Theford Grey or Royston?

[Loving My Life]

My experience with Royston was not favorable. His van was old, rusty, had a wood block for a brake, cracked windshield and took out the windows to get air. Further, he drove his suspect tour van "off road" into fields, barely a path to be found. I thought his knowledge of the island was excellent and we did indeed circle the island and went from top to bottom, however, his driving methods were very daredevilish. When I expressed dismay with his risk taking driving, he further exacerbated the situation by doing even more stunts thinking he was funny, i.e. driving to the unfenced ledge of a cliff. I was so embarrassed and frightened, I thought I was going to be ill. The excursion was to be 4-4-1/2 hours - It ended up being a 7 hour long, uncomfortable experience.

 

I would not recommend him, his "van" or his risk-taking driving (especially given the shape of his van)!!

 

You just sold me on Royston. That sounds like a blast! :D

Edited December 11, 2012 by Loving My Life
Spelling error.

[MouseGirl]

Our family had a fantastic time touring St. Kitts with Royston in March of this year, and we would recommend him highly. We felt like we had really "experienced" the island, and going off the beaten path really contributed to the day.

[alpatti]

canucks4 description of Royston Tours was "right on" except I loved every minute of it. Our group (all Cruise Critics) looked rowdy, so he stopped by his house to pickup another case of beer.

[tdrakos]

canucks4 description of Royston Tours was "right on" except I loved every minute of it. Our group (all Cruise Critics) looked rowdy, so he stopped by his house to pickup another case of beer.

 

We were the same, no beer though. Too bad...lol

 

We had only booked the snorkeling tour but when we arrived, the weather wasn't the greatest so he took us on a tour of the Fort, a plantation house, his own house, the cliff, etc. He was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. By the time we toured a bit, the weather had cleared and he took us to the first stop for snorkeling. We set up camp and decided to stay at that spot instead of continuing to the other two stops since with 3 kids, it was so much easier to stay. It was a great quiet spot where we were the only ones around.

 

He was accommodating to what we needed and went with the flow. Although we ended up having more than the original snorkeling tour booked, he didn't charge us anything more than what was originally agreed upon.

 

He was great and I would totally book with him again!

[kansascruiser1]

Do you mind explaining what happened on Spencer's tour, which one you did?

Thank you!

[erby2283]

It's been a while since I posted but I LOVED Royston's tour! Although I can totally understand canucks post, I personally did not feel endangered or in fear at any time during our tour. For those just recently perusing this thread, feel free to check out my victory review in my signature where I have posted several pictures from Royston's tour. It still remains one of my favorite tours to date!

[jasminelee]

Thenford Grey without a doubt - we had an awesome tour with him. When it was time for us to leave Brimstone, I noticed some more ruins on a lower level that I hadn't explored.

He showed me a path I could take and said he'd pick me up at the bottom of the hill. Wish I'd been on the bus, because he didn't tell anyone else about it, so DH said they all freaked out when they thought he was leaving me behind. Everyone got a good laugh out of it.

[JSinFL]

We just got back from the Victory and toured with Mr. Grey on Dec 28th. He is one of the nicest people you'll meet, and his tour is very informative but doesn't take up your whole day in St Kitts. He knew that I am an environmental educator, so he took care to include a lot of information about the flora and fauna of St Kitts, including scientific names. If you tell him that you're interested in history, he will concentrate more on that. We had several teens on the tour, and he made a point to remember all their names and make them feel included.

[CaribbeanBound]

