St Vincent and the Grenadines

St Vincent and the Grenadines
Area: 133 sq miles
Population: 103,000
Currency: EC dollars (Eastern Caribbean dollars)
http://www.svgtourism.com/

St Vincent is the major port and the biggest island. The Grenadines are made up of smaller islands starting closest to St Vincent they include, Bequia, Petit Nevis, Isle De Quatre (Young Island is only 200 yards off of St Vincent,) Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, Tobago Cays is made up of 4 small islands, Union Island, Palm Island, Petit St Vincent. All islands are under the same government.

Upon arrival both Brent and I felt that we had just stepped back into Venezuela culture; the people in St Vincent seem to have the same it’s all about me attitude with an extra edge of pushy rudeness to them. After being in friendly tourism based Barbados this was quite disappointing especially considering St Vincent has such a beautiful landscape filled with plush tropical vegetation and tightly packed jetting high mountains.

I can tell you there is definitely a couple of thing that you do not want to miss out on doing while in the area.
La Soufriere is a well studied 4000 foot volcano that last erupted in April, 1979. Of course I did not get to hike up the volcano but the ride up to the starting point of the foot path was full of banana plantations, coconut plantations and thick tropical flora. Brent then set out of foot armed with this camera determined to see the volcano. The day was shrouded in rain fog, mist and delightful periodical breaks in the sun. The path starts out with a steady incline and quickly becomes a upward journey that leads you along a steep volcanic ridge green with bamboo, tropical trees, flora then changing into a deep rock channel and eventually opening up to the great mouth of the volcano. Upon his return he was covered in sweat and wet from his refreshing dip in the mountain streams he stated with a grin from ear to ear that hike was definitely a 9 out of 10!
I would strongly recommend that you look into staying on a sail boat or catamaran for at least two nights if possible. More if you truly want to explore the islands. One of the major attractions of this area is the islands. Sunsail is one of the major boating companies on St Vincent and was located next to our accommodations (Canash beach apartments located on the south west part of the island in Calliaqua Bay) The rates are as low as $210 a day for a Odyssey 35 in low season and as high as $1425 for a Sunsail 434 Catamaran a day. Bareboats can join the flotillas and the fees include damage waiver, fuel, lead crew support, breakfast pack and a welcome punch party. St Vincent is only available for two weeks. $740 for Yachts up to 35 feet and as high as $1,105 for Yachts 45 feet and above including catamarans.
If renting a sail boat is out of the budget then there are slightly different alternatives. There are Ferries that will take you to the following islands but you must stay over night in all situations. Canouan, Mayreau & Union Island. Bequia does have ferries that run daily and will allow you time to look around the island; leaving at 8:00am and returning at 4:30pm. One other option that we took is to take the mail boat Barracuda leaving at 11:00am from St Vincent and returning at 7:30 pm. The boat stops at Canouan at 1:00pm (seems to be by far the best of the islands that we seen during the mail run), Mayreau at 2:00pm and Union at 3:00pm then heads straight back to St Vincent. The cost was 18.50 pp one way but we simply stayed on the boat and were not asked for another fee- YAY. Apparently there is a ferry that goes to Mustique the home of the rich and residence of Mick Jagger, but there is only a phone number (784) 488-8575
The national marine park of Tobago Cays and their famous horseshoe reef is an unquestionable must see and snorkel!!! The problem we faced was timing. The most reasonable tour that goes to the islands is the Friendship Rose a boat tour that leaves Bequia on Sunday early mornings. Therefore you must stay at least 2 nights in Bequia or pay an extra $60 US pp to take a speed boat from St Vincent. The total cost of the sail is $135pp plus $4 US pp for national park fee which includes breakfast, drinks and lunch. We did try to get a ride down there from many other sources and people but the costs were ridiculous.
All the Grenadines are very popular for swimming, snorkeling and sun tanning along with the long powder-white sand beaches and finally the astounding views!
Hiking thought St Vincent and the islands to see many of the high mountains and waterfalls, which of course I was unable to do and it would be free.

During our stay at Canash beach apartments the owner was trying to ensure we seen the best of the island and had his kids take us out on the boat up the east coast to see the spot where Pirates of the Carribbean was filled as well as the great country side.

Land, property and the government:
Land costs very dramatically based on location and island. Prices on St Vincent run between $10 EC to $45 EC per sqft. Buying property here is a lot like purchasing property in Canada. You need a 10% deposit to secure your purchase, and then you must apply for an Alien Land Holding Licence through a lawyer at a cost of $2500 EC or $925 US and can take 6 weeks to 6 months.

Unfortunately this does not seem to be the place for us due to the attitude of the general population and the volatility of the current government. Evidently according to the individuals we spoke to the current prime minister is a little crazy and is in bed with the Presidents of Venezuela and Cuba all of which have a socialist platform. The locals seem to be very anxious about their future and troubled with the lack of interest in developing tourism.

My advice is that you should go to this beautiful area but make sure you are prepared for the people.