Our first ever visit to St Kitts and the Caribbean was cemented as perfect the minute we arrived at The Ocean Terrace Inn. Friendly and polite staff checked us in with a lovely drink of punch
and showed us to our delightful room, taking our luggage for us. The exciting walk to our room was a sheer joy, along the walkways and steps bordered by beautiful tropical plants and palm trees. Our beautiful corner room, on the third floor had two balconies so we had wonderful views over the harbour and town of Basseterre. We never ceased to be amazed at the gorgeous outlook. We looked down over the terraced gardens and onto two of the three swimming pools; Through lush palm trees and a variety of gorgeous flowering bushes the waterfalls swimming pool could be seen very invitingly twisting through, with sunbeds and tables waiting along side. We enjoyed a delicious choice of breakfasts which filled us for our sojourns of the day. The delightful structure of the hotel has elevated floors on different levels and facing in different directions and all blend in perfectly with the lush vegetation. Every member of staff was really helpful, friendly and attentive and made us feel special. The open restaurant is beautifully situated overlooking the gardens and harbour, and kept comfortable by the breeze. The West Indian Buffet evenings gave us a real flavour of the local cuisine, accompanied by a superb steel-pan band. Just sitting on the balconies was delightful, especially in the evenings when steel-pan music could be heard all around from local people enjoying themselves. We dined quite often at the hotel's Fishermans Wharfe Restaurant, reaching out into the harbour, and enjoyed the food but wished there was more choice of vegetables to the meat and fish. Also very endearing was the musical sounds coming from tiny tree frogs and crickets as soon as dusk fell. We loved St Kitts. It was a lovely stroll from our hotel along the harbour front into town; we enjoyed watching the fishermen, seeing the local people coming and going and the busy circus square. Also enjoyed a trip around the island with lunch at the lovely Ottley's Plantation Hotel; a rainforest trip and a peninsular trip, also a tour around Nevis. But I think most charming of all were the people, both in the hotel and all around the island. We loved the Ocean Terrace Inn with its lovely staff and would certainly stay there again.

The room was lovely with a great view. All of the management and staff were very friendly and helpful. It's only a five-minute walk from the hotel to town. There were good restaurants nearby, including the hotel's Waterfall Restaurant.

We vacationed on Nevis, mid-Nov. to Dec. 23, and required an overnight hotel on St. Kitts due to an early morning departure from SKB on Dec. 24. We couldn't have been happier with management of reservation handling, competitive price, facilities and location. In many respects, we should have planned on two nights as there are numerous attractions within walking distance. Our "brunch" in the Waterfalls Restaurant, on-site, was well above average. Our room was spacious and clean. The grounds and pools were very attractive. The only caveate would be that there are many stairs that would challenge anyone with mobility issues. A short taxi ride to the airport at 6 a.m. was not a highlight but handled flawlessly by the the front desk. Cheers. Richard.

I travel a lot and experience many different hotels. So I try to be fair and objective when referring or criticizing hotels.

Business required, yep, required a trip to St Kitt's. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. Since my plans were last minute, the only decent place to stay was OTI. So I was concerned reading some of the commentary on Tripadvisor. First recommendation, measure negative remarks about any hotel by how picky the reviewer is. YOU know what I mean. If we're talking about dirt in the corner of a room, the reviewer has too much time on their hands and not really looking at the big picture.

I would recommend OTI without hesitation but with some qualifications. First, their service is great. In the last year, new management has been focusing heavily on providing a great experience for the guest. Every staff member greeted me with a genuine smile and showed sincere interest. I will overlook other weaknesses if I am getting exceptional service. Is the property older and needing some updates? Yes. Is the price of the stay a good value? Absolutely! Since OTI is not in the heart of the more frequented touristy areas, they seem to bend over backward to accommodate guest interests.

While the property and management are committed to making updates, OTI is a charming setting and is a great alternate to the big, predicable hotel resorts. It's certainly a better reflection of St Kitt's history and culture, but that's what this traveler prefers. I would steer you to OTI or Ottley's before the Marriott, if I may be so forward.

Watch for Ocean Terrace Inn to be an emerging treasure in a developing St Kitt's tourist market.