When the Four Season Resort Nevis opened in 1991, it surprised me by building what remains the second largest tennis complex at any Four Seasons worldwide: a 10-court, hard and red-clay facility that wraps around the central plaza of the Sports Pavilion. As at any other Caribbean resort, tennis had to compete with the beach—a battle it will almost always lose between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.—and it also shared center stage with a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. golf course laid out on the slopes of the 3,232-foot dormant volcano of Nevis Peak directly behind.

Hurricane Lenny in 1999 forced the resort to close for a year; however that led to the construction of a well-equipped fitness center and spa, both at the Sports Pavilion, thus bringing more traffic and attention to the courts. Then Peter Burwash International pro Jeff Henkelman came along and ratcheted up the level of service by providing guaranteed game matching—often recruiting employees—and such courtside amenities as chilled, peppermint-scented towels, orange slices, and lemonade to supplement the usual water and dry towels.

His 16 years of service with PBI have taken Henkelman from his native Canada to Japan, Bali, Malaysia, Europe, and finally to Nevis. Since arriving following the hotel's reopening in November of 2000, he has drafted a tennis calendar that features some sort of event or clinic every day of the week, from beginners' sessions on Monday to drill with the pro workouts, Cardio tennis, and a guest/management mixer. When players need opponents he turns to his local members or to people on the staff.

Overall you expect attentive service at a Four Seasons but that experience is enhanced here by the seductive charm of the local Nevisians, whose innate and genuine friendliness and hospitality impresses everyone who stays here. "We don't want you to go," said the two bellman when they came to fetch my bag on the day I left. "We hope you will come back very soon."

Tennis Features

Pro Shop: 869-469-1111

Courts & Fees. There are four red-clay and six hard courts, arrayed mostly in pairs around the two-story pro shop that serves for tennis and golf. One of the hard courts is a show court, individually fenced and bordered by a three rows of wooden benches beneath a wooden roof. There are also two other individually lighted hard courts, while the southern pair of red-clay courts has high stanchions intended to light both. Court fees: $35/hour, with "Avid Player" options of $55/person/day, or $210/person/week.

Your Call

Here's what others have had to say about Four Seasons Resort Nevis.

• "Outstanding experience. The resort is top shelf and Jeff and staff do a wonderful job of teaching the game to all skill levels. We spent a week there and enjoyed the tennis doubles mixer, the daily clinics and private lessons, all in the most beautiful setting imaginable with the highest possible level of service."—J.B., Int., August 2008

• "Amazing tennis facility, instruction was great with new insight. I cannot think of any weakness as it was one of the best tennis facilities I have seen on any resort."—K.L., Int., August 2008

• "The tennis courts are pretty well looked after, the pros are across the board wonderful - there isn't a pro at FS Nevis that I haven't liked. They can work softly, with beginners like me, and also pretty hard with more experienced players who want a good workout like my husband. They are always courteous and professional, and they make playing tennis in 90° heat pretty fun!"—A.V., Low Int., May 2008

• "If Paradise is a place to play tennis The Four Seasons Nevis is a close second, the Staff and the Tennis Pro are extremely friendly and very skilled I will go again anytime."—M.I., Adv. Int., April 2008

• ""—M.I., Adv., April 2008

• "Courts are in great condition. Pros are very friendly and knowledgeable. Clinics are a lot of fun and a great way to meet other guests."—J.C.,  April 2008

• "Staff is wonderful. Tennis instructors are personable and fun. Cold towels/lemonade/water are at every tennis court. Courts are in great condition."—C.M., Adv. Int., April 2008

• "Fantastic courts and services. Both Jeff and Dara are outstanding pros, giving you confidence and excellent coaching to better your game. The best tennis experience I have ever had."—A.Y., Int., April 2008

• "Excellent pros, great courts, I learnt more from Dara in 30 minutes than I learnt with 5 lessons with my own teacher back home."—A.S., Beg., April 2008

• "An amazing facility - Pros are very professional - A great Resort"—M.S., Int., April 2008

