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Explore Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
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| Young Island |
Ivona and Bob
Canada
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| May 2004 |
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Country: St.Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG)
Area: Young Island
Hotel: Young Island
URL: http://www.youngisland.com/
Meal Plan: FAP ('Lovers Package')
Airline: Air Canada to Barbados/LIAT to St.Vincent
Date of Visit: April, 2004
Background:
We are frequent travellers to southern destinations, and when we were looking for that extra special place to get married and honeymoon, Bob immediately thought of SVG, based on his past sailing trips to this area. We both wanted something quiet and out of the way, romantic, classy yet unpretentious. Young Island fit the bill perfectly.
(I have written a separate wedding summary on this website under Caribbean Weddings for those of you who are interested.)
Airport and Check in:
Currently, there are no direct flights from Canada to St.Vincent due to the fact that they have a very small airport with an even smaller airstrip. Therefore, to get there, you must first fly into Barbados, St.Lucia, Grenada or any other major Caribbean island with an international airport and connect with an airline such as Air Jamaica, LIAT, Mustique Air, BWIA, TIA, etc. We flew Air Canada to Barbados and LIAT to St.Vincent (Dash-8 aircraft). Our connections were flawless and I have nothing but praise for both airlines. Be prepared for slow processing at St.Vincent customs/immigration. No computers on the desk, all the work done by hand! But when the flight only has 30 people, its not a problem.
The Area:
St.Vincent is the biggest island of the archipelago which makes up the country St.Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG for short) and is also where the capital city, Kingstown is located. Citizens are affectionately known as "Vincies". St.Vincent is drop dead gorgeous with its rugged mountainous terrain, lush green vegetation and unspoilt black sand and cream coloured beaches. Geographically it is much more similar to St.Lucia, Martinique, Kauai or Hawaii than other Caribbean countries such as Barbados, Aruba or St.Maarten.
The Grenadines are the real jewels of this area. These are some of the most gorgeous islands you will see anywhere. Some of these islands are uninhabited (such as Baliceaux and Battowia) while others have small communities and cater to tourists (Bequia, Canouan, Union), while still others are private resort islands (Petit St.Vincent, Palm Island, Young Island) and of course, the playground of the very rich and famous, Mustique with its opulent villas and ultra privacy (most of these villas can be rented via the Mustique Company).
It is no wonder then that SVG attracts sailing enthusiasts, “yachties” and divers from all over the world to explore its crystal clear calm waters, rich marine life and deserted beaches.
The Resort and Clientele:
Young Island provides free transfers from the airport via taxi; about a 10-15 minute drive. We arrived on a Monday, but our room was not available until Tuesday, so we had made arrangements to stay at the Mariner's Hotel which is right across from Young Island. Mariners is a very nice, small (30 rooms or so) hotel with a modest-sized fresh water pool and lounging area overlooking the beach and sea and a lovely French cuisine restaurant called The French Veranda. We also spent our last 3 nights of our SVG stay here.
For more information, here is their website: http://www.marinershotel.com/
When we first docked at Young Island, our first impression was, "WOW", plain and simple. Our bags were whisked away by the waiting staff, while a smiling bartender brought welcome drinks. We were also greeted by the on duty reception staff (they came to us, not the other way around!) who took us first to the office to fill out the registration forms and then on to our cottage.
During our stay, the resort was at about 50% occupancy. The vast majority of guests were from the USA. Some of the day visitors (who would come for dinner or for drinks) were from France and other Caribbean countries, but again, mostly Americans. We did not meet or see any other Canadians although we did see several sailboats they flying Canadian flags.
While this resort is not deemed adults only, and we certainly saw families with kids staying there, I would strongly caution those with very young children. Unless your kids are very independent and are content just hanging around a beach, I would think twice before bringing them here. This is a quiet romantic destination resort and not really geared to kids' schedules and preferences (ie: no TV, no animation staff, no playground, set meal times, etc.)
The Room:
Rooms at Young Island are called 'cottages', with the luxury suites more akin to villas than cottages. There are 3 classes of cottages: Superior, Deluxe and the Luxury Suites. The Superior cottages are the smallest and most basic, while the Luxury Suites are drop dead gorgeous and very spacious. For example, one of my favourites, number 30 is a cantilevered multi room villa perched high on a hillside with commanding views of the sea and other islands with utmost privacy.
