Petit St Vincent Resort St. Vincent

No need to elaborate on all the wonderful things written in previous reviews. They are all true. Just returned home from PSV yesterday after a very enjoyable week. We are not perfectionists, by any means. The fact that it rained a lot for a couple of days really didn't detract from the relaxing experience. However, for a resort with a luxury reputation and positioning, there were some surprising frayed edges to the service. For example, the screening in the main door entrance to our bedroom was ripped loose from some 25% of the frame. While we did not report it, none of the many staff who service and maintain the luxury cottages each day seemed to notice or, maybe more importantly, to care. Room service breakfast menus offered several choices beyond the standard bacon and eggs or omelets. Unfortunately, everytime we ordered a non-standard item, breakfast was delivered with a "Sorry we don't have it" note. Same was true for wine with dinner. For example, the wine list included 10-12 American reds. From that short list, three of the seven we ordered were not available (and we are not talking about rare vintages). Dinner was always well prepared, however, we never saw a shrimp or lobster offering. We had eagerly anticipated those from reading other reviews. Perhaps these items are only offered at peak season rates. Lots and lots of lamb, game hens and conch. Leftovers seemed to show up at the next day's lunch buffet. Repeat, all was well prepared with some local flare. It just became tedious. The bar seemed to have trouble preparing mixed drinks beyond the typical coladas and punches (although one of our favorite things, after traveling the Caribbean for over 30 years is to see what you get when you order a 'dry martini, straight-up, with a twist'). The PSV bartenders' attempts were interesting, but cleary not martinis. Finally, the beaches are beautiful. However, be aware that coral virtually encircles the island very close to the beach. If you are not agile or spry enough to walk through the occasional narrow breaks in the coral, you cannot access the crystal clear sandy bottom beyond the reef without climbing down a ladder on a dock built especially for water access. If you are imagining an idyllic run across the white sands with a romantic splash into the blue waters or even a leisurely stroll in up to your neck, be advised. To reiterate, the cottages are the best rooms we have ever stayed in. The service this May (including a 2 1/2 hour wait for room service lunch one day) was bit off for a true 'luxury' resort. Did we ever go to sleep thinking we had not had a wonderful day? NO. Returning is a real possibility.

We spent 5 wonderful nights at PSV in December, 2003. The highlight of the trip for us was a day sail with Chris and Duff on Sudiki to the Tobago Cays. Sudiki is a 59' yacht complete with a bimini (covered awning) that accommodated our group of six. Duff gave us a personal snorkeling tour of the impressive reefs at Tobago Cays, which included sightings of rays and a small shark. The non-snorkelers enjoyed the sail as well. I highly recommend this day trip to anyone staying at PSV.

The island is uncrowded and you will have no problem finding a place on the beach to yourself. We walked around the island once or twice each day, and often never encountered another guest or staff member. The beachfront cabanas were not used very heavily, so there was never a problem getting one. The boathouse provided snorkel gear, sea kayaks, and other aquatic gear. Fellow guests were a mix of friendly honeymooners and 50-60 somethings. Most seemed content to enjoy the isolation and natural tranquility of the island without planned activities. If you want structured social activities or nightlife, this is not the place to be.

Our beachfront cottage (#9) included a sitting room, bedroom, two full bathrooms, and a covered patio with a teak dining table. The skilled craftsmanship of the local islanders was obvious throughout, including the stone shower and wood countertops in the bathrooms. The cottage was about 50 feet from the ocean, and once in the water you are a five minute swim from the reefs. What a way to live! Remember, you are in the Caribbean on a remote island: Sometimes the wind blows as storms pass through (making noise at night), and sometimes the mosquitoes come out. PSV can't do a whole lot about either, although we did see the grounds crew aggressively cutting back grass on the hillsides (with machetes!) and spraying pesticide to control the mosquitoes.

Like many things at PSV, the food highlighted local ingredients with simple preparation and presentation. We had morning coffee and room service breakfast every morning (always prompt and exactly what we ordered). We ate lunch at the restaurant buffet every day, and enjoyed the fresh fruits, soups, and salads. Everything on the buffet was freshly made each day and nicely presented. By the middle of our stay, we were deliberately cutting back our lunchtime portions to avoid overeating. We tend to eat early at home, so we always requested afternoon tea (with cookies to tide us over until dinner at 7:30 PM). The dinner menu is posted at lunch time, so you have plenty of time to make a choice. Four entrees were offered each night -- one meat, one fish, one lobster, and another choice that varied. Non-local ingredients such as steaks have to be flown in from the mainland, so I tried to go with the lobster or fish and was never disappointed. My other half generally prefers meat over seafood. The steak he ordered the first night had to be sent back (ordered well done, delivered medium rare) and was average. After that, I convinced him to stick with the seafood and he was not disappointed ("when in Rome, do as the Romans").

