Air Canada Flights to St. Vincent Start Dec. 14: Here's a Primer

Air Canada rouge begins direct flights from Toronto to St. Vincent on Thursday, Dec. 14. Jim Byers, senior editorial director for Travel Pulse Canada, has been to this beautiful and relatively unknown Caribbean nation (formally known as St. Vincent and the Grenadines) twice. Here are 10 of his suggested things to do and places to stay.

ST. VINCENT

YOUNG ISLAND RESORT – This is a lovely, tranquil spot on the southwest corner of the island. It’s reached by the shortest of ferry boat rides from a mainland station just south of the main town of Kingstown, where the island’s main airport used to be (the island’s massive, new airport was finished only recently). The food was excellent when I visited and it had a great family atmosphere.

BEACHCOMBERS HOTEL – This is a quiet, low-key hotel near the Young Island Resort and south of Kingstown with colourful units in a pretty garden setting. There’s a small pool and a decent, west-facing beach for great sunsets. There’s a nice restaurant overlooking the pool and the quiet bay.

WALLILABOU BAY: They filmed part of the original Pirates of the Caribbean here, and you’ll find mementoes and displays with photos of Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and other movie stars. There’s a small café and bar and you’ll probably find locals selling inexpensive jewelry and t-shirts down by the water. The drive there from Kingstown takes you past stunning landscapes with crinkled, green mountains and roadside bars with names like The White House and Mama’s Place.

DARK VIEW FALLS: There are two sets of falls here, both easily accessible. You cross a small river on a bamboo bridge (not scary and not high) to reach the falls, which drop in beautiful white ribbons from the hills above and plunge down green, jungly cliffs. You’ll also pass through a beautiful grove of deep green bamboo.

OWIA SALT POND: This is a cool rock formation with gentle water that cascades over shallow reefs on the northeast corner of the island. The salt water ponds are protected from the big waves that roll in from the Atlantic, making this a refreshing stop. The coastline south of Owia features dramatic views and black sand beaches.

BOTANICAL GARDENS: St. Vincent is home to an amazing array of flowers and plants, as well as being home to the colourful but endangered St. Vincent Parrot. A tour of the 20-acre botanical gardens in north Kingstown will show off stunning flowers and shrubs, as well as massive trees. There’s also an enclosed aviary where you can interact with the parrots.

THE GRENADINES

BEQUIA – This is the island in the Grenadines chain that is closest to St. Vincent and easily reached by ferry. The boat rolls into a beautiful harbour with homes studding a series of pretty, low hills and docks in a quaint, throwback kind of town (Port Elizabeth) that feels like the Caribbean you never knew. Old men gather under a small tree near the port to discuss politics and locals shop for fruits and veggies at super-casual shops along the main road. There’s a great beach walk that takes you to a couple of great bars and restaurants and ultimately to Princess Margaret’s Beach, a gorgeous slice of sand that’s popular with the yachting set and features a fun restaurant/bar on the water called Jack’s.

BEQUIA BEACH HOTEL – Located on one of the Grenadines islands not far from St. Vincent proper (the ferry provides easy access), this is a gorgeous resort on a nice beach on a quiet part of an already very low-key island. The property has a cool, retro vibe and a wide variety of beautiful units, including small bungalow-style units in beautiful shades of green, blue and egg yolk yellow. The resort was recently renovated.

MAYREAU – If you’re looking for a so-quiet-you-can-hear-a-coconut-drop location in the Caribbean, this is it. There’s a very nice beach on the west side of the island at Saline Bay, where very small cruise ships pull up. From there you can take a walk past a couple of lively bars with North American flags and sports pennants and reggae music blaring, past a pretty church and then over a hill to Salt Whistle Bay, which has what I think is one of the top two or three beaches on the planet; a ridiculously beautiful stretch of sand flanked by pretty headlands and fronted by impossibly green-blue water.

MUSTIQUE AND UNION – It’s hard to get an invite to Mustique unless you’re Prince William, Mick Jagger or Bryan Adams, all said to be regulars or landowners here. Almost as exclusive is Union Island, where there are truly magical white sand beaches and wonderful diving. From there, you can take a boat excursion to Mayreau, Palm Island (try the posh Palm Island Resort & Spa) or the beautiful Tobago Cays, wildly popular with boaters.

GENERAL ST. VINCENT INFO: Click here