ST VINCENT & GRENADINES (Caribbean)

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The Grenadines cover some 145 miles of the Caribbean Sea, south of St. Vincent. 32 islands or Cays (pronounced 'Keys') which make up the Grenadine Islands.

The Grenadine Islands form part of the Windward Islands in the Caribbean and provide an incredibly private retreat away from the hustle of everyday life and some of the best diving and snorkelling locations in the Caribbean.

Only seven of the islands are inhabited: Bequia, Canouan, Mayreau, Mustique, Palm, Petit St. Vincent and Union. Mustique Airways is generally the most popular company to use to get you between the main islands of the Grenadines and other key Caribbean islands such as Barbados and St. Lucia.

Bequia Island, Grenadines - Pronounced 'Beck Way', Bequia is the largest of the Grenadine islands but still remains largely unspoilt. Located nine miles from St. Vincent it has peaks rising over 800 feet. Predominantly a sailing island it is well connected with St. Vincent and other islands both by the airport and by regular ferry to Port Elizabeth (the island's capital).

Canouan - is a crescent shaped island having some of the Grenadines best beaches on its east side where its wide, shallow waters are protected by an extensive coral reef. The French owned Canouan Beach Hotel offers either deluxe accommodation (including beautiful cottages) and is reached from the island's small airport. The island's diving centre is located at the hotel.

Mayreau Island, Grenadines - Pronounced 'My-row', Mayreau is a 700 acre island lying in the centre of the Grenadine island chain adjacent to the Tobago Cays. The island can be reached only by sea and has one small fishing village of around 200 people. There are no roads or cars! This totally unspoilt island offers fantastic walks and views. At Salt Whistle Bay you can find the Salt Whistle Bay Club which offers 10 beautifully designed stone and timber cottages overlooking 3000 feet of divine beach. The tropical garden restaurant has romantic individual cabanas for that special dining experience.

The Tobago Cays are uninhabited and offer some of the best diving and snorkelling outside of the Pacific Ocean with multi-colour fish and corals. Just off Mayreau a horseshoe reef protects the Cays from rough waters and makes for safe swimming and an excellent choice for sailing. The islands have been declared a National Marine Park and all visitors are expected to preserve their beauty and not litter the islands or pollute the pristine waters.

Union Island, measuring only three miles by one mile, has a mountainous terrain similar to some of the pacific islands. Union has an excellent airport and is considered by many people as "the gateway to the Grenadines". A key attraction is the French owned Yacht Club home to an excellent restaurant.

Palm Island is just a mile away from Union Island and is some 130 acres. It is home to the Palm Island Resort - an exceptional, exclusive all-inclusive Caribbean retreat.

Mustique is well known as the destination for Royalty and the rich seeking freedom from the paparazzi. Lying 18 miles south of St. Vincent and in the path of the cooling trade winds, Mustique is a mere three miles by one and a half miles and boasts no vendors, unemployment, virtually no crime, no high rise hotels and an island-wide 20mph speed limit for the few cars which exist on the island. The island consists of wooded hills, fertile valleys and dazzling beaches.

Petit St. Vincent at 113 acres is another privately owned Caribbean Island lying in the middle of the Grenadines. On "PSV" as it is known, you will find 22 luxuriously appointed cottages offering the most beautiful, relaxing and private location for a vacation. The Caribbean ocean is crystal clear in this area giving fantastic conditions for sailing and diving.


Sightseeing opportunities include the bustling Kingston Market, and St George's Anglican Cathedral, built in the early 1800s. The cathedral boasts a stained glass window that Queen Victoria intended for St Paul's in London. Somehow, it wound up in Kingston. On the leeward (west) side of St Vincent is a botanic garden in business since 1762. Among its trees is a descendant of the breadfruit plants brought to St Vincent as a second effort by Captain William Bligh. His first effort was postponed by the mutinous crew of His Majesty's Ship Bounty (subject of another Hollywood smash hit). After viewing the neon-green, leathery leaves of South Seas-style breadfruit groves, go to the aviary for a look at the Grenadines' national bird, the St Vincent parrot. Then there is historic Fort Charlotte, rising 600 ft above the bay at the Grenadines' capital, Kingston. As for nightlife, it's almost sleepy, by Caribbean standards. Kingston, nonetheless, is the venue for live string and steel drum bands at clubs called the Attic and Emotions.

After St Vincent, the main tourist draws are the islands: Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, Tobago Cays, Palm Island, Petit St Vincent, and Union Island, off the southern tip of St Vincent. Johnny Depp is reported to have found Union Island tranquillity much to his liking as a favourite hangout after long hours of shooting Pirates of the Caribbean scenes.

Petit St Vincent is a 113-acre private island ringed in white-sand beaches. Cottage guests raise a flag on a bamboo pole outside their rooms or at the beach if they want room service. Divers hightail for nearby Tobago Cays, tiny uninhabited islands surrounded by a semicircular reef. Three sites at the Cays "just to dive for" are Ends Reef, Horseshoe Reef and Petit Tabac. Palm Island is a private resort with five splendid beaches edged in towering coconut trees. You will find no dearth of beachfront cottages, luxurious plantation suites, and romantic beds veiled in mosquito netting. There might even be fresh tropical flowers sprinkled on the bed.