PSV has a certain quirky personality to it that some will appreciate but others will not. Service seemed best in areas where quantity can offset quality. Dirty room service dishes were picked up rapidly and unobtrusively, and the room was always made up for the day while we went on a morning walk around the island. Dinner meal service proceeded at a leisurely and balanced pace. All island facilities are impeccably maintained. The resort staff is composed almost entirely of locals from the surrounding islands, and you can sense that PSV is an integral part of their lives and culture. They are friendly and helpful, but are not trained to the level that Americans or Europeans would expect at a 5 star luxury hotel or dining establishment. If you demand the highest degree of personalized service, you might be disappointed at PSV. For us, PSV's remoteness is part of its charm.

The toughest part of our visit was getting there. Travel from the West Coast means very tight connections or extra nights. We chose to spend one night in Barbados at the Accra Beach Hotel before flying onto Union Island the next morning. The Accra Beach Hotel is about a 15 minute taxi ride from the Barbados Airport and was fine for an overnight stay but not a destination by itself. Spending the night in Barbados also got us into PSV before 10:00AM, giving us a full day to enjoy the island. We also chose to spend extra nights in Philadelphia to avoid redeye flights back to California.

Bottom Line: If you want the private island experience and don't mind sacrificing a few luxuries in favor of isolation and a natural island environment, PSV is a great choice.

We tried PSV after a dozen or more trips to the BVI. If you are after seclusion, great views, room type service( Even on the beach), and excellent food, this is a good place to try. However, we will likely go back to the BVI in the future. Room service, especially early morning coffee and breakfast, is great, but invariably screwed up. Wrong type eggs, forgotten orange juice, and others. Worst was when ordering lunch on beach....hot day, can't wait for lunch, delivered, set up, they drive away.........forgot the beer!! Staff was quite a mix, some quite friendly and helpful ( look up Andrew if you go), others allof. I don't quite understand why a place that thrives on its service would have any service type staff who weren't outgoing and friendly all the time. Atmosphere also seems to affect conviviality of guests with each other. We have never taken a trip to the BVI without making some friends during the trip, and we have gone to some pretty small and private type places ( Guana and Biras). Not this time, maybe it was us. To sum it up, nice place, but we've been ( and will return) to nicer and more memorable places in the Carib.

We stayed at PSV for the second half of our honeymoon and it was pretty awesome! Like the below poster we did have mosquito problems (they definitely had a taste for our sweet blood - this with us being eaten alive in St. Lucia the week before). I learned that bug spray was definitely my friend :P Not sure if I was the one that suggested the mosquito net (to the below poster) for the bed but we definitely requested one!

As for the resort and the island itself - we thought it was absolutely beautiful! Definitely a place for honeymooners - we found it romantic with excellent views in our hilltop cottage. We stayed at Cottage #22 and loved the constant ocean breeze and the awesome view. The service was mostly good except for a few that I affectionately label "grunters". I felt the food was fresh and excellent - definitely an abundance of fresh lobster and fresh fish.

If you plan on visiting this resort, you must spend some time on "Petit St. Richardson". We had such a wonderful time there snorkelling and swimming there - we went two days in a row.

When you are making arrangements to leave the island, definitely as for more than enough time to catch your flight. We left 4 hours in advance, however, our charter kept picking up passengers in the neighboring Grenadine islands and we found ourselves stuck on a long line immigration line in Barbados and stressed out to catch our plane back to NY.

My Husband and I spent seven nights of our honeymoon on the island this December 2003. We thought it was the ideal resort, isolated and intimate but with enough activities to keep us busy if we so desired.

The staff was friendly and they took the time to get to know you. I was disappointed with the food and the limited menu. The fruits and salads were served air temp (warm) and if you didn't make it to the buffet table early enough it could be gone. The staff had a difficult time getting our breakfast order accurate although the fried eggs were always perfect. The Lobster was excellent and was offered nearly every night. We had the opportunity to speak with one of the chefs who accompanied us on a day sail. She claimed that she was there to train those native to the surrounding islands the culinary arts. The staff is not familiar with preparing meat and certain vegetables and it was obvious to those of us who ate them. The other challenge I faced was the mosquitoes. Despite the massive amounts of bug spray and a mosquito net for the bed (suggested to me by another guest) it seemed to be something the women on the island struggled with on a daily basis. My final and last complaint is something that came as a great shock to my husband and I. In the last 48 hours of our stay my diamond earrings were stolen. I had them hidden and stashed away in the room since PSV does not offer a room safe for your belongings. Someone came into our room and went through my personal belongings. The earings were hidden in a case in one sealed bag that was hidden within another bag. PSV promoted an open and trusting environment. Unfortunately, their were no locks on the doors and the cottage was open to anyone who wished to come in. The only available safe was in the main office which was a five minute walk from our cottage. Luckily we kept our wallets there.

We have contacted PSV to inform them of the theft. We were told someone would be in touch with us to discuss the issue. Since then we've left messages with the resort but no one has called us back. I will never revisit PVS again. Both my husband and I are very disapointed with everything that has happened and the with the way we've been treated.

If you do plan to visit PLEASE protect yourself. Despite the overwhelmingly friendly staff, guests and island visitors I wouldn't trust anyone with your belongings.

