St. Kitts for Pokémon Trainers
The St. Kitts Marriott is centrally located to The Strip and Basseterre, plus there are two Pokéstops on property. Image courtesy of St Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino
Where to Catch ‘Em All on the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts
When I arrived on St. Kitts last month, Pokémon Go had only been released on the island for a matter of days—and surprisingly, some locals had already reached level 17. Clearly, Kittians were ravenous for release of Pokémon Go in their own country and were more than ready for the chance to Catch ‘Em All.
As a Pokémon Trainer, one thing that I noticed immediately about St. Kitts was its severe lack of PokéStops and PokéGyms. If you want to catch a Pikachu (like I did) or come across other rare Pokémon during your stay, you really have to plan out your day wisely. So I teamed up with the St. Kitts Tourism Authority to find out where all of the great PokéStops are in town and also learn about the local history and culture along the way.
PokéStop: St Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino
If you are a die-hard Pokémon Trainer, you should book the St Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino. Out of about a dozen PokéStops on St. Kitts, the hotel has two of them. Plus, its PokéStops are located in super convenient areas where you’re likely to be hanging out anyway. At the front fountain, for example, you’ll be waiting for your cab or tour guide to arrive. Oftentimes, you can still access the Pokéstop from the air-conditioned lobby as well. And at the other PokéStop, the Pizza Shack, you can hang out by the pool and share a slice with your friends while waiting for Pokémon to come to you (someone is always dropping a lure here). Best of all, there’s free Wi-Fi throughout the resort, so you’ll never have to worry about eating up your data abroad.
PokéGym: Port Zante
Port Zante is the duty free area of St. Kitts, and where you can purchase a bottle of St. Kitts’ fiery white rum, CSR, at an affordable price. The Port Zante cruise terminal is also one of the fewest places in the world where gigantic cruise ships (Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas) can dock and has welcomed as many as 15,000 cruise passengers in a single day. That’s pretty impressive for an island with a population of 46,000 residents. The gym here is insanely busy on port days, but if you can throw down when the cruise ships aren’t in town, you have a much better chance of owning the gym (and racking up the experience points) for a longer duration of time.
PokéStop: Government Headquarters
The government headquarters houses the office of Prime Minister Timothy Harris, and it’s also where the parliament meets. Did you know that Saint Kitts and Nevis is an independent Commonwealth realm of the U.K. with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state? I can imagine that this area gets a lot of foot traffic during the week, but when I visited on a Sunday, it seemed perfectly fine to take a load off, sit on the steps and drop a lure.
Independence Square is one of St. Kitts' most popular PokéStops. Image courtesy of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority.
PokéStop: Independence Square
Originally called, Pall Mall Square in the time of slavery, this area was the commercial and administrative center of Bassterre (Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1834). Ships carrying African slaves docked in the area, and slaves went to auction right here at the square. Nowadays, Independence Square is a popular place for locals to enjoy soft serve ice cream with friends and drop lures, so keep your eyes peeled for pink confetti as you’re shopping in Basseterre.
PokéStop: Berkeley Memorial
Berkeley Memorial in Basseterre has been a central meeting point on the island for generations. It was built in honor of Thomas B.H. Berkeley, a former president of the General Legislative Council in the 1880s. It’s also a taxi stand, so after you’ve had your fill of hitting all of the PokéStops in Basseterre, catch a few more Pokémon while you wait for a lift.
The Anglican faith is the most popular religion on St. Kitts and Nevis. Image courtesy of the St. Kitts Tourism Board.
PokéStop: The Sands Complex
Almost every PokéStop that we visited on the island was bustling with Trainers—except for the Sands Complex. Located on the outskirts of Basseterre, the Sands is an office complex and apartment building. It’s on the bus route and only worth a stop if you have some business to do in the area, which is highly unlikely as a tourist.
PokéStop: St. George’s Anglican Church
Have you guys noticed how many churches are PokéStops these days? I wonder what the congregation thinks about churchgoers playing the game. While I didn’t see any Trainers inside St. George Anglican Church, I came across a few serious players hanging out in front, and they told me that the Basseterre Co-Cathedral of Immaculate Conception (a Catholic church) is actually a PokéGym. Apart from Anglican and Catholic, other religions on St. Kitts include evangelicals, such as Baptist, and a small community of Rastafarians.
PokéStop: Warner Park Entrance
Warner Park is St. Kitts’ multipurpose stadium, which is home to the annual St Kitts Music Festival, held the last weekend of June every year. Past artist run the gamut from 50 Cent and Chaka Chan to Lionel Richie. While it seemed a little out of the way, we still came across a few people, young and old, catching Pokémon and chatted with them about the game they love.
“I like the kind of randomness of it,” said one Pokémon Go Trainer that we caught in the act. “You don’t know what you’re gonna run into so it’s kinda like a surprise whatever you find.”
“It’s a very sociable game,” said another Trainer. “You meet and great people from all over. I see people way older than me and way younger than me playing the game. It’s surprising.”
Don't forget to look up from your phone every once in a while.
If you’ve visited St. Kitts and Nevis lately or are a resident of this beautiful island nation, please share some of your pro tips for catching Pokémon. Did I miss any important PokéStops, PokéGyms or other points of interest? Leave a comment below and let me know.
My trip to St. Kitts was made possible by the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. Views expressed are my own.