You are not alone if you can’t
quite put a finger on where St. Kitts and Nevis are located or how they differ
from any of the other gorgeous islands in the West Indies. Until recently, the
two neighbors were relatively undiscovered by vacationers, and that is precisely
what the lucky few who already own property there like about it. But globe
hoppers’ unfamiliarity with all that these islands have to offer is waning.
According to the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, the number of tourists in 2004
increased by 32.6 percent from the previous year and is still rising.
Christopher Columbus made the is-land that bears his
name ("Kitt" is an old-fashioned abbreviation for Christopher) the first stop
on his westward voyage, and apart from the estates that dot the landscape, not
much has changed. Distinguished by Mount Liamuiga, a dormant volcano on the
western side of the island, St. Kitts’ geography resembles a kind of verdant
parfait: a mix of rainforest, mountainside and beach.
Along with its smaller sister island, Nevis, the two isles form
one nation with a population of less than 50,000 situated approximately 50 miles
west of Antigua. Sugar cane sustained the country’s economy for centuries, but
when the sugar industry took a turn for the worse in the 1980s, the government
resolved to focus solely on tourism. By 2005, the islands’ sugar trade was
closed for good. Today, the only remnants of the trade are the railway that once
hauled sugar to the capital city of Basseterre (now, luxury cars offer scenic
rides through the countryside), and lots upon lots of lush, vacant land where
the cane once grew.
The islands’ inherent beauty and room for growth are luring
luxury developers, but the region’s infrastructure is what sold Brian Dobbin,
president and founder of Newfound Resorts. He considered a dozen places in
search of a destination to complement his Humber Valley Resort in Canada. "The
St. Kitts government spent nearly $400 million over the last 15 years to put in
basic infrastructure, but no one had really tried to develop it as a
destination," says Dobbin. Recent upgrades include a national park surrounding
Mount Liamuiga, the Beaumont Park Racetrack, Marine World, a cricket stadium and
an airport expansion. A stable political structure and highly educated,
English-speaking residents are also assets, though Marty Lowell, co-owner of St.
Kitts’ Ottley’s Plantation Inn, dismisses any snobbery. "This is not a place
where you say you’re American and the people turn up their noses at you," says
Lowell, who moved from the U.S. to St. Kitts with his wife 18 years ago and now
operates the island’s leading boutique resort.
Newfound Resorts currently has two projects in the works:
Ocean’s Edge, with condos and villas on 40 acres in St. Kitts’ Frigate Bay area,
and Pinneys Estate, a collection of opulent semicustom homes on a 430-acre
spread in Nevis.
Newfound Resorts’ properties typify the difference between the
islands. St. Kitts’ vibrant personality is conducive to community-minded condos
and villas, while Nevis, the smaller isle, favors private homes. St. Kitts’
Frigate Bay is the hub of the island, due in part to the Royal St. Kitts Golf
Club and the St. Kitts Marriott Resort & Royal Beach Casino. Ocean’s Edge
will become Marriott’s next-door neighbor, and Heritage Plantation, a gated
settlement of 20 luxury villas, is planting roots nearby. "On St. Kitts, the
majority of the holiday homes have been in Frigate Bay, and now we have the
entire southeastern peninsula, much of which is going to be developed," says
Realtor Suzanne Gordon of Sugar Mill Real Estate, an exclusive affiliate of
Christie’s Great Estates. She is likely referring to Christophe Harbour, the
partnership among Auberge Resorts, Kiawah Development Partners and local
entrepreneur J.B. Turbidy, which announced in August the purchase of 2,700 acres
on the peninsula and plans for a $600 million resort to include condos, hotels
and golf.
Nevis, which is just a 20-minute ferry ride away from St.
Kitts, sat virtually untouched for years, save for the Four Seasons Resort that
is tucked away on the island’s western shore. "People often compare Nevis to
Kauai. It’s very lush, very green, and it’s not totally taken over by homes and
developments," says Gordon. "The majority of people want to purchase something
on the west coast of the island, which faces St. Kitts and the sunset. The east
coast faces the Atlantic, and that area’s really yet to be developed."
Wide-open spaces have attracted ventures centered around custom
homes, such as Stewart’s Estate, a collection of custom residences at the Four
Seasons. Another project, Simplicity International’s Enclave at Tamarind Cove,
offers just seven custom homes with verandas and amenities that take advantage
of the private setting and 600 feet of beach. "We spent months on the site plan
and settings so each house has a direct water view," says John Schopfer,
Simplicity International’s CEO. "We could have done up to 30 units there, but we
chose not to. We’re trying to create a sense of casual elegance with quality
homes and still have a sense of community."
Gordon, whose listings on Nevis include a $4.7 million
five-bedroom Four Seasons villa and homes at Tamarind Cove, says Nevis buyers
once sought rambling acreage for sprawling homes, but that trend is changing.
