Hermitage Plantation Inn

The great house at the Hermitage is a timber building generally dated to around 1740 and often described as the oldest surviving wooden house in the Caribbean, built of lignum vitae which is dense enough to have resisted three centuries of hurricanes and termites. It stands on the slope of Nevis Peak with gardens around it and cottages spread through the grounds, run as a small inn.

What you actually see

• The timber great house - a building of around 1740, claimed as the region's oldest.
• The lignum vitae - the dense wood that let it survive three centuries.
• The gardens - the planting around the house on the mountain slope.
• The cottages - the accommodation spread through the grounds.

When to go

December to April is the main season. The inn operates year round with some closures. Visits and meals should be arranged in advance.

Honest expectations

It is a working hotel and access without booking is limited. Rates are high. The claim to be the oldest wooden house in the Caribbean is contested by other buildings in the region.

Nearby

Montpelier is west, and Fig Tree Church is northwest.