I had not travelled at all during the winter which was disappointing and so was very much looking forward to my trip to a Petit St Vincent to embrace the balmy temperatures and warm hospitality of the Caribbean. I was on the 11.20 B.A flight to Barbados, a civilised departure time compared to some of the European trips I do and lucky enough to be at the front of the bus! The flight seemed to pass so quickly- by the time I had done some “homework "and had a sleep, it was time to land.
On
arrival in Barbados, I was whisked off to the Mustique Airways check in by
Rose, a vivacious Barbadian who meets all PSV guests and ensures a smooth
transit to Union Island .I didn't even have to collect my bag and when I asked
Rose for the third time " Where's my bag?" She assured me it would be
loaded on the Union flight using the bag tag I had given her and so it was. There
are two scheduled flights a day to Union - one at 12.30 and the one I took at
4pm (cost is $615 per person return). Within an hour of landing in Barbados, I
was boarding the twin engine light aircraft for the 50 minute hop to Union
Island. I could not resist asking the pilot "Is my bag on board?" And
he replied that it was always the English who ask about their bags....I took
that as a yes! There's a $30 fee when departing from Union but PSV add this to
guests' bills and give them cash on check out which makes it a lot easier.
Once
in Union, there was a 5 min car ride to the port where a PSV boat awaited me
and took me on the 30 minute transfer to the resort (chargeable at $35 per
person). Greeted by managers Matt & Anie my old friends from Fundu Lagoon
days, the long journey paled into insignificance. I checked into my cottage on
the Bluff which was really extensive, comprising of a bedroom, lounge and a big
private terrace and bathroom. The overall style is rustic but high end rustic. There
is no Wi-Fi In the rooms which may be a disappointment to some (me included!)
but after Day 1, I acclimatised and saw the benefits of “Switching off" especially
if you were here with a partner/family. PSV is purposefully a digital detox. Guests
can connect via the Wi-Fi in the main house but for those who are "addicted”
to their phone, this is probably not the place ..... Or maybe it is!
After
unpacking and enjoying a cup of tea and homemade cookie on my terrace taking in
the most spectacular ocean view, I met Matt & Anie for dinner in the beach
restaurant and Friday night is BBQ night so I savoured the fresh king prawns
and mahi mahi lightly seasoned with Cajun spices .All meals are included as are
non alcoholic drinks. For me though, the best part was the steel pan band
playing lively, well known tunes and they even had couples up dancing on the
sand...definitely recommended. The clientele were relatively young 30-50 with a
good mix of nationalities; in fact about 40% of guests are European.
The
following morning, I awoke very early at 3.20am and instinctively reached for
my phone to check my emails but the deliberate absence of connectivity began to
make sense. The PSV ethos is to encourage us all to "unplug" from the
technological grip we are all in and enjoy the surroundings and each other.
Matt assured me that if guests need news or FTSE index updates, they will be
delivered by the Butler each morning or at any point in the day. I tried to get
back to sleep and dozed in and out of consciousness until 5.45 when I had to
get up and surprisingly felt full of beans!
I
decided to test the system for breakfast - so they have a box in the room with
notelets requesting breakfast, lunch and dinner ( with menu options ) and
guests put their note let in a bamboo horn at the entrance to their cottage and
raise a yellow flag for service . I was told that butlers check the flags every
15-20 minutes (there’s a red flag for Do not disturb) and sure enough my
breakfast arrived right in time at 8am so the system seemed to work.
The
view from my terrace was spectacular and the only sound, the lapping of the
waves and birdsong. This is a place to be shared though so I was a little sad to
be having breakfast alone in such an idyllic setting! After breakfast, I had a
tour of the island and saw several cottages as there were several departures
today. There are 22 suites in total - 16 one bedroom cottages and six 2 bedroom
beach villas (numbers 6-11) