The Hermitage is a small, family owned hotel.

The rooms are all separate cottages - which are charming. There are verandahs to watch the monkeys from, beautiful gardens and incredibly friendly staff.

The hotel was happy to organise car hire, volcano hikes and provide lots of information and tips on Nevis - and equally happy to let you well alone if you wanted.

The food is delicious, there's a well stocked bar and a great rum punch.

It's perfect if you are looking for a quiet, really romantic place to stay.

We are a family of four that did much research before we embarked upon our trip to Nevis. With two young girls (6&8) we needed something fun and not too quiet but didn't need luxury either. We ended up booking ourselves into the Hermitage. It was so lovely we were taken aback when we arrived. Although the website is great and gives you a peek inside the plantation, until you stay there you cannot truly fathom the incredible beauty and wonderful service you will receive.

We stayed in Blue House and it was a perfect layout as the girls slept downstairs and had their own bathroom and we were upstairs with our own bathroom. The furnishings are lovely yet simple. Nothing is overdone but you will find exactly what you need. The kitchenette came in handy and food is quite expensive on the island so if you have young children, it wouldn't hurt to bring snacks, peanut butter, etc. -items that can pack easily to keep them happy. The pool is wonderful and the right size, the only thing that I would even say was too much was the portion size at breakfast. Holy Cow! I felt so guilty because I could never eat it all but Lucy (wonderful Italian staff member) assured me that the pig would love any leftovers I couldn't finish! Staff members such as Sheila, Inshal and Cadeela are so genuinely friendly that you anticipate seeing them and telling them about your day. Bring bug spray as the mosquitoes are small and even though the maids sprayed our cottage, we had a battle with them upstairs for some reason.

One of the best things about our stay was that we had the great fortune to meet quite a bit of the family that owns the plantation. Their children and grandchildren were there during our stay and they were so gracious to us we almost felt like extended family. All the kids were so well mannered and kind to our girls. We even went to the beach with them one day.

We spent one day at the Four Season, it was nice but not as nice as we had expected. The staff was very friendly and the manager was incredibly informative and eager to help us with any request. Our girls LOVED the kids program though and didn't want to leave. We were all happy to return 'home' at the end of the day to the Hermitage

Dinner at Montpelier was comparable to dining at the Ritz-Carlton. Horseback riding was nice although the animals were a bit worn including the tack. The gentleman who led the ride was very quiet initially but if you asked him enough questions he would start to really talk about the island and point out interesting things that would otherwise go unnoticed. Make sure you get to St. Kitts to see the Brimstone Fort - incredible!

My husband joined the FIT gym for the week and loved it. They even let our girls come with us one day when I needed to get a work out in. Great equipment although small, you will find everything you need (treadmill, free-weights, machines, stairclimber, etc. and great service. We had a rental jeep so we were able to go to wherever we wanted - highly recommended.

Overall, we had a perfect vacation and when we return we have every intention of staying at the Hermitage again.

It has been a year and half since I stayed at the Hermitage, and since I have just recently started using this web site, I thought I should write a review since this is one of my favorite hotels I have ever stayed at. My boyfriend and I had been in St Bart's for a week with a group of people and had a fabulous time, and came to Nevis for a few days, just the two of us. From the moment we arrived we on the island I knew we were somwhere special. From the airport employees who graciously greeted us and asked if we needed anything without making us feel like we were being hustled, to our friendly old cab driver who gave us an easy-going relaxed tour of the island, and who never failed to wave at every single other car he drove past (after the hustle and bustle of St Barts and lots of honking mopeds, this was a welcome relief.)

As another posted mentioned, when you are going up the drive to the Hermitage you may begin to wonder what you got yourself into. But as sure as you go to check-in and meet the first employee, you'll immediately be at ease. Everyone was super attentive, very friendly, with a relaxed, happy about everything kind of attitude.

