St. Vincent and The Grenadines Location and Travel
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are Caribbean islands lying between Saint Lucia and Grenada and part of the Windward Islands of the arc of islands in the Caribbean Sea known as the Lesser Antilles. Located due east of the Caribbean Island of Barbados and to the north of Trinidad and Tobago, the islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. They fall in the Central Americas and include the main island of Saint Vincent along with the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines, which are a chain of small islands lying in a southerly direction from Saint Vincent to Grenada. They are at 3° 15" North and 61° 12" West in the eastern quadrant of the Caribbean Sea.
There are no direct flights to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, due to the topography and lack of a large airport. Travelers wishing to visit must fly into one of the neighboring islands, such as Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique or Greneda and fly in via turboprop.
Taxis are plentiful and the government fixes the rates for fares, but the taxis don’t have meters and you should check before setting off to avoid hassles later. Fares are higher late at night or very early in the morning. Tipping is discretionary and around 10% of the fare. Driving is on the left and road signs limited, but the locals are helpful and will generally point you in the right direction. A temporary driver’s license will cost around EC$50, and can be bought at the police station on Bay Street, or at the Licensing Authority situated on Halifax Street. You will need to produce a valid overseas driver’s license. If you have an International license, you will have to simply get it stamped at the central police station and you are OK to drive.
You can also travel locally by bus. Colorful and wildly painted buses ply the principal roads of the main island and link all major towns and villages. Minibuses will stop on demand and run between Kingstown and the hotel areas of the popular Indian Bay and Villa. There are also a limited number of vans starting from Kingstown and going up to Owia or Fancy in the north of the island.
Four motorized vessels make up the scheduled inter-island ferry service. You should arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time. And remember that the schedule can vary depending on weather and other local conditions. A 7% Government Tax is usually included in restaurant bills and some places add an extra 10% service charge. All major credit cards are generally accepted, as well as U.S. dollars and travelers checks.
The weather is sunny and windy. The great weather is the main draw for Caribbean real estate investors and snowbirds from North America. Throughout the year, there is the possibility of occasional showers but these are typically very short. The prevailing tradewinds are Northeasterly and wind speeds are generally from 15 to 25km. For a while, after Christmas, the winds pick up to about 20 to 30km and the phenomenon is called Christmas winds. This can be any time in either January or February. There is not much seasonal variation in the temperature and it stays generally around the average 86° F. There are two official seasons, the rainy season and the dry season, and the dry season lasts from November until June. There are possibilities of hurricanes in the wet season, but there is always plenty of warning when a hurricane is approaching and travelers generally know about it at least three days in advance. Luckily, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is at the very Southern edge of the hurricane belt, and has seen no direct hits from a tropical storm since 1955.
