Over-water spa treatment rooms inspire relaxation at Raffles Resort

on Canouan Island. Opposite: Lovely

Saltwhistle Bay embellishes the 1½-square-mile isle of Mayreau.

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B y d a v i d s w a n s o n P h o t o g r a P h y B y j u s t i n L e w i s

the beach lover’s Guide

to the grenadines

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Bequia Bequia (pronounced BECK-way) is a spindly seven-square-mile outpost six miles south of St. Vincent. Easily explored on foot, the island seems to be perpetually on the cusp of discovery, and its population of 5,000 is welcoming and friendly. But a scarcity of water has hindered full-scale tourism, and Bequia clings proudly to its rich maritime heritage. In the bucolic sailing hub of Port Elizabeth, fishing boats line the waterfront and craft stores sell model boats that continue the island’s long boatbuilding tradition in minia-ture. The Easter Regatta is the highlight of the year, and you don’t need to know a jib from a jibe to enjoy the festivities.

A strip of sand fronts Port Elizabeth, and the south end of busy Admiralty Bay has an untended beach with an abandoned resort hiding in the weeds. Immediately south is the first of the archipelago’s beauties, Princess Margaret Beach, whose gentle surf the English royal reportedly enjoyed while on her honeymoon. It’s best reached by water taxi, and skiffs make the short hop from Port Elizabeth for about $6. A short dis-tance farther is snorkel-friendly Lower Bay, the island’s longest strand, where calm waters are partly sheltered by reef and Sunday picnics are an island ritual.

Friendship Bay is Bequia’s busiest beach, a narrow arc anchored at each end by the island’s largest hotels. Cir-cling north, Hope Bay’s often-deserted horseshoe cove is accessed on foot via a horrendous road. Quiet, reef-protected and lined with gray sand, Spring Bay and Industry Bay are backed by the sce-nic remnants of coconut plantations. » Where to Stay » Bequia boasts the Grenadines’ best array of inexpensive

and moderately priced accommoda-tions, such as Kingsville apartments near Lower Bay, where eight air-conditioned one- and two-bedroom cottages have full kitchens. From $80 in low season ($100 high). 784-458-3404; kingsville-apartments.net

Above Friendship Bay, the new Bequia Beach hotel is the island’s largest resort, with 35 rooms decorated in swank plantation style, plus a pool, spa, restaurant and beach bar. From $180 in low season ($250 high). 784-458-1600; bequiabeach.com

Firefly Plantation Bequia has only four rooms, but the revamped inn on a working farm overlooking Spring Bay is now the island’s most exclusive abode, boasting a pool, an open-air restaurant and chic accommodations with expan-sive balconies. From $395 in low season ($495 high), including full breakfast. 784-458-3414; fireflybequia.com » Where to eat » Longtime favorite Mac’s Pizzeria serves mouthwatering lobster pies along the Port Elizabeth waterfront. 784-458-3474

Tucked between the rocks at the north end of Princess Margaret Beach, Jack’s Bar offers good food and strong drinks served on wide terraces shaded by swaths of canvas; arrive in the morn-ing and odds are you’ll still be here at sunset. 784-457-3762

In Lower Bay, Dawn’s Creole Beach Café serves island food next to the sand, with live music on Sundays. 785-492-6508 » hot StuFF » Friendship Rose, a 100-foot Bequia-built schooner, offers day sails from Port Elizabeth to Mustique or the Tobago Cays for $125, including snorkeling, breakfast, lunch and drinks. 784-495-0886; friendshiprose.com

UnfUrling soUth from st. Vincent to grenada liketassels on the tail of a kite, the grenadines’ 60 islands

and cays form a stUnning 68-mile-long archipelagothat has largely been spared from mass toUrism by

a lack of direct air access. getting here may reqUire aconnection in barbados, bUt its troVe of pristine

and seclUded beaches is certainly worth the effort.

Opposite, from above: Princess Margaret Beach on Bequia takes

its name from the British royal who

enjoyed its sands; libations flow at a

handful of eclectic watering holes on

little Union Island.

