Travel actually started Friday evening as I drove to Minneapolis to spend the night in order to catch a 5:20 a.m. flight Saturday morning. My car parked at Microtel for $5.50 a day, I caught an Uber to the Hotel Intercontinental on the grounds at the airport. It was pricey, but A--allowed for more sleep and less stress about getting to the airport, B--I'm flying main cabin with strategically selected exit row seats, and C--this is a "I'm entering a new decade" birthday trip.
The morning went smoothly and I had checked my bag and gotten through security by 4:19 a.m. The flight was delayed slightly because of an aircraft change, but it was still a 757 and we made it to Atlanta on time. We arrived at Terminal A which meant i had to take the "Plane Train" to international Terminal F. Again some slight delays in boarding and on the tarmac, we were in the air for three hours and 19 minutes before landing in St. Kitts, where I think they have the lowest air traffic control "tower" in the world.
It took almost an hour to get through customs only to get down to baggage claim and find my bag was not there. I was feeling a bit uneasy because the tag number would not come up in my Delta app to track it, but then it appeared. Then it was through another customs line before getting outside to find my taxi to the water taxi. After asking a few people, I found my "guide" and the rest of the group going to Mount Nevis Hotel.
After about 30 minute ride up and down the volcanic island of St. Kitts, we arrived at the water taxi station which is nothing more than a concrete dock. Our bags were taken over in the boat, but we were left to wait for the next taxi, which made some of the people in the group uncomfortable. I entertained myself by watching the pelican that was fishing and admiring a catamaran that was docked nearby, while we waited.
I sat in the front of the boat during the short trip between the two islands, and it was a bumpy ride over some choppy waves, but I loved it. We disembarked on another concrete dock and then asked a few people where our ride was, and they said "they would make some calls." Our driver Ahmed, a tall and charming man, duly showed up, and patiently bore the half drunken comments from the women in the back while flirting with me.
He took the "short cut" to the hotel which took us past one of the sites to see on my list, the Cottel church. When we arrived the non-sloshed woman in the group who knows the owner of the hotel, introduced us to Noreen. I was shown to my room first before she settle them. Wow. It's a palatial room with high ceilings, three sets of sliding glass doors, two balconies, separate large living and sleep areas, a huge bathroom and a kitchenette. And then there is the view! Overlooking the Caribbean and St. Kitts with no obstructions.
After unpacking and settling in, I headed to the pool for a swim. And it's not one of those tiny hotel pools, it's long enough to swim laps in. While relaxing, I received my complimentary welcome Mount Nevis rum punch. Yummy!
It was a bit too early for dinner, so I took a walk down to the Cottle Church which was built by a man ahead of his time, as he wanted and encourage blacks and whites to worship together. Sadly, it is not completely intact.
Hungry now after only having a meal bar and Delta cookies all day, I headed to the restaurant for dinner. The aperol sunset was delicious, and I would have eaten a gallon bucket of the watermelon ceviche. I chose a vegetarian option of crispy hearts of palm for my entre and opted to have another aperol sunset instead of dessert, which I brought back to my room. It was an early night after 13 hours of travel.
Great photos! How pretty and such an amazing room!! Sounds like a good start!!