But only part of Nevis' story is coastal. Up the forested slopes of
Mt. Nevis, formerly prosperous sugar plantations are preserved as
gracious hotels like
the Hermitage, a collection of sweetly
trimmed, brightly painted cottages around a manor house where trade
winds provide air-conditioning 800 feet above sea level.
Attractions, or lack of them, make Nevis the ideal escape. You can,
and should, drive around the island in under an hour. Horseback
ride on shell-strewn beaches. Or spend a sweaty, exhilarating day
with a local naturalist like Jim Johnson scaling 3,200-foot Mt.
Nevis. At night, toast paradise with a rum punch beside a beach
fire on a stargazing tour.
DETAILS: Nevis Tourism Authority, (866) 556-3847,
www.nevisisland.com.
Four Seasons Resort Nevis, from $745, (800) 332-3442,
www.fourseasons.com.
Hermitage Plantation Inn, from $325, (869) 469-3477,
www.hermitagenevis.com.
Jim Johnson, Top to Bottom tours, (869) 469-9080.
ST. JOHN
Largely protected as a national park, St. John remains the wild
sibling among the U.S. Virgins. Yet only a 15-minute ferry ride
from St. Thomas, it's easy to reach. Lush hiking trails, vivid
reefs, and outpost enclaves like Coral Bay make St. John feel as
far from mainland USA as possible.
Everyone who stays here, stays for beauty. How they stay ranges
vastly, from rough-it tents to luxury villas - low-key at either
end of the price spectrum. Cream of the crop
Caneel Bay keeps
telephones, TVs, and radios out of the rooms. The tent cabins of
Maho Bay supply communal bathhouses and candlelit quarters among
the trees.