Travel & Accommodations

Luxury Hotel or Guest House? Plantation Inn or Private Residence? No matter what you choose you'll be delighted at the accommodations on Nevis. There's something for all budgets and all tastes. Hotel Room rates vary by season and advance booking is recommended. The same applies with Plantation Inns and Private Residences.

Custom Accommodations

Email Winston Crooke, the Event Organizer, with your dates and what you'd like. ( i.e. a 2 bedroom house for 2 weeks, a single hotel room for a few days, etc.)

OR contact Suzanne Gordon of Sugar Mill Real Estate, who lives and manages numerous properties on Nevis. A private, fully furnished residence may be $8,000 for the week in high season, to as little as $800 in low season. Some homes sleep 6 in comfort, costing less per person than a hotel. Plus you get the entire house! Sugar Mill Real Estate is a Sponsor of Swim Nevis, and we thank them for their kind contribution to help us bring you this Event.

The Vance W. Amory International airport is a compact airport with a new modern terminal, new control tower and a runway extension. Previously known as Newcastle airport, it was renamed in 2002 after Vance Amory, a current Premier of Nevis.

If you're flying from North America, fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico and connect with any airline that services Nevis.

Seaborne flies direct to Nevis daily while Tradewind Aviation flies direct from Puerto Rico to Nevis Thursday to Monday.

Travelers from North America or the UK can choose to fly to St Kitts and then connect to Nevis (via ferry). Another option is to fly to Antigua and then catch a charter plane to Nevis.

Most major U.S. cities have flights into Miami. From there it's a short hop down to Nevis.

From St Maarten visitors can reach Nevis on WINAIR flights daily and from the US Virgin Islands on demand via Air Sunshine or on Coastal Air on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Flights With Connections From USA, Europe, Canada

Nevis is a small island, just thirty-six square miles in size. So it will come as no surprise to learn that you can comfortably drive around the island in a short period of time along its twenty mile main road which runs all the way round.

Naturally there are other roads which intersect the main road and lead you to charming villages and sites in the interior of the island.

Take a taxi: Taxis are available at the airport, hotels and in Charlestown, the capital. Look out for their bright yellow license plates which start with the letters T or TA. The drivers are friendly, courteous and will ensure you enjoy a safe ride.

Take a bus: Travel like a Nevisian and get closer to the local culture. Buses are small minivans with names painted on the front. They have green license plates starting with the letters H or HA. You can board a bus anywhere on the main road, just flag it down.

Rent a bike: Cycling is popular with the locals and a great way for visitors to explore. You can rent bikes from bike shops (email Winston for bike rentals and tours: bikenevis@gmail.com) or simply ask your hotel to arrange a rental.

Take a walk: You probably won't walk all the way round the island but a stroll, especially around Charlestown, is a great way to experience the history, sites and meet the people of Nevis.

Rent a car: Rental cars are available all over the island. They carry red license plates which begin with the letters R or RA. Please note cars drive on the left in Nevis so most rental vehicles are right-hand drive.

U.S. and Canadian citizens are required to present a passport with a photo ID to enter the island. Visitors may stay for a maximum of six months, but extensions may be requested at the immigration office in Charlestown. Visitors must enter with a return ticket. Departure tax, when leaving the island, is $20.50 US or $54 EC, which includes an environmental levy and airport security tax.

Please dress tastefully in public and remember that bikinis, bare chests and bare feet are for the beach only. Before taking photographs of residents or their homes, please be respectful and ask for permission.

Join in with the local ritual of saying "good morning" and "good afternoon" even to total strangers. They won't be strangers for long.

Dress for dinner is generally "casually elegant" so jackets and ties are not required for men at any of the restaurants.

Nevis is on Eastern Standard Time, but does not change for daylight savings.

Most hotels, restaurants, and businesses accept credit cards, but it's best to check before you travel. Bank ATM machines will provide EC funds through some credit cards.

Cirrus and Plus Ststems generally accepted:

Banks are open Monday-Thursday 8am-2pm; Friday 8am-4pm

The currency on Nevis is the East Caribbean (EC) dollar, which can be obtained at any bank. Most stores and businesses accept US dollars or travelers' checks, but change will be given in EC. Neither banks nor stores accept US coins, only paper bills. The exchange rate is fixed at US$1.00 = EC$2.70.

Both Euros and GBP are accepted at banks on the island, with exchange rates fluctuating daily.

All major credit cards are also widely accepted on the island.

The Nevis Tourism Authority office is open Mon-Fri 8:00am -5:00 pm in Charlestown. You'll find brochures there about many of the island's activities and businesses.

For information, call 1-869-469-7550 (local), 1-407-287-5204 (from the USA), 1-403-770-6697 (from Canada) or +44(1)305 233107 (from the UK).

A service charge of 10% is generally included in restaurant bills, but it's best to ask (if you want to give more, please do!). Hotels add 20% to their bills, including 10% service and 10% VAT.

The official language of the island is English.

The General Post Office, located in Charlestown, is open Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 3:30 pm. Closed on Saturday and Sunday.

There are over 50 churches and 11 denominations on Nevis. Worship services are usually held on Sundays and Saturdays but some churches do meet during the week for prayer and bible services. All the churches warmly welcome visitors.

Most hotels and homes use 110 volts but 220 volts are sometimes available. Please ask your hotel or travel agent.

Drinking water is pure and safe to drink, but if you are sensitive to food and water changes, you may prefer commercially bottled water. Bottled water is sold in stores, restaurants, and hotels. Boiling water is recommended when staying in homes that use cisterns for their water supply.

Telephones
Nevis has a modern communications system which delivers efficient telephone, facsimile and internet connections throughout the world. To make an overseas call, dial 1 or dial 3-5-5 and then follow the instructions for using a credit card. Phone cards for use locally or overseas are available through Digicel and Lime. Chippi is another telephone company on Nevis, while Internet services are provided by Lime.

Cable Television

You can watch around 70 different channels including pay movie stations (HBO, Cinemax, The Movie Channel and Disney) for about $70 US per month for a complete package. Different tiers are available on request.

Dial 9-1-1
Police 469-5391
Alexandra Hospital 469-5473
Fire Services 469-3444