St. Kitts and Nevis
August 28 – September 11, 2021
This adventure started on Friday, August 27, 2021, when Pinky and I traveled to the Fairfield Inn and Suites Richmond Airport with the intent to spend the night to leave early the following morning on American Airlines flight to St. Kitts with a connection in Miami. We enjoyed a good dinner at Roberto‘s Italian restaurant and got up early the next morning and got to the airport by 5:30 AM, only to discover that I did not have my passport!
I traced the explanation for this grievous oversight to preparations in connection with Covid-19. In order to enter St. Kitts, we were required to present evidence of vaccinations and of a negative Covid test no more than 72 hours prior to arrival. So, Pinky and I had arranged for and succeeded in having a Covid test at the CVS on Wednesday, October 25, 3:00 PM, and we received our emailed negative test results on August 27. I then followed up the same day with the required upload submission of our Immigration, Customs and Health Declaration form and images of the bio pages of our passports which I scanned to the St. Kitts Ministry of National Security. We left home for the Fairfield Inn in Sandston where we were staying the night prior to the Saturday scheduled flight . After we arrived, the Saint Kitts Immigration Officer emailed me to say that they could not view the passport bio data page for me and asked that I re-upload the passport biodata page and our vaccination cards and resubmit for verification. So, I uploaded from the Fairfield Inn a .pdf of our passport bio pages that I aways keep in the suitcase as requested. At 8:08 pm I received confirmation that I successfully edited my Immigration, Customs and Health Declaration form. Then, at 3:07 AM Saturday morning, August 28, I received an email from St. Kitts Immigration granting permission for us to enter St. Kitts and Nevis, so we were good to go. Or so we thought.
We got up early on Saturday, we’re chauffeured to the airport, and upon check-in I discovered that I did not have my passport. I looked everywhere at the check in, but never found it. So, we rebooked the flight for the next day (so lucky to be able to do so), called the shuttle and went back to the Fairfield, got back in the car and drove home, whereupon, I discovered that when I had to re-scan my passport the day before I had inadvertently left it in the scanner. There it was! Right there in the scanner! So, we spent the afternoon at home, returned to the Fairfield for a Saturday night dinner at Roberto’s, repeated the trip to the RIC Sunday a.m. and successfully boarded the 7 AM flight to St. Kitts!
The next chapter of this sordid adventure occurred upon landing at the St. Kitts airport. We went through a “waiting area“ easily but then upon entering the “screening area“ we joined a barely moving line where we shuffled along for more than two hours without a place to sit, go to the restroom or get a drink of water and where there was no air conditioning and only two floor fans, before getting to the screening desk, when we were then advised that our Covid test had expired the day before and that we would have to be retested!
We said you have to be kidding, but nevertheless here we were on foreign land, not to argue. Before taking the test, we had to pay $300 online, but the website wasn’t functioning properly, so a Mr. Riley escorted us out of the waiting area to a separate building where we took the nostril Covid test. Thank goodness for Mr. Reilly! He told us we would be billed once we got back to the hotel. We did not get on the taxi to the Marriott until 5:05 PM Sunday, 3 hours after arriving, where we were then to be quarantined for four days!
Because we missed our first day at Marriott’s St. Kitts Beach Club, we did not have to move after that first day as initially scheduled, but were scheduled to move villas after the first of two weeks. I asked, pleaded really, not to be moved after the first week. It turned out our villa had a spectacular third story view of the Atlantic Ocean, and we began to relax a bit.
That evening we went to the Marriott restaurant Fire, where we had had fish. It was very good. We sat next to another couple, Michael and Lisa, and struck up a very friendly conversation, portending to the remaining days of the week.
Since we were quarantined, we did not leave the property for several days. This gave us opportunity to make some incredible new friends! For instance, the next day, Monday, we met the couple from the prior evening and others and enjoyed playing Name That Tune in the pool that afternoon. As silly as it sounds, it was incredibly fun and drew us together for fun and good conversation. It turned out help us all through the quarantine!
Included were Dorothy & Sonja, Michael and Leisa, and Cydney, whose traveling companion Mariah Lovey had been delayed due to her not having received her Covid results until minutes after boarding her plane ended, causing her to miss it and re-book a few days later!
We spent most afternoons that week at the pool, lounging around, drinking rum tonics, and enjoying entertainment provided by Nardo. Tuesday we befriended Emily, a 27-year-old who was there escaping the depression of a boyfriend break up.
One evening, Pinky and I had takeout pizza, which was excellent. Then, on Wednesday we joined this new group of ours for dinner at FIRE, had a terrific dinner where we took a photo of everybody!
As for the Covid test that we took at the airport on Sunday, we never did receive a bill for $300.00, but we received negative results Tuesday afternoon! However, we still need needed to be tested again in order to leave quarantine. Other good news was that we received a call from the front desk that we wouldn’t have to move from our villa snd could stay there our second week.
Our next (2nd) Covid test was scheduled through the Marriott for Thursday September 2 at 6:30 AM. We still needed positive results before we could leave the property. The phone rang early that morning, jolting us out of bed, when we were escorted to a van where a woman in a moon suit conducted the nasal Covid tests.
We received PCR test results, which were negative, Friday the 3rd at 9:44 AM, just in time for our scheduled 10:45 AM departure for the day’s adventure with Michael and Lisa. This turned out to be the best day of the two week’s stay, when we taxied via Alvin to Port Zante for a 3 1/2 hour Blue Water Safaris sail and snorkel. What could be better on an 88°, sea breeze, sunny afternoon? The sail even included lunch and beer and rum punches (like we needed more of those.)
