Our three night peaceful stay at Rawlins was a step back in time. It was a privilege to be able to experience a different type of holiday stay. Our initial travel up the dirt road through acres of sugar cane was both disorienting, and mesmerizing. Our arrival at the simple, yet handsome main house was rewarded by a rum punch on the porch overlooking the spectacular vista of swaying palms, the sea, and the mountains. Our dated cottage was comfortable with a large living room and bedroom and our own private porch and hammock.
Because Rawlins is nestled at the edge of the rain forest, our stay at Rawlins was a visual treat for the senses. It was simply quiet and lovely - a friendly place to stay. The food at breakfast and dinner was generous and well prepared. We found it necessary to have a rental car to be able to explore the island during our stay.
Rawlins is very picturesque, but it is not perfect. The plantation itself is re-emerging under the personable, new management team of Ken and Sybil, both dedicated to customer service.

We were directed to Rawlins for dinner by several individuals in the tourism business in St Kitts. We were told that this would be a marvelous experience and we would have a dining experience of a lifetime.We were staying in St Kitts and thought if the reccommendation was accurate we would also stay a day or two. Well, it was the dining experience of a lifetime.!! The place was empty, the food was "elf sized portions" and a local diner did a better job. The food was uninspiring, bland and the service was terrible. It was pretentious and overpriced. The drinks were really poorly done and the wine was not served properly. They were out of lobster and bananas and "so called fresh vegetables" even though these were part of the spiel about the signature dishes. Don't waste your time and money!

We have never visited anywhere that was in such contrast to the reviews we read beforehand. Rawlins is a beautiful place, there is no question, but the hotel itself - the rooms, the food, the service - were less than you would expect from a Holiday Inn.
It is not somewhere that we would return to or recomend.
The food was billed as a gourmet experience, but it was more canteen than haute cuisine with fried potatoes and cold veg and a chopped up bit of chicken.
All at $40 for one main course. Really bad.
Afternoon tea was literally a tea bag in some hot water - nothing to eat - no cakes or scones even though it was part of the "package" that we had paid for.
Our room could have done with an overhaul. It was very cheaply decorated with a dripping shower, 1980's style plastic shower curtain and not even a plug for the bath!
And unlike the picture perfect pool featured on the website the one we saw had more than a few tiles missing, the sunloungers had mouldy cushions where they had been left in the rain, and more rust than an old banger.
To see this kind of thing done well go to Montpellier Inn on Nevis where we had a lovely meal for the same price as Rawlins.
What is really frustrating is with just a bit of effort, Rawlins could be top draw especially with the amazing scenery but it seemed to us that they are just not trying, especially for the money charged. They seem to be trading totally on the name and if they continue as they are that is not going to be much of a name to trade on.

This is truly paradise! The Rawlins Plantation property can only be compared to the Garden of Eden. The gardens are breathtaking and the rooms are clean and beautiful. Everyday you have fresh flowers in your room! The food at this place is OUT OF THIS WORLD!! It all starts with drinks on the veranda overlooking the Caribbean with St. Estasia and Saba in the distance ~ make sure you have their Rum Punch, it's not to be missed! The owner of Rawlins is usually there to great you and offer a selection of superb wine (I know, my husband and I have our own wine cellar), next it's off to the porch for dining under the stars ~ the food is truly the best on the island. We went and had dinner at other restaurants, but finally decided that there was no other food like it on the island! Can't wait to come back again!