Anyone used RoystonTours?

[CruisingEasy]

I'd highly recommend Javin from Cayon with the Ghaut tour. The most spectacular time of my life. He made our honeymoon so special my wife was in tears. My wife does not get emotional but the rainforest unlike an island tour with Rose, Jim, Thenford or any taxi is serene and peaceful. It was almost like being in the wilds of Alaska except without the risk of dying.

 

He is inexpensive for what he offers. Safe and Reliable.

 

My soul was cleansed by the experience and Javin brought joy to our lives.

 

If you want a life changing experience on St Kitts Javin is the only way to go!!!!

 

He can be emailed at myislands@aol.com

 

Gregg

[qoap24]

Thanks for the new email address. I've sent off something now, and no bounce backs, so that's a good start...

 

Just wondering if you heard back from him. I had sent him an email and still no response.

 

TIA

[katjh]

No, I haven't heard back from him.

 

But then I did say that I wasn't so keen on beer and beach chairs (this will probably be our only time ever on the island and I want to make the most of it), so maybe that put him off! ;)

[paul58]

Your comment will not bother Royston. He will do what ever you want to do.

[katjh]

Your comment will not bother Royston. He will do what ever you want to do.

Except answer my email, apparently. :(

[CanadaDJ]

I currently have a booking with him for a cruise next week - I sent him an email today to confirm once again. Have you heard back from him yet?

 

Cheers

[katjh]

Nope, still no word.

[katjh]

Update: Just got a response. He said he'd replied earlier too, but I didn't receive it. Internet is still not perfect!

[CanadaDJ]

I also received an email from him - everything is still a go - they are actually in the process of redoing his webiste - hence it being down at the moment.

 

cheers

[qoap24]

I also heard back from him last night.

[Maraprince]

Looking for some recommendations for a good local tour company that people have experienced first hand and were happy with. We are interested in seeing St. Kitts -- not a beach or snorkle tour.

 

What is being offered, and can they accommodate 2 adults? We have no problem sharing space with others on the tour. We will be there in early November on the EOS.

 

Thanks.

 

MARAPRINCE

[Zeno]

Looking for some recommendations for a good local tour company that people have experienced first hand and were happy with. We are interested in seeing St. Kitts -- not a beach or snorkle tour.

 

What is being offered, and can they accommodate 2 adults? We have no problem sharing space with others on the tour. We will be there in early November on the EOS.

 

Thanks.

 

MARAPRINCE

 

Royston will do whatever sort of tour you want. He was definitely one of the most flexible tour guides I have been with.

 

My recommendation for doing St Kitt's the first time is to see:

Brimstone Hill

Caribelle Batik and Romney Manor

The Black Rocks

The view from Timothy Hill - spectacular in both directions.

[gnvdude]

His email address is : mailto:roystontours@hotmail.com

 

Sailed on the NCL Dawn this last December for a Xmas cruise. Arrived in St. Kitts on 12/24. Royston is a very very nice young man, as others point out he definitely loves his island. We email him, setup an all day service, no deposit required. Royston said he would be in a yellow shirt, but we still had to ask some other taxi drivers where to find him. They pointed us to this location, easy to find right off the dock. Find Royston HERE.

 

We had never been to St. Kitts before. So we wanted to see the Fort, beaches, and other areas. Royston serves you lunch and has a cooler on board full of Carib st kitts local beer, water and local fruit sodas all complimentary. We stopped a local shop on the way out to pick up some roti, since we had just had a breakfast we passed and asked Royston to pick us up some food later. Timing wasn't right. The island is still very unspoiled and not heavily heavily developed. If you want and like doing the off path nature thing ask Royston to take you to his secluded spot near the forest. He will drive through the sugar cane fields, engine off, and coast down the mountain side. Very unique if you ask me. Admission was paid for by Royston for all tourist spots we his Batik, the fort, etc. $125 + tip wasn't bad for the entire day of him being our personal tour guide. 10am to 4:50p, just got back to the ship with hardly any time to spare..but we made it :)

 

I will warn you. But at the end of the trip it didn't bother me, as Royston is a very nice person. His van is no windows, no A/C, open air style. From what I understand St Kitts does get a little hot, but is fairly steady on temps. We did go in December and it was humid, but not to hot (80) so as long as we were out of the sun and had a breeze we were good. But if you want a nice air conditioned experience you might want to look elsewhere. He is just starting out, bought his own vehicle to do tours, and is trying to start his own tour business (since we all know tourism is the main industry). What the van lacks Royston makes up for. He's not the most talkative. If you want a driver who's always talking like a recorded tour you might be disappointed.

 

Hope this helps you and others.

 

BTW..the Carib beer is actually really good. Especially when ICE cold :D

[littledee85]

His email address is : mailto:roystontours@hotmail.com

 

Sailed on the NCL Dawn this last December for a Xmas cruise. Arrived in St. Kitts on 12/24. Royston is a very very nice young man, as others point out he definitely loves his island. We email him, setup an all day service, no deposit required. Royston said he would be in a yellow shirt, but we still had to ask some other taxi drivers where to find him. They pointed us to this location, easy to find right off the dock. Find Royston HERE.

 

We had never been to St. Kitts before. So we wanted to see the Fort, beaches, and other areas. Royston serves you lunch and has a cooler on board full of Carib st kitts local beer, water and local fruit sodas all complimentary. We stopped a local shop on the way out to pick up some roti, since we had just had a breakfast we passed and asked Royston to pick us up some food later. Timing wasn't right. The island is still very unspoiled and not heavily heavily developed. If you want and like doing the off path nature thing ask Royston to take you to his secluded spot near the forest. He will drive through the sugar cane fields, engine off, and coast down the mountain side. Very unique if you ask me. Admission was paid for by Royston for all tourist spots we his Batik, the fort, etc. $125 + tip wasn't bad for the entire day of him being our personal tour guide. 10am to 4:50p, just got back to the ship with hardly any time to spare..but we made it :)

 

I will warn you. But at the end of the trip it didn't bother me, as Royston is a very nice person. His van is no windows, no A/C, open air style. From what I understand St Kitts does get a little hot, but is fairly steady on temps. We did go in December and it was humid, but not to hot (80) so as long as we were out of the sun and had a breeze we were good. But if you want a nice air conditioned experience you might want to look elsewhere. He is just starting out, bought his own vehicle to do tours, and is trying to start his own tour business (since we all know tourism is the main industry). What the van lacks Royston makes up for. He's not the most talkative. If you want a driver who's always talking like a recorded tour you might be disappointed.

 

Hope this helps you and others.

 

BTW..the Carib beer is actually really good. Especially when ICE cold :D

 

Thank you for this great review. We will be going here in March and have e-mailed him to try to set up a tour. Sounds like a great adventure.

 

Debbie

[katjh]

Yep, thanks indeed, and for the map too - that could save several minutes of faffing around the port looking for him that could be better spent admiring the island!

 

I've now replied to him and confirmed our booking. I'm really looking forward to it.

[Zeno]

Royston will tell you where to meet him. In our case, he told us just on the OTHER side of the big open sided port building that has Port Zante written on it and has a dome on top (STRAIGHT ahead from the dock). You just walk through to the square and look for his yellow shirt. In spite of there being lots of people, we had no problem finding him.

 

The side of the pictured "Port Zante" building closest to the photographer.

 

http://www.portzante.com/GRFX/Pics/IMG_2161.jpg

[Pepperwood]

We recently returned from a back-to-back cruise on Celebrity Summit, and our day with Royston was the highlight of the two weeks. We would suggest that if you are a photographer or someone who wants to get off the beaten path, that Royston will show you places where other tour operators do not go. Here's how it went down:

 

A couple on our CC Roll Call forum posted that they had booked Royston for a 4-hour tour, and wanted to know if if anyone else would like to share the day and lower the per-person cost. They had been to St. Kitts a number of times, and had asked Royston to take them to some places they might not have been to before. In the end, six more of us "signed up", bring the cost for eight of us down to $25 pp.

 

We were to meet Royston at the end of the cruise pier at 8:30. Royston was a few minutes late because of a flat tire, but once he arrived, we were on the road right away.

 

Royston has removed the windows from his van, which is great for photographers! (He can replace them if it starts raining.)

 

(Royston's van)

He also carries a cooler of water, soda and the local beer called Carib lager.

 

Since we hadn't given Royston any specifics other than a stop at a beach sometime during the day, he took us on his own itinerary. It all started fairly typically--a drive out of Basseterre and along the Caribbean coast. Royston proved to be well-spoken as he described what we were seeing, and he was well-versed in St. Kitts history, culture and flora. He also knew when to stop for us photographer-types, and always waited until he heard no more shutter clicks before he continued.

(Caribbean coast of St. Kitts. The large hill is the location of Fort Brimstone, a UNESCO World Heritage site.)

 

He took us up to Romney Manor, an old sugar cane operation and home of a modern batik operation, where he drove around and told us about how the plantation had operated and how it had produced sugar, molasses and rum. Then it was back down to the coast road, where we passed by his house and learned the names of his dogs (which I won't repeat here lest this post gets removed.) Next stop was Fort Brimstone, the old British fort.

 

Then Royston went "off-road". He wanted to show us the northern sweep of the island, where the Atlantic met the Caribbean, so he headed up to slopes of the dormant volcano Mount Liamuiga along a dirt path. We did get stuck at one point and had to pile out while he got unstuck,

(We're stuck--just for a few minutes, as it turned out.)

 

but Royston was right about the location--the view was beautiful.

(The northern tip of St. Kitts: Caribbean to the left, Atlantic to the right, the island of Sint Eustatius is in the distance.)

 

Back in the van, Royston took us on a few more of his "secret trails" to get down to the main road that runs along the Atlantic coast.

(Off-road again.)

 

At this point, Royston drove us down to a beach with fishing boats, but instead of stopping at the end of the road, he rolled right down onto the sand, then drove along the beach, one wheel in the water, carefully rolling over the mooring lines of the boats. Then back on to the road for a run down the Atlantic coast to the Black Rocks. Then back into Basseterre just long enough to pick up our lunch. (He had phoned in an order of roti.) Then back out on the road, this time to the south, to a small beach Royston knew about. But before we got there, he took us up a small road. A very narrow, very HIGH road. Great views of the south end of the island, and the adrenaline rush was probably good for us.

(South end of the island: Atlantic to the left, Caribbean to the right, the cloud-capped peak of Nevis in the distance.)

We spent about 45 minutes on the beach, eating roti, swimming and snorkelling. We would have spent longer there, but someone made a request to see Cockleshell Beach, so Royston ran us down to the very southern tip of the island. Someone else made a request for a grocery store, so Royston drove us to one on the outskirts of town before we headed back to the cruise dock.

 

All in all, it was a very memorable day. For a very reasonably priced tour that took us to some very stunning vistas, we would highly recommend Royston.

[hayloburger]

We went with Royston in November of 2010. His tour is fabulous....he knows his island, and he will take you WHEREVER and WHENEVER you want! You can't go wrong with Royston!

[tiggerfan616]

Thank you for this great review. We will be going here in March and have e-mailed him to try to set up a tour. Sounds like a great adventure.

 

Debbie

 

If Royston is not available ask if his cousin Ashton is. We had a great day with him in January. Another couple and their friends had booked Royston so when I emailed him he told Ashton was available so we jumped on it. What a great day, he was so fun to be around and he to loves his his island.

Ashton's van is also air conditioned.

Dont forget to try the local beer he has in the van, its great ice cold!

[Goldeneye]

Just got back ~ We had been to St Kitts twice before so opted to do The Fan-Ta-Sea (AWESOME) My friends chose Royston after reading such rave reviews....

 

THEY HAD TO WAIT 1 HOUR to start their excursion as only one other couple had booked on it and they e-mailed him the day before saying they didn't want to get up that early and could he make it an hour later!

 

He asked if they wanted to drive around a bit, which they did but ended up driving around much of the same when the other couple showed up ... The other couple wanted to head back for shopping and my friends had arranged when they booked to go to Cockelshell Beach .. Because of the other couple and leaving late he dropped them off at a beach a lot closer before heading back to town to drop off the other couple... They felt vulnerable and they were the only people on this beach and didn't feel safe leaving their belongings on the beach while they went for a swim..

 

MAKE SURE HE UNDERSTANDS YOU WILL NOT TOLLERATE THIS !!

 

I felt so bad for my friends as we had a awesome day on the FAN TA SEA..

 

How utterly selfish of the other couple and Royston should have said NO show up at the agreed time as I can't contact the others and change arrangements

[Wake2port]

I contacted Royston hoping he was available to take us on a tour but unfortunatley he has a volcano hike tour already booked for the day we will be there. He did mention his Cousin Ashton is available but it will just be my husband and I. He asked if i could find more people but i may not be able to. For those that have been to ST Kitts before, do you think its better to just find a taxi or tour guide on the pier once we get there? Im assuming that there will be plenty of Taxi's or other Tours going on... Please let me know what you think.

[nytonowhere]

I contacted Royston hoping he was available to take us on a tour but unfortunatley he has a volcano hike tour already booked for the day we will be there. He did mention his Cousin Ashton is available but it will just be my husband and I. He asked if i could find more people but i may not be able to. For those that have been to ST Kitts before, do you think its better to just find a taxi or tour guide on the pier once we get there? Im assuming that there will be plenty of Taxi's or other Tours going on... Please let me know what you think.

 

 

Yes its quite easy you just walk to the taxi station there are posted prices for everything. Make sure you do your research so you know where you want to go. The main places i think are Caribelle batik, brimstone hill fortress, the lava rocks, timothy hill, maybe a stop at south friars beach. Maybe try your roll call and see if anyone wants to join you guys? I have a review of st. kitts in my signature.

[paul58]

You will no problem finding an available taxi/tour at the pier.

[Zeno]

Just got back ~ We had been to St Kitts twice before so opted to do The Fan-Ta-Sea (AWESOME) My friends chose Royston after reading such rave reviews....

 

THEY HAD TO WAIT 1 HOUR to start their excursion as only one other couple had booked on it and they e-mailed him the day before saying they didn't want to get up that early and could he make it an hour later!

 

He asked if they wanted to drive around a bit, which they did but ended up driving around much of the same when the other couple showed up ... The other couple wanted to head back for shopping and my friends had arranged when they booked to go to Cockelshell Beach .. Because of the other couple and leaving late he dropped them off at a beach a lot closer before heading back to town to drop off the other couple... They felt vulnerable and they were the only people on this beach and didn't feel safe leaving their belongings on the beach while they went for a swim..

 

MAKE SURE HE UNDERSTANDS YOU WILL NOT TOLLERATE THIS !!

 

I felt so bad for my friends as we had a awesome day on the FAN TA SEA..

 

How utterly selfish of the other couple and Royston should have said NO show up at the agreed time as I can't contact the others and change arrangements

 

This is why we always get a "private" tour - just for OUR group (even if OUR group only consists of the three of us). No conflicts over scheduling, no waiting and we get the tour we want. But yes that means it will cost a bit more. To me getting the tour we want is worth the extra money. When you agree to share - you get a cheaper price and most times it works out fine but sometimes with a shared tour you can find yourself in a situation like this.

[Wake2port]

Yes its quite easy you just walk to the taxi station there are posted prices for everything. Make sure you do your research so you know where you want to go. The main places i think are Caribelle batik, brimstone hill fortress, the lava rocks, timothy hill, maybe a stop at south friars beach. Maybe try your roll call and see if anyone wants to join you guys? I have a review of st. kitts in my signature.

 

Whats a good price for the 2 of us?