I live on Nevis so maybe this will help:

for your two meals "off resort" I'd suggest one upscale and one more casual dining experience. For the upscale dinner definitely go to Montpelier Plantation Inn - it's without a doubt the best dining experience on the island. Ask if they are serving in the Mill they night you decide to go and if so, book there if you want a truly intimate, dining experience in the most romantic dining spot on the island. If they aren't serving in the Mill or if it's fully booked don't despair, you'll be seated on the terrace which is the "second" most intimate and romantic dining spot on the island. The food here is fantastic and so is the service.

For a more casual dining spot definitely choose Gallipot for the best steaks and freshest seafood & lobster on the island. They are only open dinner on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. the restaurant is very popular with the Ex-Pat community so be sure to make reservations.

Other upscale dining can be found at:
Golden Rock Inn
Coconut Grove
Hermitage Inn
Mount Nevis Hotel (often overlooked by tourists Mount Nevis never disappoints those of us who live on the island).

For lunch we like Chrishi Beach, Sunshine's, Lime, Double Deuce (which should be re-opened in their new location by the time you arrive) and surprisingly the aforementioned Mount Nevis Hotel. Some people will add Golden Rock to the mix but it's not one of my favorites.

Shitten Bay is really the only spot around for decent, but not great, snorkeling around the island. Anything else pales in comparison. Four Season's runs a daily 1/2 day sail (in High Season they sometimes go twice a day) aboard Caona (a local Catamaran) that leaves directly from their dock. It's about a 45 minute sail over to Shitten Bay where you'll stop for about an hour or so of snorkel;ing before eating to sail along St. Kitts' Southern Peninsula and the west cost of Nevis before returning to the 4S's dock. Scuba Safaris only makes the snorkeling trip to Shitten Bay only if they have a full boat (which is not often) or if they have a private charter. They leave out of Oualie Beach and go by power boat so the ride over takes only about 15 minutes. Both operators go to the exact same place in Shitten Bay so it's your call on which excursion suits your particular style and needs. The only real difference is the mode of transportation - sailboat vs. power boat. For what it is worth, we and a group of friends go out on Caona a couple times a year and always have an enjoyable time even though the snorkeling itself isn't that great.

The crossing is usually calm but subject to the whims of Mother Nature so there are never any guarantees. Shitten Bay is a protected cove so the water there is almost always calm. On those rare occasion where there are strong swells (happens maybe 4 or 5 times a year) the tour operations won't make the trip. You'll see typical tropical fish: Blue Tang, Sgt. Majors, Parrott Fish, Squirrel Fish, Gars, occasional rays, yellow tails, etc. you'll be snorkeling close to shore so the majority of the fish will be small. Time of day doesn't matter too much but the glare from the sun is slightly less in the AM if that's a major concern for you.

Scuba Safaris are the contract dive operator for the Four Seasons (they are the only dive operator on the island). I'm not a diver but friends say the diving is good but nowhere near what you found in the Cayman's and the USVI's. They will pick you up at the 4S's dock.

There are some thirty to forty different hikes you can take and each has something unique and interesting. Nevis has a lot of "neat" ruins to discover and explore and most can be done in a few hours. One hike is not necessarily better than another they are just different. Tell the Concierge at the 4S what type of things interest you and they will recommend the best hike based on what you tell them. Honestly, you won't be able to see "everything" unless you spend your entire vacation hiking and even then you won't see it all. Pick the one or two that sound most appealing TO YOU and save the others for future visits. I doubt you'll be disappointed with any of the hikes. As for guides, there are several very knowledgeable guides on the island and it would be unfair to single out one or two. Suffice to say the 4S's has access to the best guides on the island. Let the hotel's concierge handle the arrangements, you'll be in good hands.

Many tourists enjoy the horseback riding and kayaking. Many of our hues guests go on these tours and have enjoyed themselves.

Enjoy your visit to Nevis.

I wanted to recommend a visit to Peak Heaven in Nevis. It has a small "village" showing examples of Nevisian life in earlier times, a restaurant, and from there, you can take either long or short hikes. It sounds a bit corny but I found it utterly charming and the views are terrific. http://peakheavennevis.com.

There are also sail boats that you can charter for a trip over to Shitten Bay. There is Nevis Yacht Charters and, the Star. We have sailed on the Star twice with another couple and the very engaging owners/hosts are terrific and it was nice to hear about the island from the time when they moved there. www.starmonkeys.com

We have also taken the catamaran trip from St. Kitts on the Spirit of St. Kitts--similar to the Caona. It too is a nice day on the water, but a different experience because you are with more people.

At Montpelier, I prefer eating outside on the terrace with the view, but that's just my opinion--I love being out and having a view.

Just got back from an amazing trip to St Kitts - if you have time to visit that island you may enjoy Shipwreck for lunch - right on the beach it is very rustic (actually it's a shack!) with great food and monkeys and mongoose by the entrance. All the locals know about this place - most of the staff are from England and very friendly. You can snorkle too. We ate at Marshalls one night - excellent food and an amazing view of the Caribbean and Nevis. There wasn't much open on Nevis so we stayed on St Kitts at the Marriott

Thank you so much for all the feedback. So helpful.
I can't wait for November to get here.roamsaround- great info-thanks

Bananas and Gallipot were the 2 I enjoyed most last November. Montpelier had changed to a fixed menu and I did not enjoy the limited choices, although the presentation was beautiful.
Sunshines for lunch was excellent. Had dinner there-alos excellent

If you are looking for places to eat that you can walk to from the resort, I suggest Lime for lunch (we went there twice)and Mango for dinner. It would be hard to find a more complete package for dinner than Mango with fabulous romantic setting as you watch the sun set, you are next to the water, and the food and service are fabulous. Be sure to save room for dessert and order the coconut custard tart.

