St Vinent

[soobs]

We are new to cruising and have only done a TA on QM to NY and Caribbean with P & O in March and are looking to go again in December.

We were very unprepared and due to family illness had no time for planning so this time want to get the most out of our call at St Vincent. I think last time if I've got the right island? we stayed in the port had a few drinks and listened to a rather energetic band?

Think I have heard about Villa beach.

We are lazy cruisers and like to have breakfast in the MDR so are not ready for anything until after 10am (I hate the hustle & bustle of the buffet) we are on holiday so take a leisurely pace, we like to sun bathe so are not looking for a full day off ship, we love sandy beaches and know that St Vincent is not going to give us that but want to get the most out of our stop here which we didn't do last time.

[wassup4565]

Honestly, you are correct, the beaches in St. Vincent are not the highlight. I would only go to Villa if you are really desperate to get off the ship and have a swim any way you can manage to do it. It's just not fabulous at all.

 

Having said that, St V is lovely and the people will not pester you or do you wrong. If you really want to go to a beach, you'd be better off hiring a local taxi driver and asking him to take you to a nice beach. Describe what you want. Do you want chairs? Do you want to be able to buy food or drinks? Do you want white sand? (Black sand beaches are so hot you can't walk on them.)

 

St V is not about the beaches. If all you want to do is lie around, stay on the ship. But it's a sweet country, and a Vincy taxi guy will give you a nice tour and stop to let you look around here and there. Or if you just want to get off the ship for a while, walk around the town a bit. Have a look in the grocery store and check out what is (and isn't) available to buy and what it costs. Watch the people going about their business in town- it's a busy place, and there's lots to look at. If the open-air market is operating on the day you're in port, it's a treat to wander around in.

 

Hope this helps. We spent ten days there. Lovely people, but it's really not set up to cater to beach days for cruisers.

[soobs]

thanks wassup that just about takes care of St V, wander around town then back on board sounds like a plan

[wassup4565]

If you want a bite to eat while looking around Kingstown, look up. For some strange reason, all the restaurants seem to be on the second storey. Of course there are also guys selling snacks from carts at ground level. But if you pick a restaurant on the second floor, you can probably get a seat by the window and watch Vincy life going by below as you eat. You can buy a local beer or coke and a roti for about $5 a person. The roti are very good. Kind of a warm flatbread wrapping up a mix of potato, meat and spices, not too hot but tasty.

 

Enjoy St Vincent! Try to imagine what it's like being them, a small, poor, independent island-nation making their way in the world. As I said, the people are lovely.