If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD1,000.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
Super sustainable luxury Caribbean resort, the ocean-facing Sunset Reef St Kitts, has a very clean green conscience. And once you don your snorkeling gear and see the mind-blowing marine life for yourself, you’ll see why they are working so hard to protect it. In a secluded spot on the mountainous and majestic isle of St Kitts, this seemingly boundless blue-tinted retreat combines the feel of a private holiday rental with the attentive staff, palate-piquing cuisine and manicured gardens of a luxury hotel. Come here to spot a humpback whale from the beach bar, fill your lungs with sea air and immerse yourself in healing Caribbean waters.
Sunset Reef St Kitts has seven suites, and on request you can book out the entire hotel.
Check–Out
Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 4pm
Prices
Double rooms from £880.85 ($1,100), including tax at 10 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional service charge of 12% per room per night on check-out and an additional resort fee of 2% per room per night on check-out.
More details
Rates do not include breakfast. The à la carte breakfast at the on-site Drop Anchor Grill is around $25 to $35 a person.
Also
Unfortunately, the property isn't wheelchair-accessible.
At the hotel
Alfresco lounging terraces; yoga deck; fitness center with indoor and outdoor training areas; free weights, two Peloton bikes, a Precor treadmill and elliptical; botanical garden; pier; barbecue area; private dining deck; concierge; free WiFi; public beach onsite; free-to-borrow bikes, paddle boats, stand-up paddleboards, kayaks and snorkeling kit. In rooms: kitchenette; fireplace; Beekman 1802 all-natural bath products; two 50-inch flatscreen TVs; pull-out sofas; Nespresso coffee machine; Cariloha beds with adjustable power base; reverse-osmosis water-filtration system; kettle; and Tea Forté teas.
Our favourite rooms
The seven suites at Sunset Reef St Kitts are very similar in style so there’s no best bedroom to bagsy should your party be large enough to book out the entire resort. All suites have balconies with insanely beautiful sea views – and that’s probably what you’re here for. The calming neutral decor is comfortable, understated and doesn’t try to steal attention away from the Caribbean sea. Driftwood coffee-tables and shell chandeliers make up some of the beach-inspired accents. You’ll also spot some local photography on the walls, designed to whet your appetite for places to go in St Kitts. Opt for the Liamuiga and Caribelle suites if you’d like a shower room large enough to fit a rolltop bath. Caribelle and Trinity have full kitchens as opposed to kitchenettes, with the latter also boasting its own dining deck.
Poolside
The infinity pool sits on high (hello, views…) at the heart of the hotel and is open 24 hours a day. Enjoy partially submerged pool-loungers and cozy fire-pit-warmed seating, which there’s no need to leave as each has a call button; we like shading ourselves under the mango tree.
Spa
No spa so far, but massages, facials and nail services are all available in-room. There’s a massage platform in the hotel gardens, a yoga deck and an indoor/outdoor fitness center with an Olympic weight-lifting platform, all of which look out onto the stellar sea views. Get a taste of the Scandi spa experience with the 104-degree mineralised hot spa or the 55-degree cold plunge-pool, if you’re feeling brave.
Packing tips
Bring binoculars for spotting a whale or two over breakfast; golf clubs, if an 18-hole golf course in St. Kitts (and another in neighboring Nevis) floats your boat; sensible shoes for hiking up Mount Liamuiga; and reusable water bottles.
Also
The concierge team can play cupid with a private meal on the sand or view-blessed balcony. And, they’ll keep you entertained with excursions, activities, private yoga and fitness classes, maybe even a karaoke session, movie night or beach barbecue.
There are no child-specific facilities, but babysitting services can be arranged with a third party provider for a fee. Infant cribs are available on request and sofas in rooms double up as pull-out beds. No kids’ menu but they’ll love the pizza.
