to 15 percent of the fare.

3. You can check on the kids and call home from St. Kitts and Nevis. Most hotels offer USA direct calling service, or they can connect you with an operator from your country.

4. There are taxes added on to things in Nevis, just as anywhere else. There is a $17 airport departure tax, a room tax of seven percent and service charge of ten percent.

5. You can still get in room entertainment, if you feel the need for some tube while on vacation. Most hotels have 22 cable channels, including CNN, ESPN, the Disney Channel, premium movie channels and local stations. That is usually a great to know for those who are addicted.

6. The drinking water is safe, as fresh spring water comes from numerous volcanic springs. You don’t need to worry about sticking to bottled water, like when going on vacation to Mexico.

7. Pack accordingly to season and weather. Linen is my beach favorite. Cover up in town, like at home, but feel free to sport you beach attire on the Nevis Shores. Comfortable, conservative clothing is the norm in Nevis.

8. You will need to adjust your watches nd clocks. The time zone is Atlantic Standard Time, which is one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time and the same as Eastern Daylight Time.

9. You can convert your money upon arrival if you wish. The official currency is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar(EC), which is fixed to the US dollar. Recent exchange rate was $1(US) = $2.70(EC). Be glad to know that US currency, travelers checks and major credit cards are welcome everywhere on Nevis Island.

10. There are many banks in Nevis to utilize if needed. These include Bank of Nova Scotia, Barclays Bank PLC, Royal Bank of Canada, St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Ltd., Bank of Nevis Ltd., Nevis Co-Operative Banking Co. Ltd., and St. Kitts & Nevis National Bank.

11. There are medical facilities if an emergency was to occure. St. Kitts and Nevis has doctors on call at hotels and a 24-hour Casualty Department if needed. Pharmaceutical services are widely available as well, but don’t forget your prescriptions.

12. You can shop til you drop everdya except Sundays. On Thursdays, most shops close for the afternoon as well.

Check out Geographia.com for a bit more on these topics! Very helpful stuff!

Hope I could Help!

Nevis Lover ~ Becca Briley

Here is a helpful FYI for Nevis Travel. How can you get around friendly, beautiful Nevis Isalndand its sister island?

Avis Car Rental has superb service and reliability. They have a wide range of 4×4 jeeps and Nissan vehicles, perfect for the rugged terrain on the off road adventures. They offer free pick up and delivery conveniently, as well as rental exchanges between St. Kitts and Nevis when rental is for a minimum of three days. So, you can travel around St. Kitts and then make your merry way to good ole NEVIS…

You can travel in style while in Nevis, as long as you are good with directions, otherwise, you can simply cab it. That is very conventient and quick. They are open:

~ Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm
~ Saturday 8am to noon
~ Sundays and holidays 9am to 11am

They are located in Newtown Bay Road, Basseterre. Give them a ring at 465-6507.

TDC Thrifty Car Rentals Ltd. has a wide variety to choose from. They offer standard and automatic cars, buses, jeeps with radio and air-conditioning. There is a free exchange arrangement between St. Kitts and Nevis when rental is for a minimum of three days as well!

They are open:

~ Thursday 8am to 4pm
~ Friday 8am to 5pm
~ Saturday 8am to 1pm
~ Sunday 9am to 11pm

They are located in West Independence Square Street Basseterre, and Charlestown Nevis. Give them a ring at 465-2991.

That’s just a helpful FYI

Nevis Lover ~ Becca Briley

It has been a huge topic of concern all over the globe! As the U.S. has been lucky enough to see a significant drop in gas prices, so has Nevis Island and St. Kitts.

Lucky for us they are still continuing to fall!…

The price of gasoline, which went below the $10 mark per gallon at one distributor, last week, dropped a further $1.73 cents. This is one of the latest in Nevis News and Caribbean Life is seeing better days.

Zimbio.com overs a liitle inside on this issue:

The Ministry of Finance announced Tuesday that with effect from Wednesday 10th December, the cost per gallon at Shell gas stations will decrease from $9.96 cents per gallon to $8.23 cents a gallon, a drop of $1.73 cents, that’s down $8.02 cents since July 16th.

