Good Taste is the Worst Vice

Petit St Vincent

10 things I learned on Petit St Vincent

  1. Call it PSV
  2. Yellow flag means “I have a request”
  3. Red flag means “privacy please”
  4. The Windward Islands are no joke – it’s really windy!
  5. Erica’s hot sauce is also no joke
  6. Request a small lobster – it will still be bigger than your plate, but tender
  7. Petit Martinique is less than a third of a mile away across shallow waters, but take your passport if you swim over – it’s part of another country (Grenada)
  8. Watch out for sea urchins
  9. Fresh ginger tea is delicious
  10. I didn’t miss TV at all!

Yes, it’s true, we didn’t go to Anguilla this year!  Instead, we journeyed a bit farther south to Petit St Vincent, a small private island resort at the very bottom of the Grenadines.

The entire island is just over 100 acres, with 22 cottages, a hillside restaurant, and a beachfront bar.  There are no cars, only blue and white Mini Mokes that zip around like tropical golf carts.  There’s no wifi or TV.

Instead, you get peace and quiet and laid-back relaxation – lots of it!

Our typical day went something like this: Wake up, have breakfast on our patio while watching the birds, do some sailing on a Hobie cat and some reading on the beach, have lunch, read some more.

We’d walk to the beach bar for a sunset cocktail, stopping along the way to wave hello to our friends playing in the staff football (aka soccer) game on the lawn below the restaurant.  After dark, it was up to the restaurant for dinner.  And before bed, we’d count shooting stars from our patio.

For entertainment, I kept tabs on the various boats coming and going – sailboats and catamarans dropping anchor off the beach bar for a drink or a meal, and of course the PSV boats ferrying staff and guests around.

Our cottage was wonderful – stone walls and grey-washed beams, with a big bedroom and a sitting room, a covered patio with table and chairs and a big daybed, and two lounge chairs.  D and I spent most of our time on the daybed in the shade, except in the heat of the afternoon when the sitting room was cool perfection.

Even with a full island, most of the time we hardly saw anyone else – it’s a marvelously private place if you’d like it to be.  We did look forward to seeing our favorite PSV staff around the island, especially at the bar and at dinner when we could chat a bit.

Did we miss Anguilla?  Yes, for sure – our friends there, and the fantastic food and wine.  But there’s something to be said for never opening your wallet, never getting into a car, and never worrying about making a dinner reservation.  We do plenty of that in Chicago!

More to come on PSV…


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