Petit St. Vincent

Canouan

Bequia

Young Island

St. Vincent

Tobago Cays

Mayreau

Port Elizabeth

Kingstown

Union Island

Palm Island

Mustique

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Princess Margaret BuiLt a hoMe on Mustique, and in her wake foLLowed ceLeBs incLuding Mick jagger and david Bowie, who heLPed Make the isLand the Most excLusive Landing in the cariBBean.

Macaroni Beach is

the most famous of the gorgeous strands

that gird Mustique’s 1,400 rolling acres.

Opposite: Exclusivity and serenity define

the five-room Firefly resort on Mustique.

Mustique The most famous Grena-dine, Mustique once had fewer than 100 residents, who eked out a humble living from the sea and soil. Then, in 1958, Scotsman Lord Glenconner (aka Colin Tennant) purchased the 1,400-acre island, and in a stroke of genius two years later, gave Princess Margaret 10 acres as a wedding gift. The princess eventually built a home there, and in her wake followed celebs including Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Tommy Hilfiger, who helped make Mustique the most exclusive landing in the Ca-ribbean. Today its colony of villas and a small hotel are managed by the Mus-tique Company, which strictly controls the private island’s development.

Mustique receives few day-trippers, but you can visit on a chartered yacht or via Bequia’s Friendship Rose. The island’s east-coast beaches are the best, includ-ing lovely Pasture Bay and Macaroni Bay, the latter of which spreads out like vanilla frosting, hemmed in by bluffs and buffeted by steady breezes. Amaz-ingly, Macaroni, the island’s finest beach, is often deserted; ask your villa staff to reserve one of the thatch huts for a barbecue lunch.

Tucked between Pasture and Macaroni and accessible only by trails linking the three is Simplicity Bay, its sands protected from the buoyant

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es, it couldn’t escape notice for long, and a group of investors bought the northern two-thirds of the island, opening what is now the posh Raffles Resort in 1999.

Beyond two resorts, Canouan’s hub is Grand Bay, an appropriately named run-way of silica fronting the island’s main settlement, Charlestown. The south end of the island is Glossy Bay (nicknamed CBH for the old Canouan Beach Hotel), where waves bob gently and children play in the steep rake of sand; it’s the place to be at sunset.

A long reef parallels Canouan’s east coast, protecting beaches from heavy seas. Follow the road toward Raffles but pull over just before the entrance at Windward Bay, where a pair of strands sees few visitors yet yields ex-cellent swimming and occasional sand dollars. Inside the resort, water-sports activity is focused at Godahl Beach. Below the hotel’s amphitheater is the

Atlantic by coral reefs. On the island’s north shore is L’Ansecoy Bay, backed by a plain with coconut palms, and around the corner are the coral-studded sands of Endeavor Bay. Day visitors steer to the main jetty at west-coast Britannia Bay; it’s the only beach with food and drink concessions, and if you follow the shore just past the legendary Basil’s Bar, you can enjoy a peaceful swim. A quarter-mile south, there are picnic areas at Lagoon Bay, where the shal-low cove is suitable for inexperienced swimmers, but avoid visiting in the late afternoon, when sand fleas can be fero-cious. Follow the trail past the rocks on the left and you’ll come to the hidden-treasure Gallicaux Bay, where you’ll find Mustique’s best snorkeling. » Where to Stay » the Mustique Com-

pany has a portfolio of approximately 70 staffed rental villas, with rates for a two- or three-bedroom starting at $5,000 per week in low season ($7,000 high); one nine-bedroom spread will set you back a mere $150,000. How-ever, only a handful of homes are near the sand, including three-bedroom ultramarine, along L’Ansecoy beach. 800-747-9214; mustique-island.com

Between L’Ansecoy and Endeavor bays, an 18th-century warehouse and sugar mill has been converted into the Cotton house. The 17-room luxury boutique hotel is pleasantly subdued; on Tuesday evenings, villa guests and owners fill the Great Room for cham-pagne and canapés. From $520 in low season ($815 high), including daily breakfast and tax. 784-456-4777; cottonhouse.net » Where to eat » Basil’s Bar, on Britan-nia Bay, is the antidote to the low-key elegance of the dining room at the Cotton House. Perched above the sea on pilings, thatch-roofed Basil’s is no ordinary bar, and its menu ranges from Indonesian-style shrimp satay to escar-got and grilled lobster. Don’t miss the Wednesday night jump-up. 784-488-8350; basilsmustique.com

