I had never heard of Nevis until we started picking out a trip for the summer.  It’s pronounced “Knee-Vis” … I called it “nehvis” leading up to the trip.  It’s a little island off of St. Kitts with quite a bit of history.  Fans of Hamilton probably already know that Alexander Hamilton was born in Nevis.  It has quite a bit of charm with old sugar mills, plantations, and a cute little restored colonial downtown.  We really fell in love with the whole island, and feel like we need another week or two to explore it.  Which is why I’d love to go back!  Quite a few people have wondered about our experience with traveling with kids there, and I think a lot of the reason why it was so wonderful was the Four Seasons Nevis.  They know how to treat parents and kids, and I also think this would be an amazing place for an adults only vacation too.  But for this post I think I’ll focus on why the Four Seasons Nevis was so great for kids and parents.  

1.  Meals out are more pleasant than they are at home.  Kids get their own cutlery, wiki stix, and coloring pages.  They’re also well attended to, spoken to, played with, and staff takes the time to remember their names.  Speaking of meals.  Kids eat free 5 and under!  Even if you just need an order of french fries by the pool, if it’s for your two-year-old, it’s free.  If you’re walking by the gelato station, and need a cone for your four-year-old, it’s free.  Definitely a nice perk.  

2.  There are three pools.  One is adults only and quite a bit of a walk from the other two.  The other two have shallow entries (but deeper parts too!) and are great for kids.  Plenty of shades, chairs, and you are not fighting for a seat ever.  We spent a good amount of time every day with them in the pool.  They have infused water and the staff keeps the samples coming too – local treats and smoothies.  You can grab lunch out there, which we did a couple of times because it was so convenient.   3.  The kids club!   My kids were only in it maybe 5 hours total for the week, but it was so well done, they loved it, and the ratio of kids to staff was excellent.  The activities are fun, and there’s plenty of toys for free play.  They let wesley come since he is mostly potty trained (and thankfully no accidents while he was in there!).  I used it both days JB was on scuba dives, one to take a shower and get ready for the day, and the other to use the spa.  One morning, while Tuck and I were sleeping, JB took wes to the playground but wes took JB to the kids club because that’s where he wanted to go (:
4.  When you head to your room there are kids robes, and tiny spa shoes.  They also had treats for the boys – cookies with their names on them and little stuffed turtles.  

5.  There’s a ton of free and rental things to do on the beach.  We rented a hobie cat one day.  I swear despite wesleys face he enjoyed himself, lol.  There’s a big trampoline type thing in the ocean just off the shore, and Tuck had so much fun doing backward flips off of it.

6.  The staff really made it special.  I loved how they all knew their names by a couple days in, and they interacted with them.  We also, for the first time ever on vacation, used a babysitter through the hotel.  She was incredible!  We used her so we could go out to eat with my in-laws, and still respect our kids sleep schedule.  Miss Sherry Berry  was their babysitter and couldn’t recommend her enough.  She remembered both boys, and their names, from the kids club.  She took them to the playground, and as we were being taken by golf cart to the restaurant, we drove past and she was on one of the slides with them.  She did bedtime routine, and had them asleep by 7:30.  The pric was so good — for the first three hours it is $45!  and then just $8, for each additional hour.  That’s less than what we pay at home.  

7.  I guess this could be a negative to some parents, lol.  But there’s lots of little creatures to discover.  Tuck will pick up anything, and at one point had a pet crab and snail on this trip.  I blame “wild Kratts” – his favorite show.  (:

8.  The accomodations were good for a family of four.  A king bed and a pull out couch.  I love the pull out couch because it goes up during the day, and you have more space when you need it.  This guy always climbed in the big bed next to me – not complaining one bit.  Here he is enjoying hot chocolate!

9.  All of the outdoor restaurants had these little seats for the kids.  Mine loved the option of sitting at their own size seats, and with friends.

10.  We didn’t do this but you can rent these little cabanas on the beach.  I think they’d be perfect for babies to nap in, while bigger kids play.  And all with your eyes on them!  

So in short, can’t recommend it enough for a tropical vacation with your little ones!  This was a trip my husband earned through his company, and we are so so grateful.  My in-laws are retired from the same company, but still have a couple of trips.  We are so thankful they use their trips to come with us!  It’s so nice to make these memories together as a family.