The Grenadines Archives

April 17, 2015April 19, 2021

Petit Bateau, Tobago Cays

Encompassing five small islands and one beautiful marine park, the Tobago Cays are a boaters paradise located close to the island of Mayreau in the Grenadines.

The five islands, Petit Rameau, Petit Bateau, Baradal, Petit Tabac and Jamesby, are all in fairly close proximity, each a bit different and each worth exploring.

Petit Bateau – the largest of the five, has a beautiful beach on the north side with views over the shallow channel of Petit Rameau.

The interior of the island has thick vegetation and is home to large number of iguanas and birds.

A short hike to the top will reward you with beautiful vistas of the other Tobago Cays Islands such as Baradal and Petit Tabac as well as other islands in the Grenadines chain.

The tip of Baradal and its beach to the left and Petit Tabac in the distance on the right.

Jamesby to the left and Union Island in the distance on the right.

Petit Bateau is easily accessible by dinghy and we brought a cooler ashore to enjoy a meal among the swaying palms.

The Tobago Cays have gotten a bit more crowded since the first time we visited, but there is still plenty of space to spread out and relax or to explore all that these beautiful islands have to offer.

Have you been to Tobago Cays? Tell us about it!

Petit Tabac

To see more posts on the Grenadines and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC. All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.

June 18, 2014April 19, 2021

Swimming with the Turtles of Tobago Cays

Turtles are not uncommon to see while snorkeling in the Caribbean, although every time I see one I still get a little excited. But this snorkel was different.

We had some time to explore the southeastern shore of Baradal – one of the small islands in the beautiful chain of islands in the Grenadines known as the Tobago Cays. There is a turtle reserve in the clear shallow waters here and we were told that you almost always will see turtles – green turtles and hawksbill turtles- feeding on sea grass there.

The area is phenomenal for snorkeling period, with it’s ultra clear water and abundant sea life and we were anxious to look below the surface.

Almost immediately I spotted several turtles, one quite close! Now I’m not one to feverishly swim after underwater wildlife (except for that one time that I chased a barracuda while snorkeling – not knowing what it was…NOW I DO.), so I stayed put, calmly just floating in the clearest water I’d ever seen. Both turtles swam away, probably searching for just the right patch of succulent sea grass. But suddenly, one of them turned around and came back my way.

As I floated there over his feeding ground, he swam right up to me! At first I wasn’t sure if I should be a little nervous or what. I’ve never heard of a green turtle attack on anyone so I continued to watch in amazement. He swam around me and under me – did I look different than other snorkelers?

copyright Rum Therapy — Gliding in the grass

He was so close that I could even hear him yanking the sea grass out of the ocean floor.

After what seemed to be quite a long time (it was probably just a few minutes!) my new turtle friend swam off to re-join the others.

Sure enjoyed my close encounter of the turtle kind. Sure nice of him to share his space with me.

To see more posts on The Grenadines and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC. All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.

October 30, 2013June 1, 2015

Palm Island, The Grenadines

Palm Island, a private island resort in the southern Grenadines makes today’s entry for our ever growing Caribbean Destination Wish List.

Although we were fortunate enough to spend an afternoon on Palm Island during a week long sail on a Lagoon 440 in the Grenadines in 2008, the short visit made us wish we had a week or more to explore, enjoy and relax on the gorgeous private island with 5 spectacular white sand beaches.

Palm Island offers just 43 accommodations, ranging from guest rooms and suites to villas and the all-inclusive price includes three wonderful meals a day at two restaurants, lounges and bars and beach barbeques.

Palm Island is accessible only by boat and, as they say on their website, getting to Palm Island is just part of the adventure! Guests fly to Barbados and then take an inter-island flight to nearby Union Island.

In contrast to the striking white sand beaches, the water is some sort of magical blue hue that’s hard to look away from. Palm Island makes getting out on the water easy with a wide variety of excursions such as a sail to beautiful Mopion Island, Mayreau or the Tobago Cays, or take a Hobie Cat ride over to Happy Island.

