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SITE REVIEW #2 LOOKING WEEKEND GETWAY? CHECKOUT THE BEAUTIFUL ISLAND OF ST. KITT'S FOR A GREAT By EDITH BILLUPS quick 3-day getaway and took in this island's lush, green moun- tains and beautiful blue waters. During my visit, I hiked up the island's 4,000-ft. volcano, went sailing on a relaxing catamaran, and topped it offwith an incredible bamboomassage that leftme tranquil and ready for a return visit. I arrived on a Wednesday and checked into the St. Kitt's I Marriott Resort, the island's largest hotel,which offers spacious, luxury rooms, 8 restaurants and 3 lounges. For casino lovers, the resort also includes the Royal Beach Casino.,where I was intro- duced tomy firstBlackjack tournament. If visiting,be sure to call on Public Relations Manager Lavern Stevens, who will ensure that you have a memorable visit. On Thursday, I took off for Brimstone Hill, an 800-ft. UNESCOWorldHeritage site,which offers spectacular views of the island and sea. St. Kitt's was the first English colony in the Caribbean, and BrimstoneHill Fortress is the site where the first f you're looking for a great weekend getaway within a 3-hour flight of the U.S., check out the beautiful island of St. Kitt's. I recently packed my bags for a cannons were mount- ed in 1690 by British in an effort to recap- ture Fort Charles on the coast below from French occupation. The fortress was designed by British Army Engineers and built by African slave workers. In the visitor's cen- ter, you can learn about the AmerInd- ians, the first inhabi- tants of the island, who came from present day Central and South America. Named Caribs and Arawaks by the Euro-peans, the native people named the island Liamuiga, meaning fertile lands. In 1624, Christopher Columbus landed on St. Kitt's and named it St. Christopher after his patron saint. Later Sir Thomas Warren, would land on the island with a small band of English set- tlers, and the group would make an agree- ment with Tegraman, the indigenous chief. Two years later, a group of French set- tlers landed and made a deal with the English. The two groups then banded together, eradicating the indigenous people. In 1627, the English and French divided the island Marriott pool area, St. Kitts Royal St. Kitt's Golf Club 24 between them, and African slaves were brought by the thousands as forced laborers. In 1782, during the great struggles among the European colonial powers and the American republic for control of the rich Caribbean sugar islands and the North American mainland, 8,000 French soldiers attacked Brimstone Hill and defeated the British. A year later, the Treaty of Versailles returned the island to the British. In 1983, St. Christopher and Nevis became an independ- ent country. I continued my tour with a visit to Romney Manor, a historic and gorgeous estate once owned by the great, Black Meetings & Tourism September/October 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com Photo Credit: ST. Kitts Department of Tourism