Okay...I'm going to start using the blog! Fingers crossed that this all comes through.
Here are some pictures of our apartment, in a part of St. Kitts called Frigate Bay (near the peninsula where our project is being developed). The pictures loaded out of order...so the first one is our spare bedroom, then the armour (not sure how to spell that), then a view of the Atlantic from our balcony, then looks out towards the Caribbean, then the lovely construction site on the left of our apartment, then our shower, our bedroom, doors from our room to the balcony, the table outside, the front door, our pool, the couch, the kitchen, the bathroom. These are random I know...but wanted you to see where we were living.
We are about 300 yards from the St. Kitts Marriott - which is nice - because if we ever feel like we need a good ol' American meal, we can go there. They also have a gym we can join...but it's not cheap. $75 a month, with a $150 initiation fee...so I don't think I'll join. I'll just try to run outside, and maybe swim in the ocean. Although, I'm a chicken when it comes to actually free swimming in the ocean...so we'll see. I may just run/walk.
We lived in two other places before we moved here. The first place was amazing, the second place made me cry, and this place is a nice combination of them both. It's pretty small, but it's new & clean...which is all I can ask for. And the air conditioner works! It's a little humid here, so you need air conditioning.
There are definitely mosquitoes and bugs here. I wear "off" wherever I go, and sometimes still get bit. I wonder if maybe I'll just grow immune to it.
The food is delicious! Lots of fresh fish, chicken, and beef. You can pretty much get anything you want at home (everything is served with french fries) ~ and there are a few Italian restaurants if you miss pizza or pasta. We drink rum punch a lot, and the local beer is called "Carib."
There isn't much shopping. A few stores in Basseterre (main town, about 15 minutes north) - sometimes with a few cute sun dresses - but otherwise, I probably won't buy much while here. It's been difficult to find things for the apartment...they really need a bed bath & beyond here! :) I'm kidding....but finding pillows and a mattress pad for our bed was impossible. When I finally found a mattress pad, it was $60. So, as much as I would like to, I won't really be decorating the apartment at all. The grocery store has all the essentials - but anything that would be $5 at home, would be $9 or $10 here. The food and toiletries are really expensive, b/c it all has to be imported. Produce (fruits & vegetables) is shipped in on Wednesdays, but if you don't go to the grocery store on Wednesday or Thursday, it will all be gone by Friday. Even milk or eggs are usually out by the weekend.
The St. Kitts Peninsula, where our "Christophe Harbour" community is being developed, is beautiful. Very rural and untouched, and is surrounded by both the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It's 13 miles of coast line, and 6 pristine beaches. The beaches & bays on the Caribbean side are prettier (I think) - because of the calm turquoise water - but the beaches on the Atlantic side have beautiful soft sand, and are a little more private.
They are building an Auberge Resort on the Atlantic side (the hotel will have 75 rooms, and we'll be selling the 40 Auberge home sites); and The Mandarin Oriental Hotel will be built on the Caribbean side (that hotel will consist of 125 rooms, and we'll be selling the 60 Mandarin home sites). The Mandarin Oriental will have a view of the sister federation island of Nevis. Both hotels and all the homes will be AMAZING. I cannot imagine being able to buy these homes, much less having it be my 2nd, 3rd, or 4th home. Crazy! The homes will have full access to the hotel amenities. They can order room service, housekeeping services, can access the beach clubs, fitness centers, etc. That is part of the benefit of buying early, in this pre-development / pre-construction phase (we call it the Founders Program). There is also a Tom Fazio golf course going in, and a Mega-Yacht marina is being constructed, for yachts up to 300ft+. They are thinking this will put St. Kitts on the map as the new "Capital of the Caribbean." We'll see!!!
It is exciting to see a country being changed like this. The revenue from tourism, taxes, the jobs that will be created...all of this will no doubt improve the lives of the people who live here. On average, people live off of $3-4,ooo per year. The service oriented jobs that the hotels will be offering - will pay way more than the people are used to making. So it is supposed to raise the local income level significantly.
They don't recycle here, and waste/sewage is a problem. Our Sales Team will be volunteering for the St. Kitts foundation from time to time, to try to help with this problem. Maybe doing clean up, or trying to get the people to recycle...we're waiting to hear how we can help.
Okay, well that's all for now. I miss you more than you know...and cannot wait to call each of you and chat individually. I am using the company phone, and therefore am trying to keep it to a minimum so I don't get flagged for a high phone bill early on. Feel free to post on the blog as well! You just click on "new post"...it's easy!
Love always,
Christina
