Island Hopping in St. Vincent and the Grenadines

From the purposeful lack of TVs in many hotel rooms to a small blue anti-chain food stall with the words Bequia Pizza Hut hand painted across the front, the charm of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is its authentic old world Caribbean vibe. Described as a throwback to the Caribbean before mass tourism, the destination made up of 32 islands and cays is the antithesis to other countries pushing to grow year-over-year visitor arrivals.

“Our tagline is the Caribbean you’re looking for… We like to think of St. Vincent and the Grenadines as the Caribbean that’s completely untouched, unspoiled, with character and charm,” says Glenn Beache, CEO of the St. Vincent and The Grenadines Tourism Authority. “We’re not a mass tourism destination nor do we want to be. We want to maintain what makes us special.”

During an island hopping adventure taking in some of the highlights of the area like St. Vincent, Union Island, Bequia, Canouan and the Tobago Cays, it’s a sentiment that’s echoed frequently by local tourism professionals and hotel staff alike.

“We like to keep it hidden. It’s a place we like to keep secret. We don’t talk about it too much. I would never want us to be a mass tourism destination,” explains Batu Erem, the general manager for Soho Beach House Canouan, which opened in 2021. “What we like to tailor, what we like to share is that this is your rustic, rugged Robin Crusoe-y type of experience that you’re not going to get in the Northern Leeward islands but it still exists here. It’s casual wellness. This is the place that you come to unplug, this is the place where you come to rejuvenate. There’s no TV in the rooms. This is that little haven and that’s why we like to keep it a secret. It’s like being back in time in the old Caribbean, that’s what we try to preserve here.”

To discover why SVG is the Caribbean you’re looking for, check out the online story here or read it in the magazine flipbook here.