TRAVEL
TIPS
| Driving |
TBA |
| Currency |
(XCD)
East Caribbean Dollar |
| Electrical |
230 Volts |
| Telephones |
Country
Code 1 |
Time:
GMT - 4.
Electricity:
230 volts AC, 60Hz (110 volts available in some hotels).
Telephone:
IDD is available. Country code: 1 869. Outgoing international
code: 1 (Caribbean, Canada and USA); 011 (elsewhere).
Climate:
Hot and tropical climate tempered by trade winds throughout most
of the year. The driest period is from January to April and there
is increased rainfall in summer and towards the end of the year.
The volume of rain varies according to altitude; rain showers
can occur throughout the year. The average annual rainfall is
about 125cm (50 inches) to 200cm (80 inches) with a wetter season
from May to October. Like the other Leeward Islands, St Kitts
lies in the track of violent tropical hurricanes which are most
likely to develop between August and October.
Required
clothing: Tropical lightweights, with light rainwear
advisable all year round.
Food
& Drink: St Kitts & Nevis has built up a widely
established reputation for fine food, a reputation which the local
restauranteurs guard zealously. Restaurants specialise in West
Indian, Creole, Continental, Indian, Chinese and French cuisine.
Most restaurants in St Kitts offer a continental menu with island
variations. Local dishes include roast suckling pig, spiny lobster,
crab back and curries. Restaurants that cater more for locals
also offer conch (curried, soused or in salad), turtle stews,
rice and peas and goat’s water (mutton stew). Christophine,
yams, breadfruit and papaya are also served. Nevis is less grand
and Charlestown’s small restaurants cater more to Nevisians
than visitors. Local specialities are native vegetable soup, lobster,
mutton and beef. Fruit, including mangoes, papayas and bananas,
is sold at the waterfront market.
The locally produced CSR (cane spirit) is excellent. A wide range
of imported drinks is available.
Shopping:
Local crafts include carvings, batik, wall hangings, leather art
and coconut work. Local textiles and designs are also available.
Stamp collectors should note the excellent Philatelic Bureaux
in Basseterre and Charlestown. Duty-free shopping is relatively
new to St Kitts and, as yet, only a few shops feature imported
merchandise at substantial savings. Nevis’ hot pepper sauce,
ranked among the Caribbean’s best, is a good take-home item
and can be bought at the Main Street grocery in Charlestown. Friday
and Saturday are the busy market days, and visitors should not
miss the chance to witness this abundance of exotic food stalls,
accompanied by lively local chatter. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0830-1200
and 1300-1600; some shops close early on Thursday.
Tipping:
Ten per cent service charge is added to hotel bills. In restaurants,
leave ten to 15 per cent and tip taxi drivers ten per cent of
the fare.
Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$) = 100
cents. Notes are in denominations of EC$100, 50, 20, 10 and 5.
Coins are in denominations of EC$1, and 25, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.
US Dollars are also legal tender on the islands.
Currency
exchange: Most major currencies can be exchanged at banks
on the islands.
Credit
& debit cards: All major cards are widely accepted.
Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant
acceptability and other services that may be available. ATMs are
widely available.
Travellers
cheques: To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers
are advised to take travellers cheques in US Dollars.
