DEEP BACKGROUND: The entrepreneurial Pereiras - locally born brothers, Gary, Greg and Rickie - used to camp here on the island's remote southeast peninsula with their father when they were kids. After a road was built, Gary bought the property and opened a bar in 1989.
CAST OF CHARACTERS: Since Turtle Beach is so close to Nevis, it's a popular rendezvous spot for reunions between St. Kittitians and their friends and family who live on the nearby sister island. Private boats ferry passengers to the beach across the two-mile channel between the islands. Tourists seek out Turtle Beach to lounge under the trees, explore the nearby reefs and sample the bar fare.
SUSTENANCE: A full West Indian buffet is served on Sundays, but casual lunches on weekdays include lobster sandwiches, conch chowder, coconut-shrimp salad, Creole chicken and burgers. The beer of choice is Carib, which has a brewery on St. Kitts. You can sit right by the water in an open-air building or on picnic benches in the sand. Keep an eye out for the Green Vervet monkeys which roam the premises; they'll snatch your food if you aren't vigilant.
DIVERSIONS: Swimming, snorkeling and sunning are the basics here, but when there is motivation for a volleyball game, the action is cutthroat. Island Helicopters offers quickie tours of the peninsula from its helipad near the bar. A steel-pan band entertains on Sundays, along with a colorful troupe of masquerade dancers.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: If St. Kitts is shaped like a baseball bat, Turtle Point is the knob at the bottom. The narrow peninsula is largely undeveloped so wildlife abounds. Bird-watchers flock here to spot migratory species. White-tailed deer are seen regularly, and those darn monkeys are everywhere.
TRY THIS AT HOME: According to Banks, the bartender, Turtle Beach Bar & Grill can't make mango coladas fast enough to keep its patrons happy on busy days. Here's the secret: Combine 1 shot Coco Lopez, 2 shots pineapple juice, 2 shots mango juice and 1 shot rum. Blend for about one minute with one cup of ice, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Posted online 06/01/00.