We also hired Thenford Grey himself for this "Island Tour". The tour ran from 8:00am until about 2:00 pm with beach time available at Cockleshell Beach at the end of the tour. Thenford first took us through the historic city of Basseterre which was founded in 1625 by French settlers. After the city highlights we stopped at the ruins of an old sugar cane processing factory and Romney Manor-Caribelle Batik which was once owned by Captain Samuel Jefferson, the great, great, great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson. The Plantation House which sits amidst 25 acres of lush tropical gardens, is now a batik factory and store. The gardens feature a large collection of exotic plants, palms and trees from all over the world. We saw numerous green tailed monkeys in the short drive between the ruin and the Manor. We then spent an hour at Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park which sets atop a volcanic cone that is 800 feet high and offers 360-degree panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and neighboring islands. Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park is a World Heritage Site. (The $8.00 entrance fee was included). The Fortress is indeed impressive. I could have easily spent 4 hours exploring this impressive site. A lot of monkeys make their home in the vegetation surrounding the fort. Thenford shared a lot of local history with us as we explored the island. We also saw a live cockfight (two roosters going at each other) in the middle of the street. Our last stop was Cockleshell Beach where we had an opportunity to swim, collect shells, and grab a beer. On the way, we saw wandering goats, cows, and more monkeys. Recommended!

 

More Secrets of the Caribbean: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/caribbean-secrets.html

[Loving My Life]

My husband and I just spent a wonderful day with Royston in St. Kitts. There were supposed to be 4 other people from our roll call on this tour, but they never showed up. Royston was kind enough to continue the tour for just the 2 of us so we were able to go where we wanted to go and stay for as long as we wanted. Yes, his van is old and has a cracked windshield. He gave us the option of leaving the windows in or taking them out. Even though it rained off and on all day, we opted to take them out for easy picture-taking access. Royston is a friendly, funny, and informative guide. We circled the entire island, visiting Brimstone Hill Fortress, Romney Manor (batik), fishing villages, the beach, and beautiful scenic stops. I highly recommend Royston if you are looking for a fun, laid-back day in St. Kitts! :D

[prairiesailor]

We used Thedford in 2008 & would definitely use him again. There were just the 2 of us since the others didn't show up. He asked us what we were interested in & when he found out that my wife liked pottery he took us to a local potter & we actually found some pottery that we liked. Eh took us all over the island & was polite & even took pictures of us at certain points & really knew the history of the island.

[mdrobtx]

Another for Thenford.

Just a fantastic tour with a very eloquent, articulate and knowledgeable man. Thanks Thenford.

[bbqoug]

Royston was a no show for our scheduled tour this past November.

 

We got to the appointed meeting spot on time and waited.

After waiting about a half hour I called him and much to my surprise he said he wasn't going to be able to make it.

 

He directed me to find Ashton, who was working with the taxi service that day and could not take us on the tour.

Ashton called either his or Royston's older brother (I think his name was Joseph) who arrived about 20 minutes later to take us on the tour at the original price.

He gave us a great tour, and we had a really good time.

But.... I couldn't help but think that Royston should have handled the situation better.

[CntPAcruiser]

I booked our group of 4 months before our sailing. Another couple joined us, and the 6 of us each had a window and plenty of room in the van. Loved the Ting and other sodas (and the Caribe beer)! Royston took us places we wouldn't have expected to go on a tour. It was great for our group, which included one lady with limited walking capabilities. He was able to answer all our questions about everything from flora, fauna and politics, to social issues. This was not a luxury tour, but showed us a tremendous cross-section of the island and included a simple beach lunch and swimming. Royston even had snorkeling gear for us, chairs, and beach umbrellas. Loved it!

[blythe]

We visited St. Kitts during our Feb.1 cruise on the Equinox. I had found Thenford's name here on CC and contacted him about a tour. We signed up for the island Tour and it was exactly what we wanted and exactly as advertised.

Thenford is very considerate, articulate and knowledgeable about St. Kitts and West Indies history in general. We had never been to St. Kitts before so the tour highlights and information presented gave us a nice overview of the area. If you want to skip the beach and shopping aspects, as we requested, it is no problem at all. Just tell Thenford what you want and he will do his best to accommodate you.His van was comfortable and the AC worked fine. He was also very alert to his guests and kept an eye on everyone to see that everyone's needs were met. When I decided to just stay onboard at one of our last stops, he came back and asked me if everything was alright. I told him I was fine, just elected not to get out of the van, then asked him some questions about the sugar industry in the islands. He is a very interesting gentleman to talk with, wish we had had more time!

