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This is a bit of a deviation from normal site content.
Which is what is great about having one's one website.
No picky editor to argue consistency. Petit St. Vincent is
a place everyone should know about, so here it is.
Grease stains didn't seem appropriate so I'm going with
the clich conch shell instead.
Petit St. Vincent is a special kind of place - as
close as I'll probably ever get to owning my own private
island in the Caribbean. One hundred and thirteen
lush, tropical acres, two miles of white sand beaches and maybe 30 or 40 other guests to share them with.
Or not. Fly a red flag and you disappear. No one will seek you out.
Petit St. Vincent is
part of the Grenadine Islands, a bit north of Grenada as
the frigate bird flies. These are the windward
islands, separating the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean.
Trade winds blow day and night, off the Atlantic and
across the island. Intrusive at first; soon a
dependable friend. No need for air conditioning
despite the year round temperatures in the 80's.
There are twenty two
private cottages. Some right on the beach, others
high aloft, cut into cliffs. All have a living room,
dressing room and bedroom inside - outside, a private
terrace or patio and a personal hammock for two.
Total privacy. No neighbors in sight. No
phones, television or computer connection either.
Sanctuary. No forced fun, either. The
activities director now swims with the fishes.
Communication is by the
flag pole located along the road at the path to the
cottage. There are two flags, red and yellow.
Hoist a yellow flag and the ever-roaming staff will check
the tube attached to the pole. With a yellow flag
you can command morning coffee, breakfast in bed, a jitney
ride across the island, afternoon tea, sunset cocktails,
or dinner on the terrace. And whatever else you may
need. The red flag signals your desire to be left
totally alone. No visitors, except for perhaps the
island owner's band of golden labs that have yet to have
mastered the flag system. But they are gone as
suddenly as they arrive.
A typical day.
Coffee is waiting on the terrace when I awake.
Breakfast arrives an hour or so later. All
manner of tropical fruit and juices. Caribbean fish soup,
eggs benedict (I customized them with salmon on one
day, lobster on another), kippered herring, or any of the
traditional breakfasts - eggs, pancakes, and french toast.
My cottage is on the
windward side and the water is a bit choppy for relaxed
swimming. So after breakfast, a stroll or
hitched ride to the leeward side where private niches
complete with hammock, table and chairs, and chaise
lounges line the beach. Come lunch, either fly a
nearby yellow flag for a lobster roll and an iced beer, or
hike to the pavilion for the lunch buffet. Very
bountiful. Chilled or warm soup, fresh fish and
seafood, sliced meats, salads and a dessert or two.
Then again to the
leeward beach
or to the cottage to relax and rest up for afternoon tea.
Later, the pavilion for cocktails followed by
dinner. Maybe escargot to start, sautéed barracuda
and some homemade ice cream for dessert. Each day's
dinner menu is on the blackboard by lunch time. To
read a sample menu, click the board on the right for an
enlarged version. Well fed, stretch out on my
cottages hammock under the Caribbean sky, comtemplating
what activities to avoid the next day.
Next day for variety
maybe take a hobie cat for a sail, snorkel the coral
reefs off the island, or charter the sail boat or motor
cruiser for a Caribbean adventure. Or maybe back to
the hammock. Plenty of time for adventure manana, or
perhaps next year.
Getting There: Fly
to Barbados and Petit St. Vincent takes it from there. First an
island hopper to Union Island where you are met by Petit
St. Vincent's Captain. He transfers you from
airplane
to cabin cruiser for a 40 minute voyage to Petite St.
Vincent. There you are greeted with a Pina Colada
and hop on one of the jitneys for the trip to your
cottage.
Pricing: Prices
are on their
website. My wallet and I
prefer semi off season - mid November to mid December.
The charge includes all meals and most everything else
except for alcohol and charters. A 10 percent
service charge is added and absolutely no tipping beyond
that. |