Delta Service Stations, which saw a high of EC$18.59 per gallon on June 27th and which has seen a steady decrease is being sold at EC$12.50, per gallon.

Texaco Service Stations, which saw a high EC$16.56 on July 22nd has also seen a steady decline is being sold at the maximum retail price was EC$12.24 a gallon.

Gas Prices have been a huge concern to many and I have wondered exactly why for a while now. So WHY ARE GAS PRICES SUCH A BIG DEAL ANYWAY? Buzzle.com gave me my answer:

One of the main catalysts for the incessant rise in gas prices has been one of the most fundamental economic reasons – the juggling that takes place between demand and supply. Indeed, the demand for oil has never been as high as it is these days. And one of the main reasons for this is the continuing rapid economic growth of China and India, the two largest economies of the developing world. With a population of over a billion in each of these countries, along with an annual growth rate of 9 percent in China and 7 percent in India, both consumers and manufactures are guzzling up energy at incessantly increasing rates.

Plus, there are no signs of any flagging of demand from the industrialized countries either. In the United States, for instance, people still continue using large vehicles like SUVs, which consume enormous amounts of gas. While the United States is continuing to grow economically, Europe too is catching up. Which implies that there will be even further demand for oil. According to some projections, by the next 25 years, the demand for oil is set to go up to as much as 140 million barrels per day.

Some of the Middle East countries, a region where considerable amounts of oil reserves are located, have also become booming economies, and hence the governments there are rethinking the manner in which they have been handling oil supplies.

As a result, the traditional pattern of the countries of the Middle East being the suppliers of oil and the countries in the West being the consumers has altered. Thereby adding another element to the equation of supply and demand, which determines the prices of gas and oil.

Read the rest of this article, HERE, if interested!

Just here to help Becca Briley ~ I love Nevis West Indies

All is well once again as Air and Sea Ports return to normalcy on Nevis Island and it’s sister St. Kitts. Nevis Travel is not at a stand still any longer.

The tourist flow is not much affected. Just a little set back one could say.

Persons in and out of the Federation of St. Kitts-Nevis has largely been returned to normal after Wednesday night’s (Oct. 15) passage of the Category 3 Hurricane Omar.

SKNVibes spoke to Delcia Bradley-King, Head of Corporate Affairs and Public Relations at SCASPA. She reported:

“The Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport and Vance Amory Airport have both returned to full service at this time, as have the ferry services between St. Kitts-Nevis”.

Having mostly been spared the torrential rains and high-speed winds of Omar, air and sea travel to and from St. Kitts-Nevis has returned to a state of normalcy on both islands, the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) reported today (Oct. 17).

Also impacted by the rough sea conditions was the expected arrival of the first cruise ship of the 2008/2009 season, the MV Marco Polo. The cancelled 850-passenger vessel came as a blow to taxi-drivers and vendors planning to make their first substantial earnings of the season, with one such entrepreneur calling the cancellation a “bad omen for the year”.

I really don’t think that will be the case at all. I don’t believe in bad omens myself. I can see where Taxi drivers are bit on edge as far as worries about when tourists will begin flowing in consistently now that the hurrican season is pretty much over… But I’m an optimist. So is Prime Minister of St. Kitts-Nevis, Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas.

He also remains optimistic despite a minor tourism setback when he delivered his post-hurricane address on October 16.

“There was no damage to the cruise pier in Port Zante. There is no doubt that the redesigning of the berthing facility…secured this very important infrastructure. The Marco Polo is somewhat of a setback but, with God’s help, we can look forward to the arrival of the MV Carnival Miracle next Saturday, Oct. 25 because our cruise infrastructure remains truly intact.”

The Ministry of Public Works in Nevis reported that “everything is back to normal and there are no major road issues to speak of” on the island.

Other islands impacted by Hurricane Omar have not fared as well as the Federation, however, with Antigua, St. Vincent and Dominica all reporting significant flooding damage that continues to choke vital transportation routes.

You can check out this link for live Hurrican Omar action from THIS GOOGLE VIDEO on the Charlestown Ferry Port!

Safe Travels ~ Becca Briley