Hi,
Mango, Montpelier and Gallipot (thursday)are all on the list for dinner. Heard that Montpelier is a limited menu. Anyone know if that is a weekly thing or daily?? Just want to make sure there is more than one option.

Also looking at Nisbet and Coconut Grove for dinner? Nisbet is always mentioned so part of me really wants to check it out. Any thoughts? The sun will set around 530ish when we are there. I can't see us making a reservation before 630 though. Are any of the above restaurants really better to go in the day vs night?

Finally, any idea how much a round trip taxi will be to some of these places?? We (2) will taxi for sure!!!! Is there a particular driver we should ask for. When we were in the Turks we had the same driver and he was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

Finally, roamsaround or anyone else are there any places on Nevis (maybe charlestown) where we could pick up an art piece (don't really have anything in mind but maybe a watercolor, painting, etc.) something to have and bring home from Nevis to frame, etc.

Counting down the days.

Thanks
Mamamo

Be sure you get to Golden Rock for either lunch or dinner. The hotel and restaurant have been transformed...it's a magical experience.

Montpelier's dinner menu changes daily but it is "limited" in that on any given night you usually have a choice of 2 or 3 appetizers, one soup, 3 or 4 entrees and 2 or 3 desserts.

Nisbet for dinner - Thursday night's is their Beach BBQ served buffet style at "Coconuts" (the name they've given to the restaurant where they serve breakfast) down by the beach. Other nights dinner is in the Great House. Like Montpelier the Great House dinner menu is "limited" (similar numbed of choices) but changes every night. For what it is worth, we've had inconsistent dinners at Nisbet over the last couple of seasons - some nights it's been good, other times dinner disappoints. They've had a management change recently so hopefully the food service has improved. FYI - Nisbet is on the north side of the island - there are no sunset views, beside the Great House is set way back from the water so you wouldn't see a sunset even if there was one. The Great House is not open for lunch. That's served down at the beach bar next to Coconuts.

Coconut Grove is pretty good and the chef there is very creative but for dinner it is on the pricey side. The restaurant is located "on the beach" but you won't see a sunset at 6:30PM in November as it will have already set by then. You will get some views of the lights from St. Kitts. We like going there for lunch.

Coconut Grove, Nisbet, Mango, Gallipot and Montpelier all serve lunch. Not sure what you mean when you ask "Are any of the above restaurants really better to go in the day vs night?" - Lunch menus will be different than dinner menus at all three places. Lunch at Montpelier and Nisbet are not in the same "venue" as where they serve dinner. Coconut Grove serves lunch in both the main room of the restaurant and at umbrella covered tables "on the beach".

Approximate one-way taxi fares (in $US) from Four Season to:

Coconut Grove - $12 to $14
Gallipot - $14 - $16
Nisbet - $16 - $18
Montpelier - $20 to $22
Mango - on 4S property - you can walk there.

What kind of art do you want?

Robert Humphreys (http://www.caribbronzes.org/#home) does fantastic bronze sculptures - he'll ship anywhere around the world.

You can find paintings by various local artists at Bananas Bistro (Restaurant) in Hamilton (about $16 by taxi) or at Mnandi Restaurant (formerly Riviere House) by the hospital in Charlestown (about $12 by taxi).

Kennedy Terrell (a deaf mute) does very nice wood carvings. His shop is located in Zion (about $20 by taxi).

You'll find a few drawings and small painting by local artists at the Four Seasons Gift Shop - they are actually very competitively priced.

You can find local pottery at New Castle Pottery, just down the road from Nisbet Plantation.

There's a local craft store across from the TDC complex about 1/2 mile south of the Entrance to the Four Seasons Resort.

Hope that helps.

I meant to add: If you are interested in seeing Rob Humphreys' work call him when you are "on island". His "showroom" is in his house (not far from Hermitage Inn). He sometimes has a "showing" at the Four Seasons but there is no set time or dates.

When I went to Montpelier, it was a choice of 2 apps, 1 soup, 2 entrees and 2 desserts. I didn't like the available choices, it was the most expensive meal on the island, I had only a few bites of each dish and was STARVING when we were done.

Dining in Nevis is different than any of the other islands. I would never give up on the idea of going back to Montpelier and the sugar mill. Mango would be my second choice as the food is very good and the view was amazing. However it is part of the FS so you will likely be there regardless, so my third choice would be Banana's. The food there is wonderful. I would do lunch at Double Deuce. It is a beach restaurant and bar with beach chairs if you want to sit and have a drink there as well as lunch.

Hiking Nevis Peak can be done in a half day, but it's rugged. I'd recommend hiring someone from the Sunrise tours.

Enjoy Nevis. These are the nicest people you will ever meet in the Caribbean!