By Alison McGill
Taking a solo trip is one of the biggest travel trends of 2024. Post-pandemic, the focus for many of us is making the most of our time, doing the things we want, and going places when we want to. No waiting for friends or family required.
I have always loved a solo travel adventure because sometimes you just need a break from everything, some quietude and alonement. Last November, I took a dream solo trip to the Caribbean island of Nevis. The opportunity to jet away to paradise serendipitously came at a time when I was feeling low, utterly depleted from an extremely challenging year. This 72-hour getaway had was focused on the one thing I needed most: self-care.
First, let me tell you a bit about my island oasis. Nevis is not only exceedingly gorgeous (it reminded me of Maui, but better), but so serene. The island’s population is just over 11,000 people and it measures a cozy 65 square kilometers. Nevis is a study in beautiful contrasts: the vivid cerulean blue waters that surround it create a stunning foreground for the island’s bountiful greenery. The main character of the island’s glorious landscape narrative is Nevis Peak, a potentially active volcano located smack in the centre of the landmass which means its breathtaking and verdant vistas can be seen from every corner of the island.
While on island I fully leaned into my alone time, fortunate to be staying at the most luxurious of spots: the Four Seasons Resort Nevis. As legend has it, Four Seasons Resort and Founder and Chairman Isadore Sharpe and his wife Rosalie visited Nevis more than 30 years ago and were smitten by this extremely low key, very off-the-radar island. The natural beauty, calmness and authenticity of Nevis and the Nevisian hospitality was something magical which Sharpe knew travelers would fall for.
My healing solo travel itinerary started when I landed at Basseterre airport in St. Kitts (this is Nevis’ equally gorgeous sister island) via the Kayanjet lounge which sets the mood for a private, VIP experience beautifully. I stepped off the plane, onto the tarmac, and into a Kayanjet Porsche Cayenne to be whisked to a private terminal lounge where I relaxed in style with nibbles, Fiji water while clearing customs. From there, it was a short drive to catch a water taxi; 12-minutes later I was cruising up to the Four Season’s private dock (a very White Lotus moment) set against an otherworldly backdrop of sea, sand, swaying palm trees, and Nevis Peak.
I stepped ashore and was personally greeted and guided to my oceanfront room. There were a few things that immediately struck me. Of course, the breathtaking scenery was one of them, but the silence and lack of visible guests was the other. It was just after American Thanksgiving and while yes, a load guests had just checked out, there were still many on property I was told, but they were quietly there. Looking closer I did see people dotted around property—at the pools and on the beach—but the only sounds breaking the silence were gentle songs of island avian life. I had absolutely landed in paradise.
The thing I love most about solo travel is you have nobody to organize except yourself. Staying true to island feels, I kept my days easy and breezy. I was up early each morning and enjoyed room service and reading on my balcony (I don’t remember the last time I cracked open a book). I spent a solid half-day at the spa, a sanctuary unto itself, where I enjoyed a signature Nevisian massage, a 70-minute relaxation treatment which started with a foot soak in warm coconut milk and progressed to the most divine relaxation massage.
Other memorable moments included the most delicious sushi served oceanside; quiet time at the resort’s stunning infinity Limin Pool (I was the only person there!); and hangs on picture-perfect Pinney’s Beach in my gingerbread-style cabana. It was here I ran into a fabulous celebrity couple set up in the cabana next to mine. The handsome husbands—a celebrity stylist, and a television writer, producer, and humourist—told me they were on their last day of a seven-day vacation and could not have loved their time on Nevis more. The people, the privacy and the otherworldly views made this escape from the hustle of their LA lives a selfcare dream.
My visit to Nevis coincided with the second last full moon of the year known as the Beaver Moon. Spiritually, this moon is associated with letting go of the past and moving forward toward new dreams. It was a glorious sight to see its golden glow illuminating Nevis Peak outside my front door; a mystical moment that beautifully represented my personal reset.
I came home from my solo travel adventure refreshed, refocused, and contemplating when I could do it all again because it was absolutely the curative pause my soul needed.