Remarkable service, elegant accomodations, an escapists dream...referred to PSV by a friend...now a friend for life...

We just got back from on honeymoon on Petit St. Vincent Resort and found it to be an amazing little island that proved a sure cure for our tired nerves. The rooms are beautiful as is the Island itself. Most of the time you feel as though you are on your own island, as you rarely see anyone else except for at meal times (if you prefer to eat at the dining area of course) and at some of the beaches. When PSV does the beach BBQ with a steal drum band (very cool) you are amazed that all 40 of those people are on that island. The beaches are good, and are protected by coral reefs, although there are some sections with seaweed. Snorkeling around the island is very good as well, but snorkeling at the Tobago Cays is the best I have ever seen. Make sure to go there on the Jambalaya with captain Jeff Stevens, he knows exactly where to go and his Sailboat is beautiful. The food on PSV was very good overall, with breakfast and lunch being above average, and dinner being EXCELLENT! We ate in our room for breakfast, and had lunch on the beach, but always had dinner at the dining area. The fish is incredible, and the fruit is fresh. I would recommend Petit St.

Vincent. The resort is quiet and beautiful and the only thing you will hear is the waves and the wind. Getting there takes some time, but the feeling you have when you are there makes that worth it.

My husband and I stayed at PSV in May, 2003. We thought we were going to a typical beach resort. We were wrong. It was way better than a beach resort. You are treated so well and your privacy is always honored. There's so much to do on PSV or you can do nothing, whatever your heart desires. The barbecue they hold on Saturday night is not to be missed neither is the sunset view. We stayed in a hilltop cabin and loved it - the beach ones don't offer as much privacy as the hilltop.

The only complaint was the lack of transportation around the island.

You can easily walk anywhere within 10 minutes on the island, but sometimes you just want to be lazy and hitch a ride. However, several times we submitted our request for transportation and were left waiting for an hour or more and then never have the drivers in the mini mokes show up.

PSV is a beautiful place and it really does offer you a chance to get away from it all.

I cannot rave enough about this idyllic, private, and rejuvinating island resort. My wife and I went there for our honeymoon in March 2001 and will never forget our amazing experience. The service is always prompt and friendly. The food was always delicious, and you can order anything you want, anytime you want. I'm vegetarian and it was no problem at all. My wife and I actually made a game out of challenging the chef to make whatever we desired, all delivered promptly to our secluded and spacious bungalow. We awoke every morning to gorgeous weather (this place is well away from the Hurrican belt) and were able to run around the island (about 2 miles), which you aren't able to do at other smaller, private resorts. The bungalows are designed to be a part of their surroundings, with wide enclosed porches complete with hammocks. The beaches are extremely secluded with soft, warm sand and beachfront hammocks covered by palm leaf huts. The water was crystal clear, with some of the most colorful fish you'll ever see just a few feet away in the coral reefs. The owner/manager, Haze Richardson, and his wife meet every guest personally and even invited all the guests to their beatiful home on the top of the island for drinks during our stay. This is the type of place where you can truly get away from it all, and never see a single person during your stay, or, meet some of the international clientelle at the centrally located bar and dining room (which overlooks the ocean and surrounding islands). We also went on a snorkelling catamaran trip to the Tobago Cays, which was a smooth and refreshing hour of sailing away. The Cays are a double coral reef system that are a wildlife refuge and have the most diverse ecosystems in this hemisphere, with the result being the most amazing snorkelling trip I've ever been on. Back on the island, you can demand privacy by raising the red flag in front of your bungalow, or receive prompt service from one of the friendly staff by raising the yellow flag. Very c

My husband and I spent our Honeymoon at Petit St. Vincent Resort in June of 2000. If you are looking for a remote private getaway then this is perfect for you. We spent the first few night in a villa directly on the beach. The constant breeze on the island makes air conditioning unneccesary. We felt like movie stars each and every day.

The food was amazing with your choice of being served in the privacy of your villa or sitting in the main dining area with the other guests. We fell in love with the Rum Punch made on the main island of St. Vincent. The staff was curteous and offered a turn-down service each evening. The showers were all made of stone and supplied with Crabtree and Evelyn products. There is no television, however, we felt that the small radio provided offered enough island music to entertain us while eating dinner.

We spent the second half of the week on another villa high atop a hill. Both accomodations were wonderful offering only different views of the island, with the second seeming just a little more private. There were several hammocks lined across one section of the beach where you could also choose to have lunch served. We spent many days snorkling in the turquoise waters and even took a boat trip out further to explore. We also spent one day hiking to the highest point on the island where we left our initials in a pile of stone, as did many previous visitors.

We chose to spend our last morning on a small island, about the size of a basket-ball court. We were escorted by motor boat and left with a breakfast tray for about 2 hours. The last evening of our stay we were served a candle-light dinner directly on the beach. It was absolutely amazing. My husband and I will definetly return to celebrate at least some of our Anniversaries. Every year around the Holidays we receive a Season's Greeting card of some sort, reminding us of the best Honeymoon we could have chosen.