Canouan As recently as the mid-1990s, three-square-mile Canouan was little more than a rustic village of 739 islanders with barely a bed for rent. But with a half-dozen picture-perfect beach-

pretty Carenage Bay. It’s worth an excursion (by golf cart or, more ambi-tiously, on foot) to reach Mahault Bay, where the undertow sometimes makes swimming iffy but the broad, isolated and undeveloped beach is ideal for romantic strolls. » Where to Stay » The 88-villa raffles 

resort Canouan Island lays on high-end amenities, such as Frette linens and personal golf carts, and exceptional service. The 1,800-acre property also has an 18-hole golf course, a superb spa and a casino. From $495 in low season ($850 high). 866-589-2450; raffles-canouanisland.com

The only other hotel is the 40-room tamarind Beach hotel, on Grand Bay, where rooms right on the sand will score points with beach lovers. From $260 in low season ($340 high), including continental breakfast. 784-458-8044; tamarindbeachhotel.com » Where to eat » Godahl Beach Bar & Grill, at Raffles (800-768-9009), offers sand-wiches, salads and a flavorful callaloo soup with crispy barracuda. Tamarind’s beachfront Palapa restaurant has a menu of pastas, pizzas and grilled fare. 784-458-8044 » hot StuFF » raffles’ trump International 

Golf Club is one of the most spectacu-lar in the Caribbean. The par-72 Jim Fazio-designed course winds through 135 hillside acres and snakes over the steep ridges of Canouan’s highest point, Mount Royal, with vistas of hidden beaches below and the other Grenadines on the horizon. Keeping your eye on the ball won’t be easy. 800-768-9009

union Island Union Island appears on the horizon like a South Pacific vi-sion, with 999-foot Mount Tobai (the archipelago’s highest peak) piercing the clouds. This quirky backwater is the Grenadines’ transportation hub and sees lots of traffic but few overnight visitors. Its population of 2,000 is di-vided between two towns, Ashton and Clifton, the latter of which has a small international airport.

One of the Grenadines’ most beauti-ful strands is Chatham Bay, a broad arc of sand that faces the sunset. Park at the top of the hill and walk down the rutted road to the quiet beach, where

day visitors steer to Mustique’s Main

jetty at west-coastBritannia Bay, the

onLy Beach with foodand drink concessions.

if you foLLow the shorejust Past the Legendary

BasiL’s Bar, you canenjoy a PeacefuL swiM.

Guests of Mayreau’s Saltwhistle Bay

Club share access to the beach with visiting yachties.

Below: Fresh lobster grills on Jamesby

Island in the Tobago Cays. Opposite: Basil

Charles of Basil’s Bar on Mustique.

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vendors sell snacks and yachts dot the bay. Around the corner and acces-sible only by boat (easily arranged in Clifton) is Bloody Bay, a steep-pitched and rugged shore where the waves wash the sand in sweeping curls; you’ll probably have it all to yourself. On the north coast, Richmond Bay, also known as Big Sands, has patches of good swimming despite the removal of mangrove stands, which is taking its toll on the beach. » Where to Stay » The 17-room Kings 

Landing hotel fronts the beach and offers motel-like rooms and a pool. From $95 year-round, including breakfast. 784-485-8823; kingslandinghotel.com » Where to eat » Yacht provisioner Captain Gourmet has a delicious array of imported meats, wine and freshly made yogurt and bread. 784-458-8918; capgourmet.com » hot StuFF » Captain yannis sails seven-hour catamaran cruises to Mayreau, the Tobago Cays and Palm Island for $75 per person. 784-458-8513

Mayreau Mayreau (pronounced MY-row) is off the grid, even by Grena-dine standards. Electricity arrived only seven years ago, and there are just a half a dozen cars and less than 300 residents on the smallest inhabited Grenadine, which is accessible only by boat.

