Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lie at the southern end of the Lesser Antilles chain, just north of the South American country of Venezuela. St. Vincent is one of the most picturesque of the Windwards, with quaint fishing villages, coconut and arrowroot plantations and palm-fringed coves of black volcanic sand. St Vincent and its string of Grenadine islands, which reach south to Grenada, offer some of the best sailing, swimming, diving and snorkeling in the Caribbean. Complementing these pleasures are the small comfortable inns that provide much of the guest accommodations on St. Vincent and its sun-swept satellite islands, which include Bequia ( beck-way ), Mayreau ( my-row ), Mustique ( mus-teek ), Canouan ( can-no-wan ) Petit St. Vincent, Palm, Union and Young islands.
The largest island in the chain is Saint Vincent, a volcanic island 18 miles long and 11 miles wide. Food and drink are traditional West Indian cuisine-local fish, island produce and thick soups-as well as international flavors are available at hotels. Wilkie's, in the Grand View Beach Hotel at Villa Point, 10 minutes southeast of Kingstown, offers a typical island meal. Other hotel restaurants worth investigating are in the Cobblestone Inn, Mariners Hotel and Grenadine House. The beaches on St. Vincent at Villa Bay, Indian Bay and the Grenadines are excellent for swimming, sunning , snorkeling and scuba diving. Sailing, boating, fishing and diving equipment can be rented for either half of full days.Cumberland Bay on the leeward coast is a secluded beach, ideal for snorkeling and diving. Just minutes from Port Elizabeth in Bequia, Princess Margaret is a tre-lined stretch of soft sand, named after the princess who enjoyed a dip there in 1958. Casuarina is a white sand beach that runs the entire length of Palm Island. Boating enthusiasts consider Saltwhistle Bay in Mayreau to be one of the Grenadines' most stunning; sailors favor this bay due to its calm waters. Macaroni Bay, on Mustique's east coast, is one of the islands most popular beaches and includes a covered picnic area. The main dive centers are on St. Vincent, Bequia, Mustique, Canouan and Union Island.
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