Goodbye Nevis

While "British Colonial" now largely refers to a design style elsewhere, here on Nevis it feels like the plantation owners left just yesterday. Signs of them are everywhere - from the grown over mills that processed sugar cane to the graceful plantation houses up on the mountain with spectacular views of the ocean. This is an island 100% dependent on tourism now and we hope that the tourists will keep coming despite the recent negative publicity the island has received.

The Four Seasons has a significant outpost here - complete with a gorgeous golf course. It was rebuilt after the last major hurricane just a few years ago - apparently the tidal surge deposited three feet of sand in each of the ground level rooms. But to truly appreciate the island you should be elsewhere - the Hermitage, Nesbit Plantation, Golden Rock are places of true beauty where traditional Nevis houses have been restored and are now used to house the tourists. The colonialists here now are definitely the Americans who own everything - from houses at the Four Seasons to hotels to even the Nevis Botanical Garden.

We took a tour with Sam (who seemed to know all 4,000 Nevisians - including the family of the machete wielding bad guy). You know you are on a small island when the taxi driver honks at the president of the country driving past in his jeep.

Still no sign of our French friend's lost dinghy - they headed back to St. Martin for a pricey date with Budget Marine. Someone's vacation just got more expensive.

We loved Nevis and will definitely be back. Our next stop is Guadeloupe after an overnight sail tonight!