Here’s what we didn’t expect: getting to dinner would be half the experience. Orchid Bay perches on a mountainside, and getting there is its own event — the restaurant runs a dedicated van up and down, and you can taxi over Timothy Hill to the pickup spot (do this, and budget time to stop at the #stkitts sign for photos — it’s a real moment, not a tourist-trap detour).

Once you’re seated, the whole evening slows down in the best way. The menu is preselected family-style, so instead of agonizing over a menu, you’re just… there. Following artisan breads and a fabulous caesar salad, our menu ran heirloom tomato and burrata, a fritto misto, wood-fired carbonara and funghi pizzas, bucatini all’amatriciana, lamb sugo, and cannolis to close it out — course after course, no rush.

That’s the real magic of Orchid Bay: your table is yours for the night so staff didn’t blink when we wanted to pop down to the overlook mid-meal for photos. Absolutely stunning.