"People don’t necessarily want a large property they’re going to have to take
care of," she explains. "They want a place they can lock up or rent out while
they’re gone." To that end, Nevis offers a handful of worry-free vacation home
options. Rumors of new properties coming to Nevis have started to circle, while
other projects are under way. Seaside at Cliffdwellers is currently constructing
16 oceanfront condos, and the Four Seasons is preparing to break ground on its
Clarke’s Estate homes.
Though several developments loom on the horizon, efforts are
being made to maintain the integrity that brings buyers to the islands in the
first place. "Buildings can’t be higher than two stories; the rule of thumb is
‘not higher than a coconut tree,’" says Gordon. The government aims to protect
the nation’s beauty—each island maintains active historical organizations that
preserve landmarks and develop land regulations—but developers have a pulse on
conservation as well. Pinneys Estate is toying with vegetative roofs (which
decrease electricity consumption by 30 percent), and the Four Seasons launched a
turtle conservation program in which two turtles wearing GPS systems were
released. "You can go online and actually track where they are in the sea. It’s
great from a research perspective, but it also creates an awareness of the
species and the care needed to preserve it," says Martha Isbister, general
manager of Four Seasons Resort Estates.
The nation is also protective of its property. When the sugar
industry was nationalized on St. Kitts, much of the land was put in the hands of
the government. As a result, foreign buyers must obtain an Alien Land Holding
License that costs 10 percent of the land’s purchase price. Gordon explains that
St. Kitts and Nevis law dictates that foreign residents can purchase only a half
acre of vacant land, unless the plot is occupied by a house or is approved
by the government for subdivision. (Click image to enlarge)
In addition to their knowledge of the market and local color, both Gordon and
Lowell are walking billboards for the islands’ allure. "I went [to Nevis] to
write a book about Caribbean architecture," recalls Gordon. "I was only supposed
to be there a year...but I ended up staying." After a series of visits,
Lowell and his wife decided on a permanent vacation when they purchased the
40-acre estate that would become their inn. "A lot of islands are scrubby, ugly
places in comparison," says Lowell, who considers St. Kitts a paradise. "I just
assumed—stupidly—that they were all like this." Now, after 18 years on St.
Kitts, he knows better.DEVELOPMENTS/REAL ESTATE
ST. KITTS
•1 Ocean’s Edge
Size: 162 condos and 23
villas
Amenities: Sea sports
and beach club, two restaurants and pools
Ground broke: February
2006
Scheduled completion: 2008
Pricing: Condos from
$315,000 to $629,000; villas from $1.2 million to $1.5 million
888.450.0080, www.oceansedgestkitts.com
•2 Heritage Plantation
Size: 20 villas from
5,300 to 8,412 square feet
Amenities: Gated
property with 24-hour security, SmartHome technology, putting green, spa,
playground, pool bar and cafe
Ground broke: 2005
Scheduled completion: 2010
Pricing: From $3.5
million
869.466.2211, www.heritageplantationinc.com
•3
Christophe Harbour
Size: 2,500 acres
Amenities: Marina, yacht
club, beach clubs, Tom Fazio–designed golf course and two hotels
Ground breaking: Early
2008
Scheduled completion:
2010
Pricing: $500,000 to $5
million
843.768.5222, www.christophestkitts.com
NEVIS
•4 Pinneys Estate
Size: 200 to 250 two-
to six-bedroom semicustom homes
Amenities: Hotel, spa,
shopping and dining complex, beach club and well-being center
Ground breaking: 2008
Scheduled completion:
2009
Pricing: From $2.5
million to $3.5 million
888.450.0080, www.pinneysestate.net
•5 Four Seasons Resort Estates
Size: Stewart’s Estate
offers 16 homesites on lots up to 1.5 acres; Clarke’s Estate offers nine 3,500-
to 5,550-square-foot spec homes
Amenities: Access to
all resort features, including a golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.
and a Peter Burwash International tennis complex
Ground broke: 2006
Scheduled completion: Clarke’s in 2009 and Stewart’s in 2010
Pricing: Stewart’s
Estate homesites from $895,000 to $1.3 million (finished custom homes from $4
million); Clarke’s Estate homes from $2.5 million to $3.5 million
869.469.1199, www.fsestatesnevis.com
•6 Enclave at Tamarind Cove
Size: Seven four- to
five-bedroom semicustom homes
Amenities: Beach
clubhouse, concierge, full-time caretaker, housekeeping and gym
Ground broke: March
2007
Scheduled completion: December 2008
Pricing: From $3.3
million to $5 million
888.310.1230, www.simplicityintl.com
•7 Seaside at Cliffdwellers
Size: 16 oceanfront
condos from 1,870 to 3,635 square feet
Amenities: Beachfront
location, on-site restaurant and shops, boathouse, tennis pavilion; some units
feature private pools and courtyards
Ground broke: January
2007
Scheduled completion: Spring 2008
Pricing: From $745,000
to $1.3 million
869.469.8262, www.cliffdwellers.org
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Ottley’s Plantation Inn 800.772.3039, www.ottleys.com
Sugar Mill Real Estate (An exclusive affiliate of Christie’s Great
Estates)
869.469.1093, www.nevishouses.com
