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| James English also fondly details his stay at the 200-year-old Rawlins Plantation Inn which was featured in a British Newspaper |
Basseterre, St. Kitts (March 02, 2004): St. Kitts and its unique tourism offerings were prominently featured in a popular British Newspaper last
week.
James English, a writer for The Telegraph, wrote that "unlike most of the
Caribbean, the idyllic island of St. Kitts has avoided large-scale tourism
to retain its laid-back charm. St. Kitts is the Caribbean as it used to be."
In the article, English recalls his pleasant visits to the Ship's Reck bar,
Dolce Cabana and Mr. X's Shiggidy Shack. He also enjoyed the drives through
the island and fondly details his stay at the 200-year-old Rawlins
Plantation which was restored and converted into a guest house with 10
cottages in 1999.
English described the grounds and the food and noted that the effect "was
like staying in some magical hideaway, with everything you might need close
at hand but with no need to do anything except relax."
The Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park which is a UNESCO world heritage
site and the expanding rainforest is also featured in the article.
The retained Georgian architecture for which St. Kitts is renowned also
impressed the visiting journalist.
"Perhaps the biggest test of any island's character is its capital -
tourist oriented, or blandly functional? Basseterre is neither," he writes.
"Georgian mansions sit side-by-side with weathered wooden buildings: the
old Catholic Cathedral looks out over Independence Square, where slaves
were once auctioned. At the centre of town is the Circus, modelled after
London's Piccadilly, with an ornate clock tower, waving royal palms, and a
row of ballustraded wooden buildings."
English, stayed on island from November 29 to December 2003 last year. He
was a part of a visiting group organised by the St. Kitts London Tourism
Office of the Ministry of Tourism.
Randolph Hamilton, marketing manager for the U.K., Europe and Southern
Caribbean of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority said this is a tremendous
boost for tourism in St. Kitts and Nevis.
The Telegraph has a strong readership who can be categorised as adventurers
with a large disposable income," he said, adding that they are always
seeking new challenges.
Hamilton indicated that articles such as Mr. English's is testament to the
marketability of the island and the successful efforts of the ministry and
its staff to sell the unique experience offered by St. Kitts and Nevis.
