St. Vincent

The ‘big’ island (it’s only 29 by 18 km) fully lives up to its reputation as ‘the Caribbean you’re looking for’. It’s lush: green is everywhere, punctuated by bursts of intense flower colours. It’s mountainous: almost everything is built on slopes that lead up to cloud-wreathed mountains over 4,000 feet high. The coastline is dramatic, with a wild Atlantic coast of black sand beaches and a gentle Caribbean coast of golden sands and sheltered bays (the Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed in one of these); we saw much of this in the knowledgeable company of Clint and Millie Hazell, owners of HazECO Tours, on an exhilarating speedboat trip up the coast. And St. Vincent has a classic, awe-inspiring volcano that is the centrepiece of one of the Caribbean’s most exciting hiking trails.

You inevitably meet and interact with the people if you choose one of the many hotels and resorts that are small family owned and managed properties with maybe 20 - 30 rooms. We stayed at Grenadine House overlooking the colourful capital town of Kingstown – highly recommended.

Restaurants are a similarly authentic experience. Local dishes are available everywhere – and you hotel may well grow fruit and vegetables on their property. Worst case it is fresh that day from the local produce market. Fish include delicious Mahi-Mahi, Snapper and Kingfish either plain or with Creole sauce. Breadfruit is a common accompaniment and the traditional soup is Callaloo – made from a vegetable something like spinach. Restaurants that we enjoyed include the Sapodilla Room at Grenadine House, the Cobblestone Inn in Kingstown, the French Verandah and the Driftwood restaurants, both right on the shore opposite Young Island.