A couples’ getaway to the Caribbean island of St. Kitts can be as laid-back or adventure-oriented as you like. But the first thing to get down with on landing in this gorgeous Lesser Antilles isle is a little local lingo. In St. Kitts and many other spots in the West Indies, “liming” loosely translates to hanging out and having a good time.
And from beach bars where the two of you can dance to soca music with your toes in the sand to adventurous outings on ATVs into the island’s rugged interior, there’s much liming and other fun to be had that needs no translation at all.
As always, check for travel restrictions and closures before planning your trip.
Lime away an evening at Mr. X’s Shiggidy Shack
With a name like Mr. X’s Shiggidy Shack, this bar fronting Frigate Bay south of Basseterre is ground zero for good times in St. Kitts, luring locals and visitors for liming most nights. Wooden shacks painted bright Caribbean hues practically pulse with rhythmic soca beats, making it nearly impossible not to get up and move.
Come sunset, the salty breeze will make your stomach growl with the scent of sizzling spare ribs and Caribbean spiny lobster, essential components of an island barbecue. Plan dinner for two at a picnic table plopped right on the beach before you join the crowds to lime the night away.
Sign up for a night dive to spot sleeping sea turtles
Devote your daytime hours to snorkeling adventures on St. Kitts’ best coral reefs, the finest of which are found at White House Bay and within Sandy Point National Marine Park. Then, when darkness falls, it’s time to get your wreck on.
Certified scuba divers don’t miss the chance to descend on the island’s legendary shipwreck, the MV Talata, a freighter that was sunk by a hurricane in 1983. There she rests in waters between 40 and 60 feet deep. But at night, the shipwreck isn’t the only thing in a state of repose here.
Head out on a guided night dive with Pro Divers St. Kitts and the guides will direct your attention (and the light of your torch) underneath the shelter of the wreck’s overhangs, where slumbering sea turtles are prone to hunker down for the night.
Make a romantic day or evening of it on Cockleshell Bay
From Basseterre, the island’s lively little capital, it’s just a 10-mile car ride to reach the rugged South East Peninsula where one of the finest beaches in all of St. Kitts beckons. Cockleshell Bay is a crescent-shaped swath of golden sand lapped by the Caribbean from which you can admire St. Kitts’ sister island, Nevis, just across the water.
There’s a pier here where boats shuttle visitors between the two islands. St. Kitts Water Sports has you covered on Reggae Beach for things like fly boarding, jet skiing, standup paddleboarding and snorkeling.
And, fronting the bay, Reggae Beach Bar & Grill serves as a basecamp for staying fortified with food and drinks and renting a chair and umbrellas for the day. The restaurant does a mean mahi-mahi sandwich and packs the house for lobster night every Friday.
Get a dose of adventure with ziplining and ATV excitement
A rush of adrenalin usually works a charm for increasing the cozy couple vibes. And an off-road ATV adventure with Kantours that ventures along dirt roads through cane fields and into the island’s hinterlands is a good way to stoke the excitement. The quad bikes are easy to operate and you can ride single or double, depending on your mood.
Guides stop to point out interesting sights like sugar mill ruins and might let you taste tropical fruits growing along the route if the season is right. Don’t forget to bring a scarf or bandana to help fend off the dust.
If you crave something quieter, then ziplining might be more your speed and Kantours does that, too. The Sky Safari Zip Lining Tour at Wingfield Estate Sugar Plantation Ruins has a mile of zip-line routes that take you soaring through a canopy where monkeys play, dishing up great views along the way.
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