Petit Saint Vincent

Petit Saint Vincent — universally shortened to PSV — is a small private island at the southern end of the Grenadines chain in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, lying close to the maritime border with Grenada and just east of Palm Island and Union Island. The roughly 115-acre island is occupied entirely by a single property, Petit St. Vincent Resort, so the island and the resort are effectively one and the same. Developed from the 1960s by Haze Richardson and partners, PSV became one of the Caribbean's original barefoot-luxury hideaways and remains deliberately low-key: stone-and-timber cottages spread across hillsides and beaches, no televisions, and a famous flag system — raise a yellow flag at your cottage for service, a red flag to be left completely undisturbed.

The character is total seclusion. There is no town, no village, no road network and no day-tripper traffic; guests have the run of two miles of shoreline, several beaches, a hilltop with panoramic views, and surrounding reefs. The island sits among some of the best cruising waters in the Caribbean, with the Tobago Cays, Mayreau and Union all within a short boat ride. This is a place to do very little, very well — swim, snorkel, sail, and disconnect.

PSV shares the Eastern Caribbean tropical climate. The December–May dry season is the peak window: steady trade winds, sunshine and lower humidity. The June–November wet season is hotter and more humid and overlaps the Atlantic hurricane season (peak August–October), when the resort traditionally closes for part of the year. Currency is the East Caribbean dollar (EC$ / XCD), pegged near EC$2.70 to US$1; US dollars are accepted at the resort.

By Plane

PSV has no airstrip. The nearest airport is Union Island Airport (UNI), roughly a 20-minute boat ride to the west. Union is served by light aircraft and charters connecting through Argyle International Airport (SVD) on Saint Vincent and via Grenada (GND), Barbados (BGI) and Saint Lucia on regional carriers and charter operators such as SVG Air and Mustique Airways. The resort meets guests at Union Island and runs a private boat transfer across to PSV; these transfers are pre-arranged with your booking and coordinated to flight arrivals.

The island is car-free and walkable, though it is hilly, so the resort equips each cottage with its own moke-style buggy / golf cart for getting between your cottage, the beaches, the dining pavilion and the hilltop. Sandy paths and tracks link everything. For the water there are kayaks, paddleboards, Hobie Cat sailing dinghies and snorkel gear, and the resort's water-sports desk arranges boats for off-island excursions. There are no taxis, public buses or ride-hailing services — and none are needed.

• Marni Bay and the beaches — PSV's strung-out series of white-sand beaches, several of them effectively private; the main swimming and lounging spots, free to guests.
• The hilltop lookout (Marni Hill) — the island's high point, with sweeping views over the southern Grenadines, Union Island's peaks, Palm Island, and the channel toward Grenada's islands.
• House reefs — coral and patch reef just offshore with rays, reef fish and turtles, snorkelable straight from the beaches.
• Petit St. Vincent's own cay (Mopion / Punaise sandbars nearby) — tiny offshore sandbars with a single thatched sunshade, a classic short-boat-trip photo stop in the surrounding waters.

Days revolve around the water. Guests snorkel the house reefs, kayak and paddleboard the sheltered shallows, take small sailing dinghies out on the trade winds, and book scuba diving through the resort's on-island dive operation. The signature excursion is a boat trip to the Tobago Cays Marine Park a short hop north — snorkeling the horseshoe reef and swimming with green turtles at Baradel — alongside sport-fishing charters and runs over to Union Island or the tiny sandbars offshore for a picnic. On-island there is a hilltop spa (treatment cottages with views), beach yoga, tennis and simply walking the trails. Evenings are quiet: sundowners, dinner, and the dark-sky stargazing that comes with having no town lights for miles.

Dining at PSV centers on the open-sided Pavilion restaurant above the main beach, with a more relaxed beach bar and grill, and the resort can also set up private dinners on the beach or at your cottage. The cooking is Caribbean-international built around fresh seafood — local lobster in season, snapper, mahi-mahi — with tropical fruit, salads and grilled meats; the famous flag system applies, so you can dine at the Pavilion or have meals brought to your cottage. As a small, single-resort island the kitchen readily handles vegetarian, gluten-free and other dietary requests with advance notice. There are no independent restaurants on the island; outside options are the waterfront restaurants of Clifton on Union Island, a short boat ride away.

The bars serve the Eastern Caribbean standards — local Hairoun beer from Saint Vincent, Caribbean rums and rum punch, wines, and the obligatory sunset cocktail watched from the beach or hilltop. Non-alcoholic choices include fresh tropical-fruit juices, coconut water and soft drinks. Drinking water on the island comes from rainwater catchment and desalination; the resort provides safe drinking and bottled water, which is the prudent choice across the small Grenadine islands.

• Budget: none on PSV — the island is a single luxury resort. The nearest budget rooms are simple guesthouses on Union Island (Clifton/Ashton), a short boat ride away, from roughly EC$130–250 per night.
• Mid-range: no mid-range lodging exists on the island; mid-range guesthouses and small inns are on Union Island and Bequia.
• Upscale / heritage: Petit St. Vincent Resort is the island's only accommodation — about 22 stone-and-timber cottages and villas spread over the beaches and hillsides, all-inclusive, with the signature flag service and no in-room TVs. All-inclusive rates typically run from roughly US$1,200–2,000+ per night for two depending on cottage category and season, covering accommodation, meals and most activities.

There is no town, market or shopping street on PSV — only a small resort shop carrying essentials, beachwear, sun care and a handful of crafts and souvenirs. For real local shopping, take a boat to Clifton on Union Island, where harbour-front shops and market vendors sell Grenadian and Vincentian spices, hot sauces, rum, basketwork, conch and shell craft, and pareos. Resort and tourist-shop prices are fixed; modest bargaining is acceptable with independent beach and market vendors but is not expected in fixed-price stores.

• Palm Island (a few minutes by boat) — the neighbouring private resort island just to the west off Union.
• Union Island (~20 min by boat) — Clifton and Ashton, the lively southern Grenadines hub with shops, bars, kitesurfing and air links.
• Tobago Cays Marine Park (~30–45 min by boat) — five uninhabited islets and a horseshoe reef for snorkeling and swimming with sea turtles; the area's top day-trip.
• Mayreau (~30 min by boat) — the smallest inhabited Grenadine, with Saltwhistle Bay and a tiny hilltop village.
• Carriacou (boat, across the Grenada border) — Grenada's largest Grenadine island, just to the south, for a different national flavour.
• Bequia (boat/air via Union or Saint Vincent) — the largest and most characterful Grenadine, with Port Elizabeth harbour, beaches and a boat-building tradition.