Trip Report | St. Kitts — plan it petersons

Family-friendly lagoon style pool with Nevis Peak in the distance

Overview

If you’re dreaming of a quiet, luxurious Caribbean getaway where you can really relax and unplug, the Park Hyatt St. Kitts is it! From the moment we arrived, we felt completely at ease—welcomed with warm hospitality, stunning ocean views, and a level of relaxation that had us in vacation mode immediately.

First, a bit of history that I learned while researching our trip:

St. Kitts and Nevis is a “dual-island nation” located in the West Indies, situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. It’s known for its incredible beaches, mountains and rainforests. There are many former sugar plantations located in St. Kitts and Nevis, most of which are now inns or ruins that can be toured.
St. Kitts is the bigger of the two islands. It is home to a dormant volcano called Mt. Liamuiga. Nevis boasts Nevis Peak, which almost always has a big cloud sitting on top of it, and the Park Hyatt has the perfect view of it! We enjoyed it every day.
Nevis supposedly has better beaches due to getting less wind there—although we found the beach at the Park Hyatt (dubbed Banana Bay Beach) to be excellent albeit a little windy at times.
Alexander Hamilton was born on Nevis, and his birthplace is now a small historical museum, which we knew we wanted to see during our visit. He could never become a U.S. president because he was born outside of the U.S.
St. Kitts and Nevis is the most recent Caribbean nation to gain its independence in 1983. Prior to that, it was a British territory, which was evident because they drive on the left side of the road there.
English is their official language, but the natives speak with what we considered thick Caribbean accents. We found some folks a little difficult to understand due to them speaking both quickly and softly.
East Caribbean Dollar is their official currency, although U.S. dollars are widely accepted everywhere, as are U.S. credit cards. (Just be sure to use one with no foreign transaction fees, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase World of Hyatt card!)

At the end of the post, we’ll explain how we leveraged points and miles to save $7,015 on this trip! But first, let’s tell you all about it.

Accommodations

Park Hyatt St. Kitts

Park Hyatt is synonymous with luxury, so when I read about this resort, I knew it would be a fantastic option for a couples getaway. This resort is quiet, peaceful, and truly relaxing—no loud music or party scene, just pure vacation mode. If you prefer having a lot of activities or nightlife, this likely wouldn’t be your spot. But as parents of three young kids with busy jobs, we operate at a million miles an hour in our day-to-day lives. We were ready for some R&R!

The Park Hyatt St. Kitts is located on Banana Bay, in a private and secluded area of the island. It is situated directly across from Nevis Peak, which is a sight we admired every day. It boasts around 100 guestrooms, a full-service spa, multiple restaurants, a beautiful stretch of beach, two awesome infinity pools (one is adults only, one is a family-friendly lagoon style pool), a kids’ club, pickleball and basketball courts, and even a golf simulator. There was truly no reason to leave the property!

Our Itinerary

Saturday: Arriving & Settling In

After a smooth flight and a quick 20 minute drive from the airport, we pulled up to the Park Hyatt St. Kitts, where we were greeted with a welcome drink (always a good start). The resort itself is stunning—modern and sleek, but still warm and inviting.

We wasted no time getting into relaxation mode. First stop: Rampart Pool Bar, where we sipped Prosecco and local beer while snacking on chips and guacamole and enjoying the beautiful scenery around us.

For dinner, we headed to The Great House, the resort’s main restaurant, which has a refined but laid-back vibe. I had the salmon, Mark had the seafood curry, and both were so good. This ended up being our favorite restaurant because of the huge deck facing Banana Bay. You just couldn’t beat the views!

Sunday: Spa Day & Sunset Drinks

This was our ultimate relaxation day. We started with a couples massage at the Miraval Spa, which is so peaceful and relaxing. We made sure to get there early to enjoy the sauna and relaxation areas first—it was worth it. It felt like we were the only ones at the spa that morning!

Next, we had Sunday brunch at The Great House, and wow… they do brunch right. Room after room of incredible brunch offerings - a made-to-order omelet station, traditional American options like waffles, sausage and bacon, a huge table of fresh tropical fruits, mini lobster rolls, coconut shrimp with pineapple salsa, quiches, fresh-baked breads and croissants, multiple carving stations, and a dessert table that dreams are made of. It was truly mind blowing!

