We just spent a week at The Hermitage, and it's by far the most delightful place we've found in the Caribbean in almost 20 years' exploring. Its unique charm, historic and dreamy atmosphere, cool breezes and shady verandahs transported us into a trance of pleasure. The pretty cottages, all unique and individual, nestle among dark mango trees where shy birds whistle softly. The beautiful pool area offers sun or shade for your lounger.

The interiors are elegant and understated, simple, nothing too fancy, just perfect and comfortable. 100% cotton sheets, really hot water, and our bedroom was so breezy that with the fan whizzing away above our antique four-poster we never even thought about air-conditioning. Actually the islands of St Kitts and Nevis are themselves air-conditioned at this time of year: the sweet, refreshing trade winds blow all day and all night.

Despite its refinement, The Hermitage is not at all stuffy or snobbish. The atmosphere is informal and laid back, the service friendly and helpful. The food is exceptional and includes a magnificent West Indian feast on Wednesday nights, featuring local produce.

There are wonderful panoramic views of the sea a couple of miles down the mountainside. The velvety, drowsy nights echo with the sounds of the countryside: dogs and roosters in the far distance, tree frogs piping nearby, cicadas supplying the rhythm section to lull you to sleep.

If you want to escape bland featureless international resort tourism with its rows of beach loungers, unadventurous menus and identical characterless rooms, The Hermitage offers something truly unique: historic, magical and, in my experience, unparalleled in the West Indies. I would rather be at The Hermitage than anywhere else on earth. Go there!

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.