Petit St. Vincent
Twenty-two cottages, no telephones, and a flag system that has run the island since 1968.
Petit St. Vincent is a 115-acre island in the southern Grenadines, reached by boat from Union Island. One property occupies it; there is no village, no through traffic and no other landowner. The island is hilly and planted, with beaches on several sides, and the cottages are set apart across it in stone and timber.
Twenty-two cottages hold the whole property. There are no telephones and no televisions in them, and service works by flag: a yellow flag raised on the post outside brings a member of staff, a red flag means do not disturb. The system has run since 1968 and has survived every technology since. Meals, diving, sailing and a hillside spa are on the island; nothing else is.
The flag is a working mechanism, not a gimmick. It gives guests a way to be served without being observed, which is the practical definition of privacy on a small island.
Unchanged on purpose. The cottages have been renovated but not reconceived. A property that has refused to redesign itself for over fifty years is rare enough to be the reason to come.
Who it is not for
Petit St. Vincent is wrong for guests who need to be reachable — there is no telephone in the cottage and the property does not pretend otherwise. It is wrong for travellers who want contemporary design, since the deliberate absence of it is the point. And it is wrong for families wanting a kids' club and organised days. Those wanting the Grenadines with more around them should look at Mustique.
Sources
- petitstvincent.com — twenty-two cottages, 115 acres, flag service system since 1968
- Cottage count and current spa and dive operations unverified. Confirm before publication.
Booking
Private Island Resorts arranges each stay on request, quoting the rates available for the island and dates. No benefit should be assumed unless it is confirmed in writing for the individual reservation.
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