• "Our family has been returning to the Four Seasons Nevis for the last many years because the tennis is so strong and the coaches and people of the island are so nice. Dara, Jeff, and Joachim are first-rate tennis professionals, who go out of their to improve your game and make tennis fun. They really care! They carefully follow your progress from year to year and are interested in complementing what you do at home. They have made my husband, my 11 year old son, my 9 year old daughter and me into enthusiastic and competitive tennis players.
  There is also a wondeful round robbin tennis mixer each week that my husband and son look forward to. Even the group clinic was really fun and informative. The resort itself has a large number of clay and hard courts, which are beautifully maintained. And who can beat the Four Seasons and the Nevisian smile?!"—B.L., Beg., April 2008

• "the pros are excellent and they have amazing courts in a beautiful setting..."—G.C., Low Int., April 2008

Other Recreation

Beach. Pinney's Beach stretches for four miles along this western coast of Nevis. The section that borders the Four Seasons was substantially renourished—reconfigured, actually—in the aftermath of Hurricane Lenny in 1999. The resort actually created a sand-covered berm to protect the resort from the sea. Lounge chairs and umbrellas stand atop that rounded and rather hard-packed hillock, whose far side slopes gently down to the Caribbean, while the side nearest the rooms slopes gently down to a line of palm trees and then an expanse of grass. The southern section is quieter; while the northern section borders two swimming pools, the watersports center (with Hobie cats, kayaks, seaboards, paddleboats, snorkel gear and more—non-motorized equipment is complimentary), and the 18th green of the golf course.

Golf Courses. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., this 18-hole course climbs up and down the lower slopes of the 3,232-foot dormant volcano of Nevis Peak. The 15th is among the most spectacular, requiring a drive across a ravine to reach the fairway while monkeys provide commentary from the adjacent trees.

Spa & Fitness Center. For tennis players, the Spa and Fitness Center could scarcely have a better location, just off the plaza that borders the courts. The Fitness Center contains a dozen cardio machines arrayed along a wall with windows on the tropical foliage and Nevis Peak outside. Behind those machines is a row of nine or so LifeFitness stations, supplemented by dumbbells and freeweights. The Spa has 12 treatment rooms, six of them in tiny cottages with cedar-shake roofs, yellow clapboard siding, and white gingerbread trim. They flow through a courtyard filled with tropical gardens. Guests can use the time before or after treatments to relax in an air-conditioned lounge or sit outside on a covered patio paved with stones or around a plunge pool with views of Nevis Peak or around a second pool with a waterfall. Treatments ranges from a variety of traditional massages to body wraps, skin-care services, manicures, and pedicures. Rooms service delivers spa cuisine.

And ... There is shuffleboard and horseshoes.

Lodging

The resort has 196 rooms and suites in gingerbread-trimmed cottages that follow the curve of Pinney's Beach behind an expanse of lawn and a line of palm trees. These are spacious and handsome accommodations, with sepia-colored marble floors, mahogany and rattan furnishings, a bright, tropical decor, including a lithograph of the colorful houses in Charlestown. First floor rooms open out onto patios and thus have direct access to the beach; second-floor rooms afford more privacy and have screened in balconies. All are equipped with a variety of creature comforts, including satellite television, DVD players, coffee makers, ethernet access (at $15/day), and oversize marble baths with soaking tubs and separate walk-in showers. And in a boon to tennis players, each cluster of rooms has a free guest laundry (there's even a package of detergent)—something you rarely find at an upscale resort but one that also partly explains why Four Seasons Nevis is popular with families.

See Also

If you're contemplating a Caribbean tennis vacation, you should also look at:

• The Buccaneer, St. Croix, USVI
• Caneel Bay, St. John, USVI
• Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic
• Curtain Bluff, Antigua
• The Tryall Club, Jamaica

Travel Essentials

Seasons. Year-round

Four Seasons Resort Nevis
P.O. Box 565
Pinney's Beach, Nevis, West Indies
869-469-1111
Toll-free: 800-332-3442
Fax: 869-469-1040
Web Link: Four Seasons Resort Nevis

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Book Online: Four Seasons Resort Nevis

 

Travel Instructions. There is a small airport at the north end of Nevis served by turbo-prop planes (American Airlines flies in daily from San Juan, Puerto Rico). The alternative is to fly to the nearby island of St. Kitts, where Four Seasons staff, if given notice, will meet the flight and transport you to the pier for the 45-minute boat ride to the hotel.

General Tourist Information. For information about Nevis, check out the Nevis Tourism Authority web site or phone 866-55 NEVIS.

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