So, what would we do if we had a week to spend on Palm Island? Well, in addition to spending a LOT of time on those gorgeous beaches and in the almost too blue to be true water, we’d love to explore the hiking trails on foot and bike, check out every one of the many hammocks on the island, golf, sail a Hobie Cat, enjoy some private beach dining and definitely find out what the Palm Island specialty rum drinks are!

Have you been to Palm Island yet? Tell us about it!

To find out more about Palm Island Resort, check out their website.

Find Palm Island on our St. Vincent and the Grenadines Map

To see more posts on The Grenadines and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

September 24, 2013April 21, 2021

Sandy Island, Carriacou

Spending time on a deserted tropical island has always held a certain allure to me. Not long enough to name a volleyball (or coconut) Wilson, but long enough to forget the noise of the everyday hustle and bustle and to hear yourself think again. No cell phone service, just the sound of the water lapping the shore…

With the ease of travel nowadays and the popularity of the Caribbean and other tropical locations, it isn’t always easy to find a deserted spot anymore. During two different sails to the Grenadines, we ran across a few islands that we were lucky enough to have to ourselves for a day, or at least a few hours and loved every quiet minute of it.

To see more posts on The Grenadines and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Petit Tabac and Mopion were two deserted and uninhabited islands that we visited during a week long catamaran sail in the Grenadines, and we spent time on Sandy Island, off the shores of Carriacou, during our sail with Island Windjammers.

Sandy Island is not easy to get to (perhaps this is why you can still spend time alone on the island) and is little more than a spit of sand on a cay off of – what I believe is the largest of the Grenadine islands, Carriacou.

Those who sail in the Grenadines have found this little gem, and during high season you might actually share Sandy Island with a few other island loving friends.

Even though our sail was during high season, we enjoyed an afternoon on Sandy Island with just a few of our boatmates, swimming, snorkeling in the clear and abundant water, exploring the tiny island and soaking in the sun (o.k – and a little rum!).

Makeshift hammock on Sandy Island

Floatin’ in the clear water taking pictures of the shore

Leaving a couple of footprints in the gorgeous soft, white sand.

Checking out the coral, shell and driftwood sculptures left by other visitors.

And adding a small piece of driftwood on top of a cairn as a remembrance to the time we got to spend on beautiful Sandy Island, Carriacou.

We spent a few minutes making a video to remember the sights and sounds of Sandy Island, then reluctantly left the little slice of deserted island paradise….

To see more posts on The Grenadines and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

August 24, 2013April 18, 2021

Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary, Bequia

To be truthful, I wasn’t all that excited about going to see a turtle sanctuary on our first visit to Bequia. I thought there had to be SO many other things to check out on this lovely island that I really didn’t want to spend time looking at turtles in captivity. I mean it’s thrilling to see turtles in their natural habitat while snorkeling, diving or swimming in the Caribbean, but turtles in a pen? Reluctantly I went along, and not only enjoyed the experience, but came away with a lot of respect for the man behind the sanctuary, “Brother” King, and the time and effort he has put in to saving the Hawksbill turtle from extinction.

The Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary is located on the north east side of Bequia and we found a taxi in Port Elizabeth to drive us over for a tour. It was a beautiful drive and we got to see some of the Bequia countryside as well as beautiful vistas and beaches along the way.

The grounds around the sanctuary are pretty scenic themselves with many tall palms and meandering goats and chickens.

Orton “Brother” King started the sanctuary in 1995 as a way to protect Hawksbill turtle hatchlings during their most vulnerable time and collects eggs from nearby beaches. He raises them until they are about 14 inches long and then releases them into the ocean. According to his website, “This gives them a better chance to survive, and instead of one from one thousand reaching maturity, this project will help repopulate the ocean sooner with about fifty from one hundred.”

The entrance fee and any donations he receives help to fund his continued work.

Inside the building that houses the sanctuary, there are several pools, each housing turtles of different sizes. The smallest turtles were plentiful and active.

