SAINT VINCENT & THE GRENADINES |
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a fishing village that , since March 2024 , has a new Sandals Resort as its neighbor — so far , the only international brand to make inroads into Saint Vincent ’ s landscape of locally run hotels . Layou ’ s pier is heaped with the float-weighted seine nets used in traditional fishing .
“ Divers go ahead with a snorkel to locate the fish , then boats follow and drop the nets ,” says Quency , Julica ’ s husband and co-guide . “ Men and women , whole families learn the skills , catching yellowfin tuna , snapper and ‘ dolphin ’ ( mahi-mahi ). And , of course , jackfish , which is fried up for our national dish , served with roasted jackfruit ,” he adds .
We follow the coastal road north as it curves , dips and climbs around rocky bays and small villages where gardens are thick with fruit trees .
“ Almost everyone has coconut and plum trees in their gardens ,” says Quency . “ We make black wine from plums . The best stuff is aged in rum barrels , but the recipes are secret , burned into a Vincentian ’ s DNA . They ’ ve tried to make it on other Caribbean islands , but it doesn ’ t come close ,” he grins .
Saint Vincent is perhaps better known for its other black beverage , Hairoun , a local beer named after the original Carib name for the island , Hairouna , which means ‘ land of the blessed ’. Even today , this definition remains writ large in the sparkling , black volcanic sand beaches strung along Saint Vincent ’ s rugged coastline . And in fertile , coastal hills that rise sharply to a lushly forested hinterland webbed with waterfall-studded trails where hikers can still encounter such
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rarities as the endemic and endangered Saint Vincent Amazon parrot . At its tip , those trails climb steeply to reach the moonscape summit of La Soufrière , the stratovolcano still smoldering from its 2021 explosion .
In fact , such is Saint Vincent ’ s rugged drama , that while location scouting for the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series , Disney chose the island for its virtually untouched terrain , a pristine landscape that could easily date back to the rum-running days of the 18th century .
UP AND AWAY
Rum and fun are the order of the day in the Grenadines , white sand-haloed islands and pristine coral cays that are the preserve of yachties , kitesurfers and — in the case of islands like Mustique and Canouan — billionaires with private jets at their command . But with its network of efficient , island-hopping ferries , yachts and planes , Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is easy to explore whatever your budget — and VIP views abound .
Everyone , locals and visitors alike , on the little 18-seater propeller plane I board in Saint Vincent , has their noses pressed to the windows , oohing and aahing at the scenes below . From the air , the island looks like it ’ s been perfectly outlined in black , sketched with volcanic chalk . Neighboring Bequia soon looms into view . Its dragon-like spine of green twists through deep arcs of white sand fading into turquoise shallows that deepen and darken through a mesmerizing palette of blues into the peacock-hue of the eastern Caribbean Sea .
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Clockwise from above : The beach at Petit Bateau , Tobago Cays Marine Park ; Marlon Joseph and Desron ‘ Lava Man ’ Rodriquez hiking La Soufrière ; the Saint Vincent Amazon Parrot |
images : Karolina Wiercigroch ; getty |
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