Ownership

Owning at a Four Seasons resort

Four Seasons Resort Nevis opened in February 1991 on Pinney’s Beach, on a former sugar and coconut plantation site of 350 acres. Owning here means a home inside that resort rather than beside it.

The residences sit in six neighbourhoods named by the resort: Pinney’s Beach, Palm Grove, Sunset Hill, Belmont and Stewart’s, Mahogany Hill and Mango Ridge. Homes range from one to seven bedrooms, with views of Nevis Peak, the Caribbean Sea, St. Kitts, the golf course or the resort gardens.

This page sets out how ownership works in general terms. Detail for any residence is confirmed with the sales office before a commitment.

What the resort offers an owner

The resort’s published facts describe an 18-hole Robert Trent Jones II golf course (par 71, 6,766 yards), a driving range and putting green, and a pro shop. There are three pools, a beach with boating, sailing, scuba certification and deep-sea fishing, and a spa with nine treatment rooms in garden cottages.

Racquet sports include tennis on astroturf, hard and red clay courts, plus four pickleball courts. A 1,500 square foot fitness facility runs yoga and fitness classes. Kids for All Seasons is a supervised program in its own facility, and there is a teen room.

Dining includes EsQuilina, On the Dune, Mango, Kastawey Beach Bar and the Crowned Monkey Rum Bar. For homes in the resort’s rental collection, Four Seasons lists a dedicated ambassador, daily housekeeping, 24-hour in-home dining, grocery provisioning, a private chef and babysitting as services, along with resort access, 24-hour security and signing privileges at on-property restaurants.

The developer states that owners and their guests receive the same five-star amenities and services as hotel guests. Which privileges attach to a particular residence, and on what terms, is confirmed in the purchase documents.

Fractional ownership at Pinney’s Beach

At the Villas at Pinney’s Beach, a share is one-tenth of a villa. Each share carries five weeks of use a year: two in high season and three in low season, scheduled round-robin so owners rotate through the calendar.

The developer states that ownership costs are shared among the ten owners and that each owner pays only a share. Its listing also describes Four Seasons Villa Operations as dedicated to the care of the villa, with maintenance, security, pest control and landscaping among the services, and Resort Club membership while in residence.

The share is presented here as a way to enjoy a beach villa for part of the year. Questions about title, tax and what happens when a share changes hands belong with your attorney and adviser, and are not answered on this site.

The rental program

Four Seasons has operated villa and residence rentals at the resort since 1996. A residence placed in a managed program is cared for by the resort team and made available to guests during the weeks the owner is not in residence.

The developer states that Four Seasons Resorts looks after the running of the home, including renting the villa while owners are away. For fractional villas it lists a two-week period around Christmas as placed in the rental pool.

The terms of the program, including fees and how owner weeks are reserved, are set out in the program documents and are not summarised here.

Buying, step by step

A purchase usually moves through six stages. First comes an inquiry to the sales office to discuss what suits you. Then a viewing, in person where possible, and a reservation of the chosen residence.

Next is the purchase agreement, signed with your own attorney’s advice. A non-national buying property on Nevis needs an Alien Landholding Licence; the Nevis Island Administration states this requirement in its published notices. Buyers should ask their attorney how the licence applies to their purchase, and what it costs.

Closing completes the transfer of title. Stamp duties, registration fees and other costs differ by purchase, so the detail goes to your attorney and adviser.