Nestled in between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean is a necklace of 32 paradise islands and cays called St Vincent and the Grenadines popularly known as St Vincent.
Spread out over 240 square kilometres, St Vincent is part of the Windward Islands and some 40 kilometres north of St Lucia and east of Barbados.
Only nine of the 32 gorgeous islands are inhabited. The main island is 18 kilometres long St Vincent followed by Young, Conouan, Bequia, Mayreau, Union and Palm islands.
Put together they are endowed with intense natural beauty, amazing beaches and climate as warm and welcoming as the locals. Unlike other parts of the Caribbean, which are more commercialised here you are more relaxed and will find less pressure and pester-power being used to push you into shopping sprees.
Its idyllic beaches, luxurious hideaways, turquoise lagoons, coral reefs and lush tropical rainforests offer plenty of opportunities to enjoy at this destination and opportunities for yachting, scuba-diving and just relaxing on the beaches.
Take a day out on dolphin and whale watching safari and you will enjoy the unforgettable experience of watching whales diving or a pod of dolphins skimming across the azure seas. St Vincent has several species, including sperm, pilot and humpback whales; spinner, bottlenose and common dolphins.
The best time to see plenty of them is between December and April though they are around in small numbers all around the year.
You can also see turtles on the relaxed and friendly Bequia island with white sand beaches, exclusive bays and turquoise seas. It is popular with honeymooners and beach lovers who are seen frequenting the island’s excellent restaurants and bars.
One of the best places to watch turtles is the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary on Park Bay. You can also head out to the Tobago Cays, an intimate cluster of five inhabited cays and lagoons full of green turtles and multiple species of colourful fish.
The capital Kingstown has a population of less than 50,000 has its own attraction. Locals say this little city’s beaches are ranked among the best in the world.
Kingstown has its own charm with French and British colonial influence but sadly some of its old buildings are in a dilapidated state and need maintenance. The old architecture of the Kingstown Police Station building looked attractive to me.
WORKING TOWN
Kingstown is not strictly a tourist attraction but a working town where you can spend a day or two en-route to the more touristic parts of the island. In Kingstown you will see local people share a slice of the real Caribbean life by enjoying sights, smells and noise of their daily lives. Kingstown’s top attractions include St George’s Cathedral, Botanical Gardens, Fort Charlotte, Serenity Dive, Methodist Church, Buccament Forest Nature Trail, Rawacou Recreation Park, the various markets.
The Market Square is very crowded on weekends with owners of stores, flea and street markets selling items, including spices and trinkets as Vincentian vendors bring in cart-loads of amazing variety of fresh food and fruits to sell. The atmosphere here is so lively with high level of chaos. Vendors overcharge tourists so watch out or you risk being fleeced. The city also has its meat and fish markets which are crowded on market days.
Locals recommend the Rawacou Recreation Park for a quiet swim in a protected area.
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The park features two beaches separated by a wall of rocks with a man-made salt pool. It is a sight to watch as the waters of the Caribbean Sea come crashing on the rocks.
Fort Charlotte is a crowd puller. It has an art gallery which records the history of the island. It takes you back in time with captivating details, paintings and artefacts on display.
The fort is on a higher elevation and from here you can enjoy a spectacular aerial view of Kingstown, port and the surrounding hillside.
The fort also serves as a women’s prison and female inmates can be seen taking their exercises.
A short journey from the town centre is the 249-years-old Botanical Gardens, one of the oldest in the Western Hemisphere and the conservation area of the St Vincent parrot. This well-maintained place is worth the visit for its tranquillity and picturesque background.
Young Island is a tiny privately-owned atoll just a couple of hundred yards from the mainland offers with a luxury resort that attracts overseas visitors keen to enjoy water sports, sailing and hiking.
DISCERNING TRAVELLERS
World’s most discerning travellers head off to the renowned 3.5 square kilometre private island of Mustique in the Grenadines. This has also been a hideaway for celebrities including the former Beatle pop star Sir Paul McCartney. Members of the British Royal family – Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have vacationed there. In fact, the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret Countess of Snowdon built a residence on this island.
Today it has more than 100 villas and Cotton Hotel which welcomes rich guests. Mustique has a local population of 500.
The dreamy and magical two square kilometre Mayreau island is famed for its palm-lined beach and Saltwhistle Bay. The exclusive Palm island Resort is on the 135 acres tropical paradise with a big expanse of tropical white-sand beach spread out with hundreds of palms. The wide variety of islands gives an ideal opportunity to visitors to disconnect from the humdrum of a busy life and enjoy the quiet life in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
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