Yachties tie up at Saltwhistle Bay, a perfect quarter-moon of creamy sand that coils around a beautiful and tranquil lagoon. It’s a rare double-sided beach, with another stretch of sand snaking along the bouncier Atlantic side. Saline Bay is an attractive cove that adjoins the ferry dock, but sand seekers should follow the trail west to Troissant, a clandestine ribbon of auburn sand. » Where to Stay » Occupying the entire northern end of the island, Saltwhistle Bay Club has 10 rooms with shared roof decks hidden among 22 acres of palms and sea grape trees. It’s one of the most idyllic settings in the Caribbean, but service can be inconsis-tent. From $360 in low season ($480 high), including breakfast and dinner; closed September and October. 784-458-8444; saltwhistlebay.com

In the hilltop village, guesthouse Dennis’ hideaway has five simply ap-

pointed, air-conditioned rooms, a pool and restaurant. From $85 year-round, including continental breakfast. 784-458-8594; dennis-hideaway.com » Where to eat » Saltwhistle Bay offers the only dining near the sand. At robert 

righteous & de youths, local specialties are served in a cheery setting overlook-ing the village. 784-458-8071

tobago Cays If the Grenadines archipelago were a necklace, the Tobago Cays would be its jeweled pendant. This quintet of uninhabited, postcard-perfect

cays is ringed by white-sand beaches so photogenic that one of them (near-flat Petit Tabac) had a bit part in Pirates of the Caribbean. A mile east of Mayreau and wrapped by a horseshoe reef, the best beach in the bunch is on Jamesby. There’s fine snorkeling on the reef, espe-cially east of Baradel, and the cay most suited for picnics is Petit Bateau. The largest cay, Petit Rameau, lacks a beach.

Moorings at the Tobago Cays are in demand, and to minimize environmen-tal impact, the Vincentian government limits the number of vessels in the

marine park to a maximum of 150. Over the last decade marine life has flourished, and spotted eagle rays and sea turtles swim amid the sea grass off Baradel’s southwest shore.

There are no hotels or restaurants in the Tobago Cays; visitors arrive on day trips from Union and neighboring islands or on their own sailboats.

Palm Island When American yachtsman John Caldwell stumbled upon uninhabited Prune Island in the early 1960s, he recognized the mak-

ings of something special. Caldwell leased the 135-acre sandbar from the government, planted thousands of coconut palms and renamed it Palm Island. Its 43-room all-inclusive resort boasts a large beach that curls around a canopy of hammock-laced palms. The broad sweep of sand is the island’s prime sunning and swimming spot, and the stretch to the south is popular with day visitors. Palm Island’s north shore is the longest beach and is great for strolling but less so for swimming, due to a spread of coral. A small beach

on the east side offers the most privacy and excellent snorkeling. » Where to Stay & eat » Almost all of the rooms at Palm Island resort are either on the beach or have an ocean view. Even the least-expensive rooms are only a 15-second stroll from the shore-line and are a generous 450 square feet (beachfront rooms are somewhat smaller). There’s also a pool, a tennis court, a bar and restaurants. From $725 all-inclusive in low season ($855 high), including tax and service. 866-237-2157; palmislandresortgrenadines.com

A sensational view of the sun setting over Canouan greets patrons of Raffles Resort’s Villa Monte Carlo casino.

as recentLy as the Mid-’90s, three-square-MiLe canouan was LittLe More than a rustic viLLage of 739 isLanders with BareLy a Bed for rent.

Petit St. Vincent Known simply as PSV, this private island resort five miles from Union Island is encircled by two miles of velvety white sand studded by thatch-roof palapas. Just 22 stone cottages are tucked into the hilly land-scape, each with its own sun deck and living room, and guests summon staff or request privacy by hoisting a red or yellow pennant from a bamboo flagpole. Patrons pass their days swimming, snorkeling or hiking to the summit of the island’s volcanic cone, and at night there’s little to distract from the panoply of stars that illuminates the sky. » Where to Stay & eat » Rates are steep, but Petit St. Vincent is worth every penny. Not all rooms are beachfront, but those off the sand are a quick walk off the shore and offer the most privacy. From $675 in low season ($860 high), including meals; closed September and October. 800-654-9326; psvresort.com » hot StuFF » Just west of PSV, the sandbars Punaise and Mopian offer brilliant sand, dazzling snorkeling and umbrellas for shade.