Returning to the port, we re-boarded Alvin‘s taxi to another location where after coincidentally running into Maria and Cydney and arranging to meet later at Reggae Beach Bar & Grill, we then boarded a water taxi to Nevis, where we spent several hours with another driver who took us to the Hot Springs and ultimately to Sunshine’s Beach, where we partook of killer bees rum drinks and spent time on the beach as the sun descended into a beautiful sunset.
After sundown, our driver picked us up to return us to the water taxi back to St. Kitts, where Alvin met us again and took us to Reggae Beach Bar & Grill, where Maria and Cydney had secured a table for us. It was lobster night, and we certainly enjoyed the Caribbean lobster at the bar and restaurant. Finally, we all yet again met Alvin and returned to the Marriott St. Kitts Beach Club after an eventful day.
The next day, Saturday, we spent on the beach and at the pool, followed by a wonderful dinner at Marshall’s with Michael, Lisa and Emily.
On Sunday, I was finally able to play golf at Royal St. Kitts golf club, having been quarantined the previous week and shut out on Monday and Tuesday when the course was reserved for the cricketeers and Wednesday and Thursday when the course is closed. Sunday was my first opportunity, and I played by myself in 2:40 starting at 8 AM and did pretty well on a course with unbelievably beautiful views throughout.
We completed our farewells to our new friends, who left on Saturday and Sunday, and, after inheriting many leftovers, munchies and adult beverages, from then on we were pretty much left on our own. That evening, Pinky and I walked down the road to Rock Lobster restaurant where we shared Caribbean lobster.
Monday was spent on the property enjoying the beach and pool, meeting a few new people but never on the order of the previous week, and then enjoyed a terrific dinner at Buzzie’s restaurant on the strip, again taxied by Alvin.
On Tuesday, we had scheduled Greg’s safaris at 2 PM for a 3 1/2 hour tour of Saint Kitts. It turned out to exceed all expectations. It took us around in an open safari four-wheel-drive vehicle to see the governors mansion, museum, then off-road up a mountain where we had a light snack and met a woman who was remodeling her house at the top of the hill. Greg Pereira, a fourth generation St. Kitts of Portuguese heritage, personally conducted the tour. We ended up at Shipwreck, a dilapidated bar and restaurant toward the southern end of the island where we took a swim in the Caribbean and enjoyed Carib beer.
On the tour were two women, 70 each, who had to be about the dumbest two women I have ever met. I had run into one of the women a couple days prior where she had been sitting in the grass after having bruised her shin by trying to open a coconut by throwing it on a rock but having it bounce into her leg instead. Then, returning from Shipwreck, she lost her hat at the top of the hill on a blind curve, where Greg risked his life by stopping the vehicle and running into the middle of the road to fetch it. In all, it turned out to be closer to a five hour adventure, one with many photos taken to help remember. That night Pinky and I had an interesting dinner at Mr. X’s Shiggidy Shack Beach bar and Grill, where we sat at the bar, spoke with bartender Michael and met a couple of interesting locals. Good food. Again, the restaurant was virtually empty.
In fact, not only the Marriott but everywhere on St. Kitts were well below capacity, empty in many cases, due to the impact of the pandemic.
Thursday was quiet, spending time at the beach and pool and dining at Fire, where we again had terrific ribeye steak.
In order to leave the island and re-enter the USA, we had to take yet another COVID-19 test. This we had arranged to take at 7 AM Thursday the 9th, but the call came in at 5:30 AM, and again we went through being accompanied to a woman in a moon suit to take the nasal test. We needed the results in time to leave the island the following Saturday.
The rest of the day was pretty quiet. I did a run (slow jog, really) around the resort, two laps, in 88° sunny but breezy conditions, then we had one of our best dinners that evening at Serendipity Restaurant and Lounge bar, hosted by Pauline. We had a great evening, having been taxied by Alvin again, and having a great conversation with Pauline. She told us that normally her restaurant is closed September and October, but they remain open because they had so many months of being closed because of COVID-19.
On Friday, September 10, I had my second round of golf at Royal St. Kitts Golf Club. My score was identical to last Sunday’s, 86 from the senior - Coral - T’s. This time I had to walk to the course from the Marriott because I scheduled a 730 - First - tee time. As it turned out, nobody arrived until 7:30, so I teed off at eight, which was fine. Again, I played by myself.
The rest of the day we spent at the beach and pool, and we ate leftovers in.
That evening I was getting very antsy about not having received the results from our Thursday’s Covid test. After a few calls to the Marriott desk, I was able to secure an email from Community-Based Health Services, Ministry of health, which included negative results from the test. So, we were then free to leave the island and re-enter the USA!
The next day, September 11, went fairly smoothly, all things considered. Our flight did not leave St. Kitts until 3:30 PM, so we had all morning to get ready while we watched the 9/11 ceremonies on TV. Particularly memorable was the speech given by George W. Bush. He seems to get better with age! Anyway, when the porter did not show up at noon, we lugged the luggage over to the main building, bid goodbye, joined two other couples which we had met the last few days and had Alvin taxi us the 10 to 15 minutes to Bradshaw Airport. The airport only had four gates, and the there was virtually no line to get through, but after checkpoint after checkpoint, showing our passports multiple times, showing our proof of negative Covid tests, we got to the waiting room where we sat for about two hours. The American Airlines plane landed, disembarked, and we loaded up. I think we were the only flight for the day. The trip home was uneventful, and we ultimately got home by 1 AM 9/12.
