St. Vincent and the Grenadines will forever have a special place in our
hearts. It is where Kris proposed to me! But it is also one of the most
beautiful places that we have visited in the Caribbean. The island is lush with
vegetation and has many mountains. It's volcanic formation has produced wonderful
vistas and Soufiere Volcano which reaches over 4000 ft.
St. Vincent is one of the less developed islands
for tourism, so there are still some undiscovered gems. Kris, myself and our
friends Karen and Sarah, were there for a 4 day weekend, so we only have some limited
information, but the few days we did spend there were some of the best yet!
Where to Stay
We stayed at a place called Sunset
Shores which I found on the internet. It is a quiet resort located on the south
side of the island across from Young Island. From the black sand beach you can se
the moored yachts in the harbour. Young Island is a stone's throw away. The nightly
rate for the hotel was $120 per night; about mid range for St. Vincent. The staff
was friendly and the food at the restaurant there was quite good. Most of the hotels
seem to be located on the south coast. There are plenty of places for every budget.
The Climate
The Caribbean is a sure bet on most days, but this place gets more rainfall then any other
island in the Caribbean so be prepared. We had plenty of sun and heat, almost too
much, but the off season rates make it worthwhile!!
The Money
The currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar
(approx. $2.7 to $1 US). It is a good idea to have travelers cheques and credit
cards handy as the bank machines we tried wouldn't accept any of our cards! US
dollars are widely accepted.
Places to Eat
Lime Restaurant and Pub was very good food and
great service. It is located on the south side of the island near the Young Island
dock. They have an extensive menu. Sunset Shores Hotel restaurant may
not look like much, but the food is very good, although the menu is limited.
The French Restaurant
(yep, that's the real name) which is located right by the Young Island dock is the best
food we had on the island and by far the best service. It is run by this little man
with a leprechaun laugh and an amazing whistle! Bon Appetite.
Things to Do
Our first day we decided to do a bit of island
hopping. The Grenadines, which is the name for about a dozen smaller islands in the
same chain, lie quite close to St. Vincent and there are many ferries and charter boats
that will take you to there. We opted for Bequia which is reachable by ferry for
$28.00 EC return. The Bequia ferry dock is located downtown but can be reached by
local bus without trouble. (Local buses are frequent, fraught with peril as they
normally corner on two wheels, and play hypnotic soca music at 150 decibels. The
fare is less than a dollar but the experience is worth much more!.) The one hour
ferry ride was a little rough, but bearable. Bequia has a population of about 3000
people and is frequented mostly by yachts cruising the Grenadines. Their turquoise
coloured bay is like something out of a postcard. We hopped in a taxi and asked where the
best "beach with bar" was. Without hesitation he said, "Friendship
Bay". The 10 minute drive took us up and down some beautiful mountains with a
great view of the bay below. Friendship Bay was exactly what we were looking for - a
hotel and beach bar located feet from clear blue sea. We ordered out first round and
settled in for a day spent of snorkeling, sunbathing and swimming (oh yes...and
drinking!). The beach bar has the most interesting bar stools in the world.
After a great day our friendly taxi man picked us up and we returned on the ferry.
For our second day we booked a speed boat trip
around the south and west side of the island. We don't normally take these types of
organized tours, but this one was fantastic! A trip to remember. Our captain
Hal and his elderly dad picked us up at the Young Island dock, just steps from our
hotel. We then went across the bay and picked up a load of other tourists.
Throughout the trip he stopped and pointed out different historical locations and
sites. We then went up the west coast to a place called the Falls of Baleine,
located at the northwestern tip of the island and accessible only by boat. We
arrived and he dropped anchor. We all looked at each other thinking "how are we
going to get to shore?". Well...you guessed it....swim! This place has
not yet been ravaged by tourists so it proved a little harder to get to. Around the
bend a few metres, there it was...the 59-foot (18m) falls cascading into a deep,
beautiful, freshwater lagoon. We all glared in amazement!! We swam and jumped
and laughed in the cool water of the lagoon then just sat there and took in the
beauty! It was perhaps one the most beautiful places I've ever been. But the
tour must go on and it continued to get better. We stopped for lunch at a local
restaurant which was quite good and then on our way to a snorkeling spot, out guide Hal
changed courses and told us he had spotted some dolphin. We hurried to the spot in
anticipation. There they were...hundreds of black dolphins, jumping and swimming
almost like there were performing for us. Truly breathtaking!! The whole crew
was mesmerized, exept for the sea-sick lady who spent the whole time yakking over the edge
of the boat.
Well, after a cooler full of rum punch and an
amazing day we returned to our hotel. This trip cost $60 US and worth every
penny. I think that the name of the tour operator was Sea Breeze Nature Tours and
their number is 458-4969.
To conclude, another amazing weekend! We
will return to St. Vincent and the Grenadines someday.
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