Carriacou  Languid Carriacou (pronounced CARE-ee-uh-coo), governed by Grenada to the south, is the largest and most populous of the Grenadines. Most of its 9,000 resi-dents make their livelihood from boat building and fishing, and because the 13-square-mile island offers little lodging and has few dining options, tourism is largely limited to day- trippers. However, Carriacou is a find for anyone in search of great beaches,

and the main settlement, Hillsborough, has a decent strand that stretches for a mile on either side of the ferry dock.

Carriacou’s great beauty is undevel-oped Anse la Roche, at its northwest tip; get there by boat or trek 20 minutes from the main road. Just past the village of Windward, Petit Carenage Bay is much easier to reach and boasts a long, often-deserted arc of glistening silica studded with shells. Paradise Beach, just past the airport, offers a much more social scene, with a reggae soundtrack pulsing from a couple of beach bars. Two offshore islands can be reached by water taxi: White Island, off Tyrell Bay, has a beach along its north shore. West of Hillsborough, Sandy Island is a sandbar with a small grove of palm, al-mond and sea grape trees offering shade between snorkel excursions. » Where to Stay » Just a 100-yard stroll from Hillsborough’s ferry dock, ade’s Dream offers 16 air-conditioned rooms, each one with a full kitchen and balcony. From $54 year-round. 473-443-7317; adesdream.com

Two miles from town, the cottages and five-room guesthouse of the Green 

roof Inn sit on a bluff overlooking a tiny beach. The compact rooms are simply furnished but well kept. Try the breezy terrace restaurant. From $70 year-round, including continental breakfast. 473-443-6399; greenroofinn.com

Down Island has rental apartments from $60 in low season ($75 high) and two-bedroom villas with pools from $160 in low season ($185 high). 473-443-8182; islandvillas.com » Where to eat » Lyme and Dine offers a menu of continental and Caribbean fla-vors. 473-443-7979; lymeanddine.com

The fare at Bogles round house might include coconut-crusted mahimahi or slow-braised lamb; expats amble in for Sunday brunch. 473-443-7841; bogles roundhouse.com » hot StuFF » Carriacou Silver Diving offers boat transfers from Hillsbor-ough to Anse la Roche and Sandy Island for $12 per person round wtrip (minimum of two passengers). 473-443-7882; scubamax.com ✸

Petit St. Vincent Resort features 22 cottages set

on its namesake islet’s 113 acres.

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G r e n a d i n e s » B e a c h r e p o r t » access granted » All beaches are public to the high-water mark. Access beyond the

sand on Mustique, Palm island and Petit St. Vincent is controlled by respective resorts. » getting here » liAT (liatairline.com), Mustique Airways (mustiqueair.com) and SVG

Air (svgair.com) make the 100-mile hop from Barbados to several Grenadines islands,

St. Vincent and Grenada. SVG Air also flies from Grenada to Carriacou twice daily. » undress code Sunbathing au naturel is prohibited throughout the Grenadines, but

you’ll be hard-pressed to keep a stitch on when you stumble upon some of the chain’s

more secluded stretches of sand, and the discreet are generally left undisturbed. » getting around You can island-hop your way through the chain by boat; however,

the international border between Carriacou and Union island requires customs clear-

ance. Ferries (784-458-3472) make the one-hour crossing between St. Vincent and

Bequia up to eight times a day; M/V Endeavor (784-457-1531) sails between St. Vincent

and Mustique four times a week; and ferries (784-526-1158) travel from St. Vincent

to Canouan, Mayreau and Union island five times a week for less than $20 one way.

There’s also a twice-daily ferry (473-440-8126) from Grenada to Carriacou, $30 each

way, and Jasper (784-458-8485) sails between Union and Carriacou twice a week.

Access to Young, Palm and PSV is only via private resort launch. On Bequia, Union and

Carriacou, you can rent a car or get around using local taxis or somewhat infrequent

public buses. Many Mustique villas come with a car or driver. On Canouan, raffles’

guests have use of a personal golf cart. The Moorings (888-952-8420; moorings.com)

offers bareboat yachts and all-inclusive crewed yacht charters through the Grenadines. » More inforMation » Bequia: 784-458-3286; bequiatourism.com » carriacou and Petite

Martinique: 473-443-7948; carriacoupetitemartinique.com » grenada: 877-708-9554;

grenadagrenadines.com » st. vincent and the grenadines: 800-729-1726; discoversvg.com