Sustainability efforts
Clean, serene and very green. Sunset Reef goes the extra mile when it comes to eco efforts, making ample use of all that Caribbean sunshine, a rich source of renewable energy here. A sophisticated geothermal system powers the hot water for cooking, showers, laundry and even the AC. All the lush vegetation of the gardens is native to the island and doesn’t need its thirst quenched too often. When guests require hydration however, all rooms have a reverse-osmosis water-filtration system and single-use plastic water bottles are nowhere to be seen. In the rooms, you’ll find all-natural, coral-reef-friendly toiletries by Beekman 1802 and there are future plans to install a solar cube and hydrogen-generation plant which will in time put the property completely off-grid.
All meals are served alfresco on dining decks overlooking the infinity pool and sea. Private dining options include a beach barbecue, or a romantic table set up on your balcony or the sandy beach; and you can have meals tailor-made by a private chef.
Dress Code
Island brights with stretchy waistbands because you’re going to want dessert.
Hotel restaurant
The Drop Anchor Grill overlooks the infinity pool and lets you soak up the sea views over breakfast, lunch and dinner. The modern fusion menu offers Caribbean fare (Sunset Reef conch chowder), more international flavors (Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches), and unique flavor pairings: pork belly with cardamom, red-wine tapioca, carrot purée, and caramelized-onion jam; mustard-glazed rack of lamb with Midori-liquor chutney and mint yogurt. In line with the focus on sustainability, ingredients are locally sourced (you’ll pass the French sticky thyme, mint and lemongrass in the hotel gardens). A signature rum cocktail menu will perfectly complement the sundown views and you can rock up here for pizza, snacks and decadent desserts. The most popular dishes are the chef’s daily-changing farm-to-table specials.
Hotel bar
If the sea breeze just ain't breezy enough by the pool, take a trip through the gardens down to the beachy Sandbar, perched on the cliffside and soundtracked by the soothing swooshes of gentle waves. The structure is an upscale traditional island bar, pieced together from local materials; it’s an inviting spot for laidback drinks, light bites and good conversation while swaying on the swing seats. The drinks go down easy at any time, with the likes of the Smokey Date (with scotch, lime, date purée and cinnamon) and caramel espresso martinis, but don’t miss the Sundrop Experience – happy hour on a Friday evening, perfect for a pre-dinner cocktail (the mojitos are highly recommended), and some all-round limin’ (that’s Kittitian speak for relaxing), not forgetting those superb sunset views of course.
Last orders
À la carte breakfast is served to guests only from 7am to 11am. Lunch is served noon to 3pm and dinner, 6 to 9pm. The Sandown Bar is open 11am until sundown, with happy hour on Fridays, 5 to 8pm.
Room service
Laundry service and grocery shopping service is available at a charge. If you’d like to dine on your greenery-shielded deck, you can order in-room from the menu from 7am to 9pm.
Set on the dual-island nation of St Kitts and Nevis, ocean-fronted Sunset Reef St Kitts is etched into the hillside of a secluded part of the island called Trinity.
Planes
St Kitts is served by Robert L Bradshaw International Airport, with daily flights from Charlotte, Miami and New York. You may choose to fly in from one of the larger Caribbean islands; or if you really want to arrive in style, the concierge team can arrange a private jet directly to St Kitts from the airport of your choice. The property is just a 10-minute drive from the airport.
Trains
The only train service you’ll find on the island is the narrow-gauge St Kitts Scenic Railway which is geared towards tourists rather than day-to-day transportation. Covering 30 miles across cliffs, canyons, villages, farms and lush vegetation, you’ll complete a circle of the island in two hours and feast on some breathtaking views along the way.
Automobiles
Car hire is highly recommended for an island that’s pint-sized enough to drive from one end to the other in around 45 minutes. You’ll need to obtain a temporary St Kitts and Nevis driving license from any car-hire company, which costs $25. At the hotel there is free street-side parking and a free valet service.