[Dan16]

Our group of 8 recent spent a very enjoyable day with Royston's cousin Ashton and we couldn't be happier. We arrived as customers and left as true friends. Because we were in a smaller vehicle our tour could be more personalized to our individualized interest. From reading all the great reviews for both I think it's going to come down to what best fits your needs. Good luck and enjoy. St. Kitts is one of our favorite islands.

[Walt fan]

I am going to join in on this thread as I am having a problem I thought maybe you posters could help with; after reading all the reviews, about 3 months ago I booked a tour with Thenford Gray for our party of 6 for our upcoming St. Kitts stop on March 12th; I always check in with any tours I book before a trip to ensure everything is a go, if I have not heard from the tour guide; well, I have e-mailed Thenford February 18th, 23rd and today, the 28th, to confirm our tour, but I have received no response from him; has anyone ever had this problem? His prior e-mails with me were very prompt. Has anyone had any tours with him lately, or heard from him via e-mail? Your help is appreciated.

[mclaire]

best tour ever! no problems at all.

[LuckyDogsV&E]

Walt fan,

 

Just wondering if Mr. Gray got back to you. I was interested in booking wiht him but have not done so after reading your post. I notice there have not been any recent reviews of him.

Vie

 

 

I am going to join in on this thread as I am having a problem I thought maybe you posters could help with; after reading all the reviews, about 3 months ago I booked a tour with Thenford Gray for our party of 6 for our upcoming St. Kitts stop on March 12th; I always check in with any tours I book before a trip to ensure everything is a go, if I have not heard from the tour guide; well, I have e-mailed Thenford February 18th, 23rd and today, the 28th, to confirm our tour, but I have received no response from him; has anyone ever had this problem? His prior e-mails with me were very prompt. Has anyone had any tours with him lately, or heard from him via e-mail? Your help is appreciated.

[hmg1215]

I wanted to book the Island tour with Royston for April 12. I emailed Royston a week ago using hotmail address. No response yet. The 'adventure' email address that is on Trip Advisor bounced back my message. I will keep trying but I wonder if I should just look elsewhere. I booked a trips previously on other islands and usually heard back within 24 hours. I guess there is still some time. I will try again.. see what happens..

Anyone had problems with getting in touch with Royston? Did he respond eventually? I wonder if I should just move on..

[avidreader13]

We took "The Tour" with Thenford last week and he was wonderful. A very sweet man who has a lot of knowledge of the island. We had our two young children with us and he was so thoughtful and brought them both Capri Suns to drink instead of water (which would have been fine too).

 

My friend used him a couple years ago and loved him also. One thing I will say is, if you have your heart set on a certain beach, make sure to let him know upfront. I didn't and from reading previous reviews, assumed that we would be going to Cockleshell for the beach portion. There were some other people who wanted to go back to the ship and not do the beach, so we had to go to Friar's instead, as I guess it's closer to port. My daughter was very disappointed, as she wanted to search for a conch shell. My own fault though, for not checking in advance.

 

I know he has a FB page, so if he isn't responding, maybe you could post a message on there?

[debrajean]

I wanted to book the Island tour with Royston for April 12. I emailed Royston a week ago using hotmail address. No response yet. The 'adventure' email address that is on Trip Advisor bounced back my message. I will keep trying but I wonder if I should just look elsewhere. I booked a trips previously on other islands and usually heard back within 24 hours. I guess there is still some time. I will try again.. see what happens..

Anyone had problems with getting in touch with Royston? Did he respond eventually? I wonder if I should just move on..

 

I would try him one more time! He got back to us in a day or two. We are excited to try his tour as I have ready nothing but good about it!

[hmg1215]

I would try him one more time! He got back to us in a day or two. We are excited to try his tour as I have ready nothing but good about it!

 

I sent another email and got a response! We are all set for April 12. Royston mentioned that Ashton may be our guide. I heard good things about Ashton as well, so I don't mind. I am so looking forward to our trip!

[lanabanana]

Can someone share a working e-mail address for Royston, please?

[CntPAcruiser]

Can someone share a working e-mail address for Royston, please?

 

We used roystontours@hotmail.com in January 2013.