First impressions are important, and when savvy travelers land at Robert L. Bradshaw airport in St. Kitts or Vance W. Amory on Nevis they can be assured that an exceptional arrival experience awaits.

The lavish YU Lounge private terminal has been operating successfully for several years in St. Kitts, so whether arriving by private charter or commercial airline, passengers can now enjoy amenities more usually associated with first-class lounges in the world’s major airports. It works like this: passengers are met on the tarmac by one of a fleet of Porsche Cayennes and transferred straight to the lounge. While they enjoy a quiet glass of champagne and choice of canapés, staff in the lounge deal with all customs and immigration formalities and collect the baggage; there’s no standing in line, security is discreet, and service personalised. Full internet and secretarial services are available, as well as private meeting rooms, together with gourmet catering. Independent travelers can book to use the service whenever they want, and several of the federation’s leading hotels are now on board as well. “Our guests can begin an extraordinary experience as soon as they step off the plane,” says Ed Gannon, general manager of the Four Seasons on Nevis. “Using the YU Lounge, they can enjoy personalised service and unprecedented convenience from the jetway to the fairways.”Once through the lounge, guests take a short drive to Port Zante where they board the Four Seasons launch for the 40-minute crossing to the resort’s private dock on Nevis. On board they can enjoy their first rum punch or fruit cocktail of the trip, so arrive suitably relaxed.

Park Hyatt guests who choose to use the YU Lounge will be met by one of the hotel team before they’re whisked by road to the Southeast Peninsula, where the exclusive new resort is situated on scenic Banana Bay just across the Narrows from Nevis. Once there, they enter through the ‘welcome walk’, passing a reflection pool on their way and a beautifully framed open window through which the colours of the Caribbean can be seen, before arriving in the ‘living room’ where they are personally welcomed by GM Julian Moore or one of his senior management team. After a refreshing beverage, guests are then escorted to their room or suite.

Practically next door, Christophe Harbour is laying on a jet-to-yacht service enabling owners, charter guests and crews to fly in, transit through the YU Lounge and reach the Caribbean’s newest superyacht marina community in seamless style. This destination is constantly growing with new villas, bars and restaurants appearing every year. The centrepiece of the enterprise, an established dock with 24 full-service slips capable of accommodating 250-foot superyachts, will see the opening of the Customs House in 2017. This first part of the Marina Village will deliver customs offices for yachting guests, marina services, a fitness centre and crew lounge, making it an unrivalled point of entry for visiting sailors. The ultra-chic beachside bar, SALT Plage, also has a small tender dock making it an alternative point of first-class disembarkation. Nevis airport is rather smaller than its Kitittian neighbour, but makes up for it with speed and friendliness – passengers can expect to be on the road within 15 minutes of landing. The runway is too short for large commercial jets, though a number of smaller airlines offer both scheduled and charter flight to nearby islands. For instance, Tradewind fly daily in high season to St. Barths and San Juan, with Omel Wilkin and her team providing the sort of friendly personal service that makes travelling in the region so enjoyable.