Besides varying in size, the turtles varied in shell color and it was interesting to see that some really had their own personality.

This turtle like to have his back rubbed. He would swim over to people at the side of his pool and when you rubbed his back in the right spot, he’d wiggle his leg – just like a dog!

We spent some time talking to Brother King and asking questions about his operation – which he gladly answered. He’s passionate about what he does and increasing the number of Hawksbill turtles that swim in the waters around this beautiful island.

On the way back to our boat, we were treated to more beautiful views of Bequia and it’s quiet and beautiful countryside.

To see more posts on this and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory.

June 12, 2013April 19, 2021

Jack’s Bar, Bequia

Located on Princess Margaret Beach in Bequia, The Grenadines, Jack’s Bar is a great place to stop to enjoy a cold one with a beautiful beach and ocean view.

Jack’s from the beach

Princess Margaret Beach

Great view of Admiralty Bay and Princess Margaret Beach

Enjoy a Rum Punch or one of many other tasty rum cocktails they offer,

Or sample the local beer, Hairoun.

Serving lunch and dinner and if you’re there on Tuesday, you might want to try out the Tuesday Night Beach BBQ with live music.

Find out more on the Jack’s Bar Facebook Page.

To see more posts on St. Vincent and the Grenadines and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC. All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.

March 28, 2013June 5, 2019

Saltwhistle Bay Beach, Mayreau

A beautiful crescent shaped beach with soft, white sand and incredibly clear, calm water. Saltwhistle Bay Beach is found on the small island of Mayreau in the Grenadine chain. Good anchorage for the boats and yachts that clamor for mooring in the beautiful bay.

Access: Get to Mayreau by boat. Good anchorage (although it’s getting better known by boaters and so it can get busy with boats trying to moor there). We also noticed several larger ships anchored in Saline Bay. From Saline Bay you can hike over the hill through the village of Old Wall and down into Saltwhistle Bay.

Beach: a long crescent of soft white sand beautifully fringed with palm trees. Great for swimming with gentle sandy access and usually calm surf. Shallow for quite a way out. Great walking beach. Separated from the rougher Atlantic side by a small strip of land.

Recommended for: swimming, walking, relaxing and those that don’t need or want a ton of amenities.

Tip: if you have the time, hike up the hill to the village of Old Town. There are several good bars (careful – they serve Sunset Very Strong Rum – good, but potent!), great views and very friendly people.

Other St. Vincent and the Grenadines post that you may be interested in:

Jack’s Bar, Bequia

Coconut Bar, Young Island Resort

Petit Tabac, The Grenadines

Mopion, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Happy Island, an Island and a Bar

copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

March 2, 2013June 5, 2019

Happy Island, The Grenadines

How can you not be happy at Happy Island? A work in progress built in a shallow area in Clifton Harbour, Union Island – part of the Grenadines chain, this colorful oasis is challenging to reach – but well worth it.

The owner/builder, Janti Ramage, built this unique place, which is also his residence, out of conch shells found in the area.

A shallow bottomed boat is needed to get to Happy Island as it sits on a reef in just a few feet of water.

Visitors arriving from Palm Island

We visited Happy Island during a sail on the Daimant (Island Windjammers) which made a stop in Clifton Harbour during our sail and dinghied guests to Happy Island for an afternoon of fun.

Sand, Palms and the Happy Island Bar

Janti is quite the host and loves to visit with and show guests the entire compound which now includes a separate apartment which he resides in.

Janti giving a tour of Happy Island

View of Clifton Harbour and Union Island from Happy Island

We ordered the Happy Island Rum Punch

Rum with a view of Clifton Harbour

Such a unique experience and good rum punch topped off with a show by kiteboarders in Clifton Harbour sailing right over Happy Island.
Awesome.

Have you been to Happy Island?

To find out more, connect with Janti and Happy Island:

Facebook – Happy Island, The Grenadines
Or by email: [email protected]

Find Happy Island on our St. Vincent and the Grenadines Map

To see more posts on The Grenadines and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC