Theford Grey or Royston?

[kyrisong1]

We loved Thenfords tour. We aren't on a tour to drink, we can do that on the ship. He was knowledgeable and was very aware that I was hearing impaired, he had a microphone and asked often if I was able to hear.

The Fortress was beautiful, and the botanical gardens and batik factory was great. We'd do this again, it made us love St Kitts!!!

Carole

[CruisinRoxy]

cruisinroxy, which tour did you book with grey?

pdprof - Sorry - Have not been on much over the holidays so I just saw this.

But since there were 11 of us, he pretty much constructed our own tour. It was kind of a combo with the younger folks in our group going to the Volcano for 5 hours, and us 2 parent-type couples doing the rest of the island. We dropped the kids off at the volcano and then went on to Romney Manor, Brimstone Fortress (awesome), then over to the southeast peninsula to a beach and for some lunch. He then dropped us back off in Basseterre to do some shopping and another one of the drivers brought the kids back to meet us. He was very accommodating with our group's different needs.

[aimodels]

We went with Thenford in 2008 and loved it. I highly recommend him.

 

We visited Caribelle Batik, Brimstone Hill Fortress and Cockleshell for a nice swim in the ocean. It was a great tour and we all had a blast.

 

Cheers, P:)

[Texas YaYa Sister]

My sister and I went with Royston when visiting St. Kitts in November. We can't even begin to express how pleased we were with him. There were 6 people on the tour, which was wonderful because we were all able to visit with him and he was able to find out what each of us wanted out of the tour and customize it to our liking. We went to the fort, the batik factory and snorkled in a somewhat remote area. Our fee to Royston included the entrance cost to the fort as well as lunch and drinks. Royston toured us all around the island and even drove us by his home. He is very humble and very eager to please. His prices can't be beat! Everyone on the tour told him that he need to increase his prices due to the exceptional quality of his tour.

We would book with him again without question.

[cmac cruiser]

We booked with Royston and actually toured with his cousin Ashton. It was one of the best excursions we have ever taken on any cruise. Just wonderful. I wrote a review for Trip Advisor, but would happily answer any questions on this tour. As the previous poster said, they should charge more for all that is included in this trip.

[SFO-F/A]

A big group of us used Thenford Grey for "The Tour" in late November.

 

Thenford Grey is a true gentleman, a family man, and a wonderful tour guide.

 

His bus had excellent airconditioning, is very clean, and has huge windows to take pictures from.

 

I highly recommend him for any tour in St Kitts.

Edited January 10, 2012 by SFO-F/A

[supergran]

Hello, could those who have used Thenford and royston give me some idea of the cost per person or per tour. Thank you.

[cmac cruiser]

Hello, could those who have used Thenford and royston give me some idea of the cost per person or per tour. Thank you.

Royston was $45 per person. It included the full tour, plus lunch, drinks (beer, soda, water and juice) and entry fee to the fortress. We stopped at the rain forest, Romney Manor, Caribelle Batik, Brimstone Hill Fortress, the black rocks, the peninsula, and Basseterre, with a final stop at South Friars Beach for swimming and snorkeling (and close up views of vervet monkeys and mongoose).

[BamaTraveler]

For those of you who used Thenford, did it take a little while before her confirmed your tour reservation? I booked online for my March cruise about a week ago and still have not had any confirmation.

[keyol123]

We were in St.Kitts in Feb 2011. I loved Roystons tour. It was the funniest excursion we have ever been on. All day tour did the fort, island tour, had lunch on a beach and went to the top of a volacano. We had some great laughs and we had some other people from our meet and greet join us. I would love to go back to St. Kitts to spend the day with him. If you book tell him the crazy canadians say hi..........P.S we had drinks and snacks too.

[Harbour Grace]

Hi,

 

We went on the "Tour" with Thenford on January 6th and like the other posters, I would highly recommend him. A true gentleman, professional, and very knowledgeable about the island. Since we are Canadian, he arranged for us to have our pictures taken with their Governor General who happend to be at the pier. The tour is great, we got to see all of the beautiful island. He showed us a picture of him winning the 2011 St. Kitts Tourism award. It's no wonder, he does a great job. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend his tour, you'll have a great day.

 

Thanks for the double rainbow Thenford. He told us he arranged that for us. Very cute.

 

Lynn

[cheeseheads1]

I heard from Thenford within a day. I even got a phone call.

[BamaTraveler]

I heard from Thenford within a day. I even got a phone call.

 

Wow....thanks for the reply. I need to check and make sure my reservation request went through.

[movingimages]

We toured with TG on January 10. The tour stops were as others described. He was present with a sign at the port and waited to the designated time for those who had scheduled the tour.

 

He was a very careful driver; we felt completely safe, even navigating that crazy entrance to the fort. He had another tour that was at the volcano, and I noticed he was in constant contact with them to make sure things were on track and safe. His van was in very good condition, comfortable, with air-conditioning.

 

He provided water when we stopped at the Fortress. He did not provide food, but there were places to obtain snacks along the way. He was very knowledgeable of his island's history, as well as the plants at the botanical garden.

 

At the end of the tour, we had the option of returning to ship or taking a beach break. We opted for the beach break; he was there to pick us up at the scheduled time and we were back to the ship in plenty of time. He seemed held in high esteem around the island.

[HookedonSXM]

We toured with Royston's cousin Ashton on Dec 27 2011. He was very good. We did the all day island tour which included the Batik shop/botanical gardens. He was so knowledgeable about the various plants and trees on the grounds we had various people from other tours tagging along after us attempting to listen to what he was telling us. We also stopped at Brimstone Fortress, the black rocks, where the atlantic meets the Caribbean ocean and to a look out point where you can see Nevis.

He was very informative and was constantly giving us information about what we were seeing. You can tell he is proud of his island and enjoys showing it off. Lunch was also included and there was a cooler full of drinks to help ourselves to throughout the day. I highly recommend him.

[2Fltravelers]

We did a group tour with Thenford last week. I cannot say enough wonderful things about him. He is the consummate gentlemen and incredibly well-versed on his island, the sights, history, people, etc. He has a great sense of humor and is very accommodating. We drove from the pier around the small,downtown area of Bassterre while learning the island's history. We drove to Romney Manor to see the flora and fauna, watched the batik making and had the chance to purchase items in the shop. Thenford then drove us to Brimstone Hill fortress for the history and magnificent views all the way to nevis, St. Eustatius and Saba. Afterwards, he drove us to the other side of the island for the breathtaking view of the beaches on the Atlantic side and the peaceful Caribbean on the other with the view of Nevis. We had the option of spending 90 minutes on the beach or going back to the ship. We chose to stay at the beach and have lunch and swim. He arranged to pick us up at a designated time and bring us back to the ship. It was an excellent day in every way.

[daliflor]

My sister and I went with Royston when visiting St. Kitts in November. We can't even begin to express how pleased we were with him. There were 6 people on the tour, which was wonderful because we were all able to visit with him and he was able to find out what each of us wanted out of the tour and customize it to our liking. We went to the fort, the batik factory and snorkled in a somewhat remote area. Our fee to Royston included the entrance cost to the fort as well as lunch and drinks. Royston toured us all around the island and even drove us by his home. He is very humble and very eager to please. His prices can't be beat! Everyone on the tour told him that he need to increase his prices due to the exceptional quality of his tour.

We would book with him again without question.

 

Couple of more votes here too and HUGE thumbs up! You summarized it pretty well! And that complimentary lunch - oh, boy!

 

Photo albums and video clips from our wonderful experience with Royston this past December (Island Tour, Holiday cruise - 12.28.2011):

 

Photos: Royston Tours of St. Kitts: driving from Basseterre (Wednesday 12.28.2011)

- Video:

 

 

Photos: Royston Tours of St. Kitts: Wingfield Estate visit (Wednesday 12.28.2011)

 

 

Photos: Royston Tours of St. Kitts: Caribelle Batik visit at Romney Manor (Wednesday 12.28.2011)

- Video: http://youtu.be/pX7_KN8zg88

 

 

Photos: Royston Tours of St. Kitts: Brimstone Hill Fortress visit (Wednesday 12.28.2011)

 

 

Photos: Royston Tours of St. Kitts: Dieppe Bay Point (Wednesday 12.28.2011)

 

 

Photos: Royston Tours of St. Kitts: visiting a Fishing village (Wednesday 12.28.2011)

 

 

Photos: Royston Tours of St. Kitts: Black Rocks, Atlantic Coast (Wednesday 12.28.2011)

- Video:

 

 

Photos: Royston Tours of St. Kitts: driving along the Atlantic Coast (Wednesday 12.28.2011)

 

 

Photos: Royston Tours of St. Kitts: delicious lunch in Basseterre (Wednesday 12.28.2011)

- Video:

*** Veggie wrap also available (we stopped at different location to get it)

 

 

Photos: Royston Tours of St. Kitts: driving by South Friars Bay (Wednesday 12.28.2011)

 

 

Photos: Royston Tours of St. Kitts: Cockleshell Beach & water sports; snorkeling (Wednesday 12.28.2011)

 

 

Photos: Royston Tours of St. Kitts: ending Island Tour in Port Zante (Wed 12.28.2011)

 

 

Enjoy!

[watcha]

I would definitely vote for Royston , the day we had with him on 4th Feb with another couple was the highlight of our cruise . Everything as stated in other posts , and all for 45 dollars . He could easily charge more , this includes admission fees , drinks and lunch . We even drove along the beach in a small fishing village and he took us past his house . , where his dad waved too us ! nothing was to much trouble , if we return to St Kitts would certainly book with him again .:)

[jasminelee]

I am having a hard time choosing between the two, because of the great reviews of each. Do they both go to the same places? One of the places we wanted to go was Cockleshell Beach-unless anyone can suggest a better beach.

thanks

Edited February 27, 2012 by jasminelee

[tiggerfan616]

I am having a hard time choosing between the two, because of the great reviews of each. Do they both go to the same places? One of the places we wanted to go was Cockleshell Beach-unless anyone can suggest a better beach.

thanks

 

We just returned for our 2nd trip to St Kitts and this year we actually requested Ashton, Roystons cousin and had another great day with him. He took us to two beaches one on the Atlantic side and the other Cockleshell on the Carribean side. He stayed with us all day and on the way back to the ship stopped for some great pictures at the top of the mountain. We love Ashton, if Royston is booked he will give you to his cousin but dont worry Ashton is the best!! Him and my son are best buddies and Ashton asked if I would mind letting him live on St Kitts with him.

[mspink98]

We had a group of four with Royston last Wednesday, and loved him! He was so friendly and funny, picked us up right on time with a cooler of drinks, and spent the majority of the day with us. He drove further into some sites than other tours were going, which was great for us-my dad has heart issues and can't move around like he used to. Took us past his house (what a view!) and I think I'll be dreaming about that lunch for a long time. Great day all around, and I can't recommend him enough.

[skittlebug83]

Another vote for Royston! We did a tour with him two weeks ago. Definitely was one of the highlights of our trip! He is very knowledgeable about his island and he took us to some very scenic spots, I wish my camera hadn't died on me. :(

[ibcnusoon]

Between Royston and Thenford:

 

Thenford has an air-conditioned bus and Royston has a van with the windows popped out?>>

 

I'm trying to determine between the two, my 80-year old parents would enjoy a tour but I'm leaving towards Thenford because it looks like he has a larger bus, larger viewing windows and air-conditioning.

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

We have just returned from using Royston and as others have mentioned it is great value for your $. If you are concerned about A/C then is cousin Ashton can take you in his A/C van. We preferred to have Royston himself with the open windows as it provided for better pictures. He would stop at the side of the road for all good photo shots and we did not have to get in and out of the vehicle. His vehicle is older but he will take you places along the beach with it that others would not with their newer vehicles.

When we were at the Brimstone Fortress it was the day Prince Edward was there and he had no issue waiting an extra hour for the Prince to arrive. Our friend actually got into the receiving line and met the Prince.

Our 4.5 hour tour ended up being 8 hours all for $45. The fortress itself was $8 pp which he covered. The 4 couples tipped him generously as it was well worth the $. One of our highlights.

 

Between Royston and Thenford:

 

Thenford has an air-conditioned bus and Royston has a van with the windows popped out?>>

 

I'm trying to determine between the two, my 80-year old parents would enjoy a tour but I'm leaving towards Thenford because it looks like he has a larger bus, larger viewing windows and air-conditioning.

[snowbirds2]

We have only toured with Thenford Grey so can't compare the two. Guess it would depend on the itinerary. I wanted to go to Brimstone Hill Fortress (which was included - but darn I missed the Prince!) and have some beach time so Thenford Grey's "The Tour" worked well for us. We had an excellent tour with Thenford's driver Kevin which included beach time at South Friars. Comfortable cool mini van and a group of ten of us from CC plus water and cold drinks. My DH is a little hard of hearing so appreciated Kevin's clear commentary. Thenford met us back at the Port and shook hands with everyone as they left - a real gentleman. Would have no hesitation in recommending his company.