I Need Help Finding SOmething to do in St. Vincent

[mamaofami]

I'm not interested in a train ride, the Botanical Gardens, etc. Are there any hotels with day passes or beaches with facilities like renting umbrellas, chairs, and restrooms. Thanks.

[Daisyloo]

I think we are on the same cruise with you, and we are equally unsure of wht to do in St. Vincent. The excursions offered by the ship don't really interest us either. I was wondering if we could just get off the ship and see about having a taxi take us on an island tour. :confused:

[Fletcher]

Very boring place, we thought, and our tour was seriously poor - just four hours bumping around in a bus looking at 'views' that hardly existed. There isn't really a beach here, apart from the one directly opposite Young Island Resort. Some passengers on our cruise took a day-trip across to Bequia and had a good time there.

[Daisyloo]

That doesn't sound too promising! :(

[mamaofami]

We're not going on Maasdam until 4/22. By the time you get back you can tell us what you did.:)

[wassup4565]

I agree, if you are looking for an extensive beach with the usual amenities, the best place to find that is Bequia, a nearby island. You could probably arrange a day-trip there within your timeframe, but remember the crossing to Bequia will take close to an hour each way. If the water is rough, that's an additional challenge. It's a lovely island, however, and everything you want in a beach is near the boat landing.

 

But can I inspire you to try something else on St Vincent? I think a very nice way to see the island is by water. There are a few companies that can arrange to pick you up in a boat, and take you along the coast for a few hours. They will stop for snorkelling or beach time if you like, and show you bird life and rock formations as you go along. If luck is with you, you might see a whale or other marine mammal. This way you avoid the twisty up-and-down roads. On our boat tour, we were dropped off at a beach in a small cove while the other folks went snorkelling - my husband spent an hour all alone on an otherwise empty Caribbean beach, imagine that. Experience of a lifetime. I was channelling Pirates of the Caribbean, which was filmed not far away on St Vincent.

 

We went with Hazeco, and on a second trip with Fantasea Tours. Both companies are very good, and there are others too. If you can get half a dozen people lined up from your roll call, you could make your own group. But even if you can't, I'd contact the companies. They may already have a group forming up that you can join. If I had a day on St. Vincent, that's what I'd do.

 

Here's a good website http://discoversvg.com/index.php/en/about-svg/downloads/category/13-sites

 

You'll find info about local tour operators on this site. Hope this inspired you to give St. Vincent a chance. We loved it.

[philly50's]

We were in St. Vincent a few years ago. It isn't very devolped and is so different from other ports. Once we walked thru the shops right at the port our traveling companions decided to go back to the ship.

 

DH and I ventured out, by foot, and had a good time looking around. We came to a two story open air market and took some video that was absoultely amazing. The different colors, items for sale, dialects and activity made for great footage. After that we just walked around, talked to some of the locals who were very nice. We stopped and had a beer at a small bar and the people there couldn't have been nicer.

 

It wasn't all that exciting but it was interesting and we enjoyed our stop there. I'm glad we didn't just stay on the ship.

[Fletcher]

If you like churches, however, Kingstown has three superb ones all facing each other. The Catholic cathedral looks transplanted from Spain; the Methodist one has a perfectly restored Georgian interior and the Anglican one has a beautiful Georgian exterior and an atmosphere graveyard with many wrought-iron graves. The interior is also lovely and there's a stained glass window with quite a history - it was commissioned by Queen Victoria to mark the birth of her first grandson. The window was destined for St Paul's Cathedral in London but when the Queen saw the window with its angel in red she banished it to the colonies. These churches are any easy walk from the dock and are well worth exploring.

[Daisyloo]

Is it possible to just get off the ship and walk around near the port? I can't walk for long distances but am okay for short walks. Is there much to see? Any suggestions as to what to do on St Vincent? Not really interested in any of the ship excursions.

[ianj]

Is it possible to just get off the ship and walk around near the port? I can't walk for long distances but am okay for short walks. Is there much to see? Any suggestions as to what to do on St Vincent? Not really interested in any of the ship excursions.