This is a very intimate hotel, and as such the staff will know you by name and will be very interested in what you are planning to do each day (not obnoxiously so). I was a little taken aback our first day when they called at 2:00 and wanted to know if we were planning to have dinner there or not, but then we realized that due to the small size of the hotel and the freshly prepared meals, it helps them to know how many people to cook for.

The food was delicious. (Only complaint about the outdoor seating was the overabundance of flies. They will provide you with a fly swatter if necessary.)

We stayed in Pasture House. The other poster was right on about the number of flowers....they were everywhere! It was such a delight to wake up and see the monkeys playing in our side yard.

The bartender and the owners, all super friendly as the others have mentioned. If you go to the bar and no one is behind it, there is a note that instructs you to just take what you like and then leave a note with your room number.

There were a couple of things we wanted to see off the property that were off the beaten path. One of the owner's sons took a couple hours to drive us around in his own car.

This is such a special place to my boyfriend and I ....we were just falling in love when we made this trip to Nevis, and as we have now recently gotten engaged, the Hermitage is at the top of the list of places we are considering for a wedding/honeymoon.

You will love this place.

The road up to the Inn does not inspire confidance, with two strips of cement and herds of goats and sheep scattering, lined with rusty sugar mill machinery on which roosters perch, but the saucy gingerbread reception cottage with helpful, pleasant staff offering a sensational rum punch quickly dispelled doubts. The main building is the oldest wooden house in the Caribbean, and is perfectly decorated to be attractive and comfortable. The library has a varied collection, and the TV room is there for CNN fixes. The small bar, ably manned by friendly Shabba (who made the punch), leads to the open air dining terrace, with views past the mango tree to the different coloured, clustered gingerbread houses that are the rooms here. We stayed at Tower Up,(our friends at Blue House and Pasture House) past the pool (where daily tea is served and a slice of delicious cake) and a huge boulder which must have been disgorged from the volcano eons ago. From our covered porch with hammock we could see the sunset through the palms, and the sea in the distance. At 800 feet of altitude, the temperature is perfect. The property sits under Nevis Peak (3232') and it is pretty much jungle from the end of the gardens on up. Our mahogany four poster with mosquito netting and antique furniture were perfect for atmosphere and appeal. I have never seen so many flowers: on the pillows, towels, cushions, ashtrays, even the toilet paper. Coffee maker and little refrigerator were perfect extras, also a radio, CD and tape player. The sound of the crickets and tree frogs were music to tired ears, as was the wind rustling through the palms. The big night here (tho every night the menu is varied and excellent) is the West Indian Buffet on Wednesday with whole roasted pig, served in the dining room while a scratch band plays under the stars out by the mango tree. Dinner (and lunch) is also good down at the Hermitage's Beach Club which is next door to the Four Seasons on Pinney's Beach. There are also many other restaurants to try on Nevis, but it is hard to outdo the one right here. One needs a car to see the island, tho the cabs are wonderful. Having read about TC (Tough Cookie)in an article on Nevis in aTrip Advisor report, lo and behold, she turns up to meet our water taxi, and is just as informative and entertaining as stated! The morning highlight just after dawn is the visit of a troop of vervet monkeys who come to eat up anything they can find in the gardens, but have a wild old time doing it. This is not a luxury resort, but an intimate small hotel (I was invited to use the owners computer in their own living room), with delicious food, pretty rooms, great atmosphere, horse riding available, nature walks, massage therapist will visit if requested, great staff. We were given a discount on our rooms and food as there is a lull after Christmas and before the season gets into full swing. There is a lot of history connected with Horatio Nelson and Fanny Nisbet's courtship and marriage in 1787 in a little church which is still full on Sundays, and Alexander Hamilton's birthplace is now a Museum. There are hot springs, a botanical garden, a resident sculptor and a great Cafe des Arts, a tennis court, even golf (at a price). My one disappointment was that the water in Nevis was not as blue and clear as one expects in the Caribbean, but it had been very stormy. Did I mention the breakfasts?...It was a wonderful week.