Four Seasons Resort Nevis
Pinney's Beach, Nevis, West Indies
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By Roger Cox, Editor |
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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 11 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. Nevertheless, this has emerged as one of the foremost tennis destinations in the Caribbean.
A tiny volcanic island, 
roughly 8 miles in diameter, Nevis lies just across a shallow channel called The Narrows from its sister island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean's Lesser Antilles. The name derives from the Spanish "Nuestra Señora de los Nieves," which means "Our Lady of the Snows," presumably for the white clouds that often shroud the top the Nevis Peak. In the 18th century, its sugarcane plantations generated so much wealth for its then British inhabitants that it came to be known as the "Queen of the Caribees". Old sugarcane mills still dot the landscape, and several of plantation greathouses have been converted to inns. Elsewhere, Georgian stone buildings survive in the capital city of Charlestown and in several of the island's numerous churches, including St. Paul's Anglican Church, shown above, which dates to 1830.
Ultimately, though, what I remember most from my visits to Nevis are the warm, genuinely friendly people. And one place to meet them is on the tennis court. Peter Burwash International has managed this tennis facility since the resort opened, most recently installing Chris Myrold, who had previously overseen the operation at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay in Hawaii, to direct the program. Almost since the beginning, the PBI pros here have sought to involve the hotel's management and staff in tennis, and to encourage local participation, with the quite practical goal of having a diverse stable of players to draw on when guests come looking for matches. "We're getting a lot of players, both locals and guests," Myrold told me, "and a lot of those guests chose to come here specifically because of the tennis."
(For another perspective on this Four Seasons, see the cover story in the latest PBI Magazine.)
Tennis Features
Pro Shop: 869-469-1111
Tennis Staff. Minnesota-born, 
Chris Myrold played junior tennis there but his first love was ice hockey, which he played in college. After graduating, however, he joined Peter Burwash International, eventually taking over the operation at the Four Seasons Resort Manele Bay before coming to Nevis in December 2010. He inherits a well-run program of adult and junior clinics, social mixers, game matching, and private lessons to which he has already added a men's round robin that brings together tennis-playing staff, locals, and guests.
Courts & Fees. Laid out singly or in pairs, the six hard courts—one with bleachers—and four red-clay courts wrap around the two-story golf-and-tennis clubhouse in an area of the resort known as the "Sports Pavilion," which also encompasses the spa and fitness center. Weathered wooden pavilions at the edge of the courts provide shade, benches, and a supply of chilled water, tropical fruit juice, towels, and scented chilled towels. Five of the courts have lights. Court fees: $35/hour, with "Avid Player" package options of $55/person/day, or $210/person/week.
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 Omar in 2008. The resort created a berm seeded with low grasses and plants to protect the resort from the sea. Four beach houses, each with a flatscreen TV, iPod dock, room service, and lounge chairs, stand atop the berm and can be rented for the day. Behind them and to the east is an infinity pool and wading pool for families, the open-air Garden Cabana Grill and bar, and the watersports center, which has Hobie cats, kayaks, 
seaboards, paddleboats, snorkel gear, standup paddleboards and more—non-motorized equipment is complimentary. There is another, quieter pool for adult only at the extreme southern end of the property.
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 240-yard carry across a ravine to reach the fairway while green vervet monkeys provide commentary from the adjacent trees, though for stunning views, the 9th hole stands out, a fairway that spills down the mountain slope toward the Caribbean and St. Kitts beyond.
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 an array cardio machines, each with its own TV screen, arrayed along a wall with windows on the tropical foliage and Nevis Peak outside. Behind those machines is a row of LifeFitness stations, supplemented by dumbbells and freeweights. The Spa has a dozen 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 range from a variety of traditional massages to body wraps, skin-care services, manicures, and pedicures. Room service delivers spa cuisine.
And ... The resort also offers scuba diving lessons and boat dives, catamaran snorkel tours, deep-sea fishing excursions, guided kayak tours, and a Laser sailing school.
Children's Programs
The "Kids for All Seasons" program accepts children ages 3 to 9 for a full-day of supervised recreation, creative and educational activities highlighted by a sea turtle education program that focuses on Nevis's endangered sea turtles. For others, there is an air-conditioned games room with Foosbal, a pool table, various board and video games.
Lodging
The resort has 196 rooms and suites in two-story shingle-roofed clusters faced in weathered wood and white stucco with latticework trim. In general, they follow the curve of Pinney's Beach behind an expanse of lawn, gardens, and the occasional palm tree. These are spacious and handsome accommodations, with off-white tile floors, mahogany furnishings, a subdued but colorful tropical decor. First floor rooms open out onto patios and thus have direct access to the beach; second-floor rooms afford more privacy and have balconies. All are equipped with a variety of creature comforts, including flat-screen televisions, DVD players (a selection of free DVDs to watch is available in the gift shop), coffee makers, WiFi and 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.
Restaurants
The signature restaurant is the Coral Grill, an oceanfront steakhouse with twin sand-colored chandeliers hanging from its exposed beam ceiling. My favorite, however, is Mango in a former plantation beach club at the northern end of the property. Steps from the water and open to the breeze, it specializes in West Indian-inspired fare like coconut-crusted tuna salad, Carib-beer-battered flying fish, lamb curry, and mixed seafood stew washed down with, say, a Mangojito made with the local Brinley mango rum. In addition, there is Neve, for a buffet breakfast or casual Italian dinner, and the open-air Cabana near the beach and pool for light fare during the day.
As an alternative, you can catch a cab to dine at Montpelier Plantation or the Golden Rock Inn, or stroll up the beach to celebrity favorite Sunshine's (don't miss their Killer Bees, a rum drink), Chevy's, or the Double Deuce.
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
Rates and Reservations
The resort has 196 rooms and suites in gingerbread-trimmed cottages, which variously have golf course or ocean views. Minimum stays may apply at certain time of the year. Rates vary seasonally so check the website for the dates you're interested in traveling.
P.O. Box 565
Pinney's Beach, Nevis, West Indies
Travel Essentials
Travel Instructions. There is a small airport at the north end of Nevis served by turbo-prop planes. 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 20-minute boat ride to the hotel.
General Tourist Information. For information about Nevis, check out the Nevis Tourism Authority website or phone 866-55 NEVIS.