Before leaving NY for the Four Seasons Nevis, my wife and I were concerned after reading the reviews on trip advisor. Many of the write-ups complained about the accomodations and the expense associated with the resort.

Before writing the actual review, let me put it in the proper perspective. My wife and I travel approximately four times per year with our two young kids. We typically go to five star resorts and stay for 7-10 days in two connecting rooms. This past year we have visited the Breakers in Palm Beach, The Cloisters in Sea Island and the One and Only (Bahamas). Because of our kids we choose hotels that are kid friendly.

With this background, below is the review.

1. Expense: Many of the reviews posted on this site discussed the expense of the resort. Very simply, if you are worried about money, a four seasons resort is not for you. It is expensive. Howver, it is no more expensive than other comparable resorts. Moreover, our experience was that unlike many top rated hotels, the four seasons nevis did not nickle and dime you. We thought the prices were fair and reasonable.

2. Rooms: Many people complained about the rooms. We had two connecting rooms. They were large, clean and comfortable. However, they were dated in decor and creature comforts. For example, there was no wireless internet. The showers did not have rain heads. The furniture was not typical four seasons quality and was old but not in bad condition. When we arrived, we were disappointed by this because we felt if we were spending over 2K a night, it should be comparable to other top resorts. However, at the end of the day, we decided that this really didnt matter because the rooms were very large, comfortable and clean. If the hotel hopes to keep its ranking, this is an area that certainly needs updating.

3. Facilities: Once again, the facilties were somewhat disappointing. While they were clean, most were a bit outdated. The facilities were certainly not beautiful (although the grounds were). An example is that the main dining room did not have air conditioning which I personally found quite annoying. Similarly, the gym lacked functioning air conditioning as well.

4. Kids: We went to this resort during the two weeks that the private schools in NY had spring break. Almost everyone here had kids. Lots of kids. This was great for us as our children were able to quickly make a wide assortment of friends. However, if I was here on a honeymoon, I would probably have gone out of my mind. But if you have kids well - it is a wow resort. The kids camp is amazing (although they did not have many evening activities) and there are plenty of other things to do with them from golf, to shuffle board, to boating, etc. Also kids were acceptable in the dining room and you never felt awkward aobut misbehaviour probably because every kid there was mis-behaving at one point or another. Seriously, this is one kid friendly resort.

5. Food. Amazing. Simply amazing. Better than any resort that I have been too in a long time. There were plenty of healthy choices (fish, chicken etc). A wide variety in the three restaurants (go to Mangos for great fish and quick service). Moreover, the staff was accomodating for kids and parents alike. For instance, the chef in Neve regularly prepared special requests for me. The one downside to the food was the wine list in each restaurant (save for the dining room). The selection throughout the resort was simply not four seasons quality. IF you do want good wine you must each in the dining room which was a little less kid friendly and did not have air conditioning so on a hot night it was a little stuffy.


6. Staff: Amazing. No request was too much and almost everyone went out of their way to give superior service. An example, our rooms did not have blackout shades (see above on dated accomodations). When we complained because our kids were getting up at 6 in the morning, within a half an hour there were three workmen in our room putting up shades. Another example, after three breakfasts, Bryon in Neve knew what our kids wanted and before we even sat down, the order was placed and the food was quickly served. The staff here simply made the trip. Extremely impressive.

7. Golf: A beaufiful and suprisingly challenging course. If you play, makde sure that you play the back nine. It was impressive with the sea visible on many holes. Also, be sure to play once or twice in the late afternoon because you can see monkeys playing in their natural environment. This was amazing. You would go to a tee box and there would be a grandstand of monkeys watching, hooting etc. I think they even stole one of my balls.

8. Pool. There are three pools. One has been designed for kids. The other two are nominally for adults. However, during the weeks that were were here it was a free for all with kids pretty much everywhere. There was great poolside service with drinks, towels etc. Moreover, when you arrived, the staff set aside chairs that would be yours during the course of your stay at the pool of your choice. This meant that there was no need to run down each morning at 6 to reservce your chairs for the day. It could get a bit annoying because once you picked a place., that was your place. We had a slight issue because our kids made friends at another pool and we could not sit there. All in all, however, this was better than the early morning trek to reserve.

Gym: It is a great gym with amazing equipment. However, it was a little warm because the air conditioning did not work as well as I would have expected.

Ocean Sports: There were two large rafts tethered in the ocean that the kids enjoyed swimming to each day. There were also a wide variety of boats available to rent for extremely reasonable prices. For example, you could rent a motorized fun boat for $50 for a half an hour. We spent alot of time on the beach and the ocean and this was a real positivie.

Tennis: It has an amazing tennis facility with great pros. Our kids took lessons and had a great time. They also had mixers and arranged games for guests.