The afternoon was all about lounging by the pool with cocktails and a good book. We also stopped by the concierge to book a day trip to Nevis for the next day—something I’d heard about while researching St. Kitts.

As the sun started setting, we grabbed drinks at the open-air bar at Fisherman’s Village before settling in for a beachfront dinner. There’s something about eating fresh seafood with the ocean breeze in your hair that just hits differently. I had twin lobster tails and Mark had a whole red snapper, freshly caught! To die for.

Monday: Exploring Nevis & Resort Fun

Monday morning, we headed out on a half-day excursion to Nevis, which left directly from the dock at the Park Hyatt. The boat ride was super quick—only about 10 minutes—but scenic nonetheless.

We booked a private tour through the resort, and our guide, Kanish, was fantastic. She took us to:

Churches from the 1400s
Alexander Hamilton’s birthplace, now a small museum
Montpelier & Hermitage hotels, both former plantations that were stunning and secluded, with a ton of history
Natural hot springs, where we took a quick dip
The Four Seasons resort (just drove through)
Wild monkeys feasting on mangoes in the trees, so fun to watch!

For lunch, we stopped at Golden Rock Inn, where I had a shrimp salad and Mark had fish tacos. We also shared fried conch and conch chowder to start. Everything was fresh and delicious. This was a beautiful and unique spot way up high on the mountain. The scenery was breathtaking!

After lunch, Kanish took us back to the dock and we headed home to St. Kitts. Back at the resort, we spent the rest of the afternoon floating in the pool and reading before grabbing a casual beachfront dinner at The Great House. I went for fettuccine alfredo with grilled shrimp—at this point, Mark told me I was about to turn into a shrimp—while Mark had a burger. Both hit the spot after a long (but fun!) day.

Hamilton’s birthplace, now the Museum of Nevis History

Hamilton’s childhood home, now the museum gift shop

Tuesday: Relaxing & Celebrating Our Last Night

We started with a la carte breakfast at The Great House, then took a brisk walk around the resort and along the beach.

For lunch, we kept it light with grilled shrimp salads from Rampart Pool Bar and enjoyed them down at the beach. Fresh, simple, and exactly what we wanted.

The rest of the afternoon was spent soaking up every last bit of sunshine at the beach and pool, before heading to our final night celebration at Stone Barn—the resort’s adults-only fine dining restaurant.

The only offering at Stone Barn was an 8-course tasting menu, which was creative and beautifully presented (but pricey). That said, I quickly realized tasting menus aren’t really my thing—I’d rather have a regular meal. Mark and I even joked about heading to the bar for snacks afterward! Still, it was a fun experience. The restaurant was small and intimate with an open kitchen and the service was impeccable. We enjoyed things like carrot soup, smoked scallops, duck breast, short ribs for Mark, and an incredible dulce de leche dessert as the piece de resistance.

Blood orange popsicles served daily at the pool

Wednesday: One Last Morning in Paradise

Our trip flew by way too fast. We packed up in the morning (the hotel staff picked up our bags from our room, speaking again to the resort’s excellent service), then had one final a la carte breakfast at The Great House. A brief morning rain shower gave us an excuse to duck into Rampart Pool Bar for one last drink, before heading to the lobby for our pre-arranged taxi to the airport.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a laid-back, high-end Caribbean escape, Park Hyatt St. Kitts is an easy YES from us. It was the perfect mix of luxury and relaxation, and we would love to go back someday.

Points & Miles Breakdown

Accommodations:

Park Hyatt St. Kitts: Stayed for 4 nights using 130,000 Hyatt points (32,500 points/night). Cash price would have been $5,638.60 ($1,400+/night)!

Flights:

American Airlines: Paid 65,000 points for two roundtrip tickets from Pittsburgh to St. Kitts. Total taxes and fees were $152 ($76/person). Cash price would have been $1,377 ($688.50/person).

Total Savings:

By using points and miles, we saved a total of $7,015!

Earning Points

We accumulate Hyatt points via Hyatt credit cards or by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt. Our American Airlines points for these flights came from a welcome bonus we earned after opening an American Airlines co-branded credit card.

If you are interested in learning more about racking up points and miles to take a dream trip, let me know! I’d love to help strategize credit card welcome bonuses with you and I’m happy to answer any questions.

Trip Report | St. Kitts