Since this trip was special, we booked cottage number 6, one of the two beachfront Luxury Suites (the other being number 10). Our jaws dropped (again) when we first entered the cottage. The front door opens into a white wicker furnished sitting area with all-around windows that are designed to maximize the cooling breezes. The sitting area contains a wicker couch, two wicker easy chairs and glass coffee table with a gorgeous huge bouquet of large antheriums, a bookshelf wall with reading material (I noticed mostly English books, though there were a couple of French ones as well) a glass dining table and two chairs, a fridge, a coffee maker, an electric kettle, coffee/tea/sugar/ and milk in the fridge, ice bucket (which is replenished daily by the maid) china cups, juice glasses and wine goblets. This room leads into the next room, which is the bedroom. Here, again completely surrounded by shuttered windows is a king-size bed, a wicker desk with a vase with smaller red and white antheriums and a large scented candle in a holder, a chair, a large closet with a closet light, shelving and a safe (no extra charge for the safe). Another door leads to the bathroom with sink and toilet, and yet another door through the bathroom leads to the 'piece de résistance'; the outdoor shower! This particular door is designed to either close off the toilet/sink area, or the patio area. The outdoor shower has a wooden fence with lots of greenery behind it for complete privacy, and includes several large wooden hooks for hanging towels, wet bathing suits, etc. They also include one of those folding laundry hanging gadgets with clothes pins which you can move anywhere with a hook so that your wet things dry very quickly. The bathroom is equipped with both types of electrical outlets and wiring: the European 220V and North American 110V. We brought a converter but did not need to use it. Note that tap water here is potable and completely safe to drink. Included also is shampoo, conditioner, full sized bar of soap, hand soap, sewing kit, hair bonnet, and towels, including beach towels. My idea of heaven was the fact that the room does NOT have: A/C, a TV, a phone or alarm radio; in other words, no artificial distractions from this quiet, romantic getaway. If you must communicate with the outside world, the office provides a closed in telephone area as well as complimentary high speed internet access. They do ask that you limit your internet use to no more than 15 minutes at a time. Each of the two main rooms has its own glass door leading to the patio area, another 'piece de résistance'! The patio area is large and encircles the cottage. The Luxury oceanfront suites are the only two cottages that also have a plunge pool. This sure is a sweet feature!! Besides the plunge pool, there are two lounge chairs (with cushions), a dining table and two chairs, a covered hammock, a gazebo overlooking the sea with 3 wrought iron chairs and table, and of course, a gated access to the beach. A conveniently located basin filled with water allows one to rinse sand off feet after a return from the beach. Groundskeepers visit every couple of days or so to clean and inspect the plunge pool filters and generally clean the gardens.
So you can see, trying to decide where to sip one's morning coffee, or where to enjoy that final drink before turning in was a daily dilemma!
Beach(es) and Sea:
Young Island has its own golden sand beach that starts near the dock area and mini-reef and wraps around the island to where cottage number 10 is located (it is shown on the map on their website). The beach area is cleaned daily. There are numerous lounge chairs and a few covered hammocks available for those who like to spend their days on the beach. Since our cottage was beachfront and we had such wonderful privacy, we spent very little time on the beach but chose instead to relax on our patio. During our stay, there was usually no more than a handful of people on the beach, so most of the chairs stayed unoccupied.
The island is separated from the mainland by the Young Island cut, a 200m wide channel. Given the sheltered location and good bottom, it is a favoured anchorage for yachts. The water at Young Island is very calm, and is of that exotic turquoise clear variety. It gets deep quite close to shore, so one doesn't need to go far to swim in deep water. You do have to stay away from the boat channel, as boats tend to come and go during the day. You can snorkel right off the beach either at the mini-reef, towards Sunset Point, or out towards the opposite side of the island. The best snorkelling though, was in front of the Mariner's Hotel. I was really impressed by the number of sponges, anemones, coral formations, and fish.
Pools/Jacuzzis:
Young Island has one salt water pool constructed of natural indigenous stone and is completely surrounded by lush mature vegetation, giving the pool a very natural, exotic feel. In tune with the quiet, relaxing theme of this resort, there are no slides or diving boards. A few lounge chairs (again, with cushions) and sun umbrellas are scattered around the pool's perimeter. We used the pool a few afternoons and were almost always the only people there. The pool was open 24/7 except for one 24 hour period for cleaning.
It was really nice having our own (freshwater) plunge pool. An accessible switch allows the turning on/off of the water jets. Only cottages number 6 and 10 have a plunge pool. Although not heated, it was warm enough just from the heat of the sun.