 

Hi Daisyloo, we're on the same cruise as you. There are the usual shops in the cruise ship terminal and downtown Kingstown is within easy walking distance (about 5-10 mins)

 

There's quite a bit of info on what to see at http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=164

[Daisyloo]

Hi Daisyloo, we're on the same cruise as you. There are the usual shops in the cruise ship terminal and downtown Kingstown is within easy walking distance (about 5-10 mins)

 

There's quite a bit of info on what to see at http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=164

 

 

Thanks! That is most helpful. It looks like we can just get off and walk around and see a bit of the town. That is the most info I have seen on St. Vincent.

Again, Thanks!

[OCruisers]

I agree, if you are looking for an extensive beach with the usual amenities, the best place to find that is Bequia, a nearby island. You could probably arrange a day-trip there within your timeframe, but remember the crossing to Bequia will take close to an hour each way. If the water is rough, that's an additional challenge. It's a lovely island, however, and everything you want in a beach is near the boat landing.

 

Our last time in St. Vincent, we booked a very full day excursion through the ship to Bequia. Only in Bequia for a short time because the main sail of the cataraman broke and it took forever to get us back (2 hours later than "all aboard"). So sorry we had such a very short time there but glad we saw enough to know we'd love to go back.

 

LuLu

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[msmasi]

I contacted the Buccament Bay Resort and enquired about their day passes. $150.00 US includes all food, drinks, 30 minute spa treatment and use of all hotel facilities.

[wassup4565]

I haven't stayed at Buccament Bay Resort, but I saw it close-up from the water on the boat trip we took. The beach was artificially made. It was originally a black sand beach, but the resort wanted white sand, so they imported tons of white sand from Guyana and spread it out on top of the black sand. Aside from the environmental effects, this is what is there now. No shade trees on the beach. A white sand surface piled on top of the underlying black sand. This means a kind of steep drop of a few feet (down from the piled-up sand) to the actual beach, which is, you guessed it, black sand.

 

Look, if all you want is to have a nice waterside day with ever-present service, just stay on the ship by the pool. Truly, Buccament Bay isn`t that nice, and $150 for the day is a total rip-off. I love St Vincent, but Buccament Bay has nothing to do with the culture and life of that island.

 

You should also have a good look at the posts on the St Vincent and Grenadines forum on Trip Advisor about this resort. Not a good corporate citizen.

[wassup4565]

Just checked the Trip Advisor forum on St Vincent. There are several reports that the company that owns Buccament Bay is under serious financial investigations in the UK. Some reports that staff at the BB hotel are not being paid. Be very careful about booking anything at BB right now.

[GrandmaHofmann]

One of the worst ports ever. Looks like it has been abandoned due to some epidemic. Watch out for being cheated on taxis. Our driver claimed we owed him $20 more than we agreed to when we pulled up at the port. We went out to the Pirates of the Caribbean movie set. It was interesting. Not a lot there and it has been left to rot. We were there maybe 3 years ago. Not sure what is left now.

[wassup4565]

One of the worst ports ever. Looks like it has been abandoned due to some epidemic. Watch out for being cheated on taxis. Our driver claimed we owed him $20 more than we agreed to when we pulled up at the port. We went out to the Pirates of the Caribbean movie set. It was interesting. Not a lot there and it has been left to rot. We were there maybe 3 years ago. Not sure what is left now.

If you expect a polished, sophisticated town with expensive restaurants and high-end shopping, I agree, you won't find that in Kingstown. However, it's far from "abandoned" - it's a working Caribbean port, and an interesting and safe place to explore on foot. This is the way the Vincys live, not the way we live.

 

Yes, the "Pirates" film location is not maintained as it was during filming. The Vincys can't afford to keep it up as a theme park, and some of the outdoor sets are falling apart. But you can still see the arched rock formation where the hanged pirates were dangling and walk out on the dock where Jack Sparrow took his drunken leap onto the ship that then sank. There is (or was last year) a sweet little restaurant where we were served by shy hospitality students. What struck me about the place was how small it is, when it actually looked so large in the movie.

 

I'm sorry you were ripped off by a taxi driver, but that can happen anywhere. There are always a few rotten apples. We had only good experiences with taxi drivers in St Vincent.

 

If you want a sanitized Caribbean experience, Kingstown and St Vincent are not for you. If you want to visit a small, struggling island country with its own identity and charm, give it a chance. Look into the shops, especially the grocery store, and see what people are selling and buying. By all means see if the outdoor market is operating that day, and maybe buy some nutmeg and cinnamon. The Vincys are very nice people, and they desperately need the tourism industry.