Summary: After our initial disappointment with the rooms we had an amazing time. It was simply one of the best vacactions we have ever had. Our kids also thought it was first rate. The staff and the food were so great that you could easily overlook some of the shortcomings of the resort. Moreover, once you are here, you realize that while the facilities are not over-the-top they are completely adequate as they are large, clean and tasteful. It is my hope that the four seasons brings this hotel up to the standard of its other hotels. However, even if they dont, we would certainly return for another visit. When spending 30k+ for a vacation, we have high expectations. On the whole they were met at this resort.

I visited beautiful Nevis as part of a company-sponsored event and so if I had been travelling purely for pleasure I may have found it a little annoying that there were big groups of people travelling together as I'm sure we took over the place!

However, having said that, I had the most fabulous time in Nevis. Everyone on the island is so friendly and I found the service to be second to none.

This was my first visit to the Carribbean and I've been back a couple of times already. Nothing compares to Nevis though.

My favourite part of the holiday was the Mango restaurant. We wanted to visit this restaurant every day as it was the perfect way to while away the afternoon but unfortunately this wasn't open every day which was a real shame. I look for a "Mango" comparison every time we go away and have so far been disappointed as I can't find that vibe anywhere so I may need to get back to Nevis soon. Also the view from the room was spectacular - we were overlooking the golf course and a mountain and it was heavenly.

On the negative side I prefer smaller hotels but to be honest the beach is long so it doesn't feel like people are on top of one another.

I had a great time but can't say whether it was worth the money as I fortunately didn't see the bill (which always helps!). Would definitely return.

We stayed at the FS for a week in February. It was outstanding. The room was beautiful and clean (2x/day housekeeping) and the view (Mountain View room) was amazing. We were in Building 1100, which is close to the adult pool -- nice and quiet!

The beach is, by a landslide, the nicest beach we've ever visited. It's groomed every morning, it's immaculate, and the water is clear and warm. They have complimentary non-motorized beach toys (kayaks, rafts, snorkeling gear, etc.).

The concierge service was fantastic. On the first day we were there, they helped us review all of the local restaurants, made recommendations and then made the reservations for the entire week. We ate at Coconuts, Miss June's the Hermitage, the 1786 House (part of Montpelier Plantation) and the FS Dining Room. Miss June's was an experience not to be missed, but she only serves dinner once a week, so you need to plan accordingly. We liked all of the restaurants, but liked the FS Dining Room the least. The service was not good. The concierge also spent hours on the phone trying to help us rectify some travel issues (the Nevis airport was closed the entire time we were there, because "the firetruck is broken"). We did the rainforest & ruins hike (set up thru the hotel). I liked it, but my husband thought it was too tame (i.e., no risk of bodily harm). Apparently the hike to the top of Mt. Nevis is pretty rigorous, but we didn't do it. Don't bother renting a car. Cabs are everywhere, and the drivers all try to become your driver for the duration of your stay, which actually is pretty convenient. Our driver was Edred Brown, and he was great. (The cab drivers also serve as island tourguides. Ed took us on a 3 hour tour, and we had the chance to see all of the other hotels, which was fun.)

The property is beautiful, the spa (especially the spa pool) is very nice, the service (except in the restaurants) was excellent. (The restaurant service was uniformly S-L-O-W on the island, as it seems to be on every other Carribean island.) We had breakfast at Neve every morning (it's a buffet, but you can order off of the menu as well). It was very good.

Insider's tips: (1) at the FS Business center, they will lend you a cell phone for free (our cell phones didn't work in Nevis), and the cost of calling from the cell phone is cheaper than calling from the room. (2) at all of the restaurants, they have things that aren't on the menu (notably, nachos). If you ask, they will make it. (3) each building has a laundry room, with complimentary soap, so you can do a little laundry while you're there. In exchange for a nice tip, we found a housekeeper to do the laundry for us! She brought everything back to our room and left it folded on our bed.

I honestly do not understand some of the negative reviews of this hotel. If you go someplace looking for things to gripe about, you'll surely find them. But go here to relax and be pampered, and you won't be disappointed. We will definitely be going back.

Already stayed at a couple of Fours Seasons hotels and resorts and I must tell, there is something different here... Maybe its just hard to get staff or hard to motivate them, but we definitely did not get the same attentive service as we are used to.
Maybe it was just wrong timing, but we got only once the small snacks, drinks at the pool or on the beach during our week, employees are not so friendly and helpful, they look rather tired and bored.
Fitness-spa area is nice and also loved the adult-only pool which is somewhat away from the main beach area of the hotel. I do love kids but I just loved the quiet moments we spent there.
Also food was nothing special and I found the welcome amenity - some sweet cake filled in a seashell - a bit bizarre, even though I really appreciated the gesture.
If you would like to experience the true Four Seasons welcoming and caring service, you should try FS Sharm El Sheikh, they will show you how to do it!