Dining/Drinks:
One doesn't 'eat' at Young Island, one 'dines'. This is not the place for crowded, noisy, all you can eat Vegas style buffets with long line-ups. You will not find burgers, hot dogs or nachos on their menus. Eating ‘al fresco’ style at one of their seaside dining gazebos while catching a glimpse of a busy hummingbird or strolling peacock family at Young Island is a sensuous experience. One to be savoured not rushed. The lunch and dinner menus change on a regular basis; sometimes daily, sometimes every couple of days. To get an idea of the type of meals they serve, please visit their website and click on 'Menus' to view a list of representative signature dishes. I fell in love with their daily catch specials, which during our stay was usually either Mahi-Mahi (dorado, dolphin fish) or Kingfish. Every day it was prepared differently, and every day is was scrumptious. We can attest to the freshness of their fish, as we saw almost daily visits by fisherman hauling huge fish into the kitchen! Also memorable was the steak, the lamb chops and of course the Caribbean spiny lobster which luckily was still in season during our stay (season runs from Sept 1st to end of April). Absolute heaven! For those of you with a bread fixation, you will be happy to hear that at lunch and dinner you will always have the choice of 6 types of freshly baked breads (e.g.: whole wheat, coconut, cinnamon, white, raisin, and banana). One night a week they do serve lunch and dinner buffet style. The buffet during our stay on Saturday was comprised of salads and West Indian dishes such as curried goat and rice and peas. That evening they also had a steel band playing during and after dinner. The wait-staff are incredibly polite and well trained. They seem to appear just when you need them, without appearing to be hovering. You will be asked to sign for each meal and drink order.
The meal plan does not include drinks. You can order drinks from the bar, and they have absolutely everything imaginable, including an extensive wine list, or if you wish to save a few dollars, you can always stock your room fridge with beer, juices, soft drinks, rum, etc. from one of the local supermarkets. The few drinks I have sampled were extremely good. Do try the specialty drink served out of a hollowed out coconut at the Coconut Bar. I cannot remember exactly what the ingredients were, but I do recall rum, coconut rum, coconut milk, and coffee liqueur. Very yummy! I have also discovered a new drink here which happily I have been able to recreate at home, called the 'Salty Dog'. To a salt rimmed glass, add vodka and ice and top with grapefruit juice, that's it. So refreshing! And speaking of bars, there is one main bar which has both a covered seating area as well as an outside area. This bar also caters to day trippers and can be a lively place. It is open all day and into the evening. During the day, the Coconut Bar is open. The Coconut Bar is the floating bar you swim to that you will see in many of the Young Island pictures.
Don't miss the weekly manager's cocktail party at which will give you the opportunity to meet Young Island management and other resort guests while sipping a drink of your choice, munching on hors d'oeurves and listening to a local steel band. We had the pleasure of meeting the assistant manager as well as the colourful Bill Tewes who operates Dive St.Vincent, a topnotch diving/excursion company just across the channel from Young Island.
The Staff:
Staff are all extremely courteous, professional, hard working and never obtrusive. Even the office personnel, the usual weak link of many a resort, were friendly and helpful. Although gratuities are included in your stay, we gave a few EC or American dollars to the hard working maids, and the surprised happy smiles we received in return were well worth it. We seemed to have a different maid every day, so if you are going to tip the maid, do so on a daily basis since you rarely get the same one twice.
The Sail-away:
If you stay a week or more at Young Island, you have the option of spending your first or last two or three days on one of their two sailboats. (one is 44' and the other is 48'). The two day sail-away takes you to Mustique and Bequia, while the three day takes you to those two islands plus the Tobago Cays. Since Bob was really keen on the Tobago Cays (with good reason) we opted for the three day sail-away, and we chose to do this at the end, rather than the beginning of our stay. Each boat takes a maximum of 4 passengers, plus the skipper and the cook. We were lucky as we were the only two passengers on the (larger) boat. Everything is organized by the hotel, and the process is very simple. They confirm your sail-away dates both before you arrive and a day or so after your arrival at the resort. The day before, you are asked to come to the office for a briefing. This briefing consists of the office staff explaining the scheduling and assisting you with making your meal choices for the trip. They supply you with several menus, and you simply pick and choose what you like. Drink choices are made separately at the bar the evening before departure. The morning of the sail-away, you pack what you wish to bring on the boat with you, and the rest is kept in storage by the resort. Your valuables (ie: wallet, passport, etc.) are sealed in an envelope and kept in their safe. You show up at the dock at the appointed hour, and off you go.
Our skipper George told us we would be sailing to Mustique first, then to the Tobago Cays and Bequia last. The passage to Mustique proved to be quite a rough ride. This was my first such sailing experience, and I honestly did not know what to expect. Luckily, it wasn't this way the entire three days! Somehow I managed to stay dry and did not lose my breakfast. Mustique in and of itself doesn't look like much (St.Vincent is much prettier). It is hilly, and not as lush as St.Vincent. There are several picture perfect beaches though, and of course, the private villas are gorgeous beyond description. You can purchase a picture book that lists many of the island's villas. A visit to famous Basil's Bar is a must. The friendly wait staff of this lively outdoor (but covered) bar and grill serve all sorts of exotic drinks and great looking food. It is a very popular hangout for visiting “yachties”, as well as the villa clients and provides live entertainment on certain evenings. (Ask the waiter if Mick is on the island. Apparently when he is here, Jagger likes to attend the Wednesday evening “jump-up” and barbeque). Other than a couple of souvenir and gourmet food shops and a fisherman’s coop, there is not much else here (hence the island's popularity with those seeking privacy and anonymity). We donned our snorkelling gear and hopped off the boat for some decent snorkelling near the shore. I think we saw the largest school of fish we have ever seen snorkelling.
The Tobago Cays (the Cays) are a grouping of uninhabited islands with movie poster white beaches and a glorious clear sea of several colors of blue and turquoise. The water is so incredibly clear, that Bob says if you placed a newspaper on the sea bottom you could read it from your boat. This is not an exaggeration. That fact plus the shallowness of the water make this spot probably the best snorkelling that I have experienced in my 20+ years of southern travel. This area has also been used in filming of the 'Pirates' movie. Enterprising locals ('Ocean Mall') will come to your boat with small boatloads of various T-shirts and other souvenirs should you wish to make any purchases.
Our sail to Bequia, although not as rough as to Mustique, was a tough one on account of the winds and currents. But our skipper George with over 27 years of experience made it seem easy. Bob was happy that George let him take the wheel every day and even more excited by being able to bring the boat in to the Cays. Me, I just hung on for dear life and was quite content when the boat stopped moving so I could enjoy my drink! Bequia is the quintessential Caribbean island. Its terrain is very mountainous, its light sand beaches are uncrowded and left to their natural beauty, and its waters are clear blue/green and wonderfully warm. There are several small towns here. We anchored of Port Elizabeth in Admiralty Bay. This is a small lively port town buzzing with tourists and locals. Small shops, kiosks, churches, hotels and bars dot the harbour front. In the evening, a short dinghy ride away, you can visit either the Frangipani or the Whaleboner for drinks and live entertainment.
We thoroughly enjoyed these 3 days. Danny, our cook whipped up gourmet-style meals that went completely beyond our expectations of what 'boat food' would be like. We were able to visit and enjoy places I have never heard of, but will definitely return to some day. Unless you have serious issues with sea sickness, I highly recommend the sail-away option.
Excursions, Activities and Entertainment:
The resort is a haven of peace and relaxation. Other than swimming, snorkelling, tennis and the use of their sunfish sailboats you are on your own when it comes to entertainment. Here you will not find a boisterous animation team, noisy pool games, beach volleyball or evening shows, with the exception of a steel band once a week and the manager's cocktail party (see Dining/Drinks above). For those of you who enjoy walking, the walk up to the top of the island towards the tennis courts and Blue Parrot Point is dotted with all sorts of exotic flora and fauna. The lookout points offer breathtaking views of Fort Duvernette (closed now due to landslides) and the surrounding area. Check out the sunset at Sunset Point and don't forget your camera.