Other
The hotel has an 85-foot pier with dock space for visiting boaters and guests. If you’re curious to visit the neighboring (and relatively untouched) sister island of Nevis, you can jump aboard the ferry from the Basseterre Ferry Terminal; the trip takes 45 minutes.
Worth getting out of bed for
Considering it’s the smallest nation in the Americas, St Kitts and Nevis have big personalities, with its verdant mountainous landscape, rainforests, pristine waters and volcanic beaches; these two speckles in the Caribbean archipelago are becoming a clear favorite for those who know the region.
For adventurous souls, St Kitts is the perfect playground for outdoor activities that get your heart pumping. Sky Safari St Kitts will have you flying through the rainforest on a zipline while St Kitts Water Sports can take you jet-skiing around Reggae Beach, parasailing, kiteboarding and everything in between. Note that snorkeling kits, kayaks, paddle-boats and paddle-boards are available to borrow from the hotel.
Across the island, you’ll find ocean-to-table cuisine at every turn, but at Sunset Reef St Kitts, you can see it happening in real time. The fishing experience gives you the chance to catch your own mahi mahi, tuna or red snapper, before bringing it back to the property to throw on the outdoor barbecue (or ask staff to cook it for you).
A guided tour with Greg’s Safaris will take you through the Valley of the Giants, one of the most biodiverse areas of the island where you can stumble on ancient Indian Petroglyphs. Led by a true historian, Greg will also guide you through the forested mountains, to relics of the once prominent sugar industry.
Local restaurants
Drive for 30 minutes down to the southeastern peninsula and you’ll find the Pavilion Beach Club at Christophe Harbour. This may be a members' club, but non-members can book a table at the restaurant (Wednesday to Sunday). You’ll get a taste of this exceptionally scenic spot (palms, stone arches, white sands and spectacular views of Nevis) while savoring colorful Caribbean cuisine made with local, seasonal ingredients: chilled shrimp salad with passionfruit, green papaya and coconut; jerk-spiced pink snapper with basil leaf, bananas and sorrel pickled onions. Stone Barn at the luxurious Hyatt resort, offers more formal adult-only dining, with a date-night-worthy tasting menu of scallop ceviche with fennel, sour orange and green-apple sorbet; or duck confit with truffle potato, cocoa brioche and chestnuts, to swoon over. For beachside dining so laidback it can be brought to your sunlounger, Spice Mill on Cockleshell Bay will have you polishing off a lobster linguine (in a curry butter, herb, lime, baby zucchini and cherry tomato sauce), local conch fritters or freshly made pizzas.
Local bars
For truly knockout views of lush rainforest and cerulean sea, a 30-minute drive will take you up the fertile slopes of Kittitian Hill to the eco-friendly resort of Belle Mont Farm. Here you can enjoy a cocktail menu that boasts organic tropical ingredients sourced from a few feet away. Their Mill Bar also offers weekly tastings of locally distilled rums, including their very own Belmont Estate Golden Coconut Rum with subtle notes of oak, brown sugar, chocolate and vanilla.
Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this oceanfront oasis, unpacked their sandy flip-flops and batik sarongs, a full account of their blissful break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Sunset Reef in St Kitts…
You could be sipping a zesty Sunset Mojito at the beach bar, devouring a succulent pan-seared wahoo, curling up around the fire pits, or doing the downward dog on the yoga deck (possibly supervised by a green vervet monkey), but – whatever you’re doing – Sunset Reef St Kitts will always have you looking out to that glittering Caribbean sea.
And Little Mermaid, eat your heart out… If you venture down to the property’s volcanic black-sand beach you’ll get to see what really lies beneath the expanse of turquoise waters. Grab a snorkel, kayak or paddle-board and you might encounter an octopus, turtle, stingray, dolphin and other fantastical sea creatures.
With ferry trips to Nevis and hikes up the mist-tipped Mount Liamuiga, there’s enough on the island to keep you busy. But the clue’s in the name as to a huge reason to check in here, with days ending in spectacular style.