If relaxing proves too much, go to the office and check out the many tours and excursions that are offered by several tour companies. The office staff will be more than happy to make arrangements for you. It was during our last 3 days in SVG (when we were staying at the Mariner's) when we did our sightseeing. We did some shopping, we went on an island tour by boat which included Baleine Falls, and we visited the Botanical Gardens in Kingstown. I highly recommend the trip to Baleine Falls. You can only reach these falls by boat, and they are truly a lovely place. They reminded me somewhat of YS falls in Jamaica but without the commercialism. You can swim at the falls, and the fresh water is clear and exhilarating (and a bit chilly). We booked this trip with Dive St.Vincent, and we found our two guides very friendly and knowledgeable, although if you don't like going fast in a speedboat, this may not be for you! They made sure they slowed down or stopped at points of interest; the bat cave, the old leper colony and natural bathing area, and Petit Bayahaut (an eco resort and area). After the visit to the falls, we stopped at Wallilabou Bay which was the location where much of the Disney movie, 'Pirates of the Caribbean' was filmed. Many of the movie sets are still standing (tap them and listen to the hollow sound) and you can walk around and take pictures. This is also where we stopped for lunch (not included in our package, but cost only about 20EC dollars per person). You can purchase some souvenirs here such as handmade bead and seed jewellery as well as 'Pirates' T-shirts. After lunch we stopped again at Petit Bayahaut for snorkelling. Be sure to bring either your own gear, or borrow from the hotel. Most people did not stay in the water for too long on account of the many jellyfish that were around at that time. The fan coral at this location was quite impressive. On our way back, they took us close to a passing pod of frolicking porpoise. It was fascinating to watch these playful creatures as they jumped out of the water.
The next day, since it was Sunday and raining, we decided to take a taxi to the Botanical Gardens rather than attempting to bus it. Our taxi driver returned at the appointed time to pick us up when we were finished. We were told that a two hour visit would suffice but I could have easily spent half a day there. Our guide, Errol made it that much more interesting with his seemingly limitless knowledge of the many diverse plants. There is no fee to get into the Gardens but you are expected to tip your guide. Trust me, this is well worth the 10, 20 or so dollars you will spend. We were both very impressed by the variety of flowers and trees at the Botanical Gardens. They seem to have specimens not only of native varieties, but from all over the world. We saw baobab trees, bottle brush trees, cannonball trees, jade flowers, cashew trees, nutmeg trees, clove trees, mahogany and monkey trees just to name a few.
By the time we got back to our hotel, the sun was shining again and there was enough time left of our last day to enjoy some last minute swimming, snorkelling and relaxing by the pool.
Shopping:
If your favourite vacation pastime is shopping, then I suggest you forget about going to SVG. This is not a shopping mecca such as St.Thomas, St.Maarten or Aruba. If you do want to bring home some souvenirs (and who doesn't?) you will have to make do with T-shirts, local rum, hot sauces (they have some terrific ones), jams or jellies, local music CD's and perhaps some bead jewellery. The most valuable item you can bring home (tax free!) are your memories of a beautiful country.
Do keep in mind that most stores are open half days on Saturdays and closed on Sundays. There are several supermarkets where you can purchase drinks, munchies, sundries and liquor. The closest and best seems to be the supermarket across from the airport. It was even open on Sunday (until 11:00am). You can take the local bus (colourful marked vans) for about a $1 EC, or a taxi. I do not recommend walking since there are no sidewalks, and the twisty-turny roads replete with zany drivers make the walk just a wee bit scary and dangerous. We did it once and that was enough to convince us. As in Jamaica, Barbados and St.Lucia, driving is on the left side of the road.
Climate:
Our trip was during the so called dry season (Nov-April) but similar to Jamaica or St.Lucia, St.Vincent is very green and lush and understandably gets some precipitation even during that particular season. We got some rain almost every day. The rain usually happened early morning, late evening and at night. There was sufficient sunshine in our two weeks holiday that we never felt 'rained out'. Never did we feel the temperatures to be oppressively hot nor overly humid, mostly on account of the constant breezes. Since I thrive in a tropical climate, I am unfortunately very biased in this regard!
Insects:
Due to the sizeable population of lizards, geckos and birds on Young Island, there were very few insects around. We had a few small ants that would visit the bathroom now and then, but the hotel supplied a can of 'Raid' in the bathroom cabinet which did the trick as needed. In the evenings, we occasionally got a bite or two on our ankles from mosquitoes, but never more than that. Since we did not spend any time on the beach in the afternoons or evenings, I cannot comment on sand fleas.
The only gross bug that surprised me was one of the large southern varieties of cockroaches that showed up in the sailboat, talk about a stowaway!
In Conclusion:
If you are looking for a break from the usual 'tourist factory' style of resort, or are looking for a very special place to spend some quality time with a special someone, Young Island is an excellent choice. Here you have the benefits of a private island, but are still close enough to the 'mainland' to enjoy excursions and visits to town, should you desire. It is a classy yet casual place, but never pretentious. It was a perfect choice for us.
If you still have questions, email me at: Ivona_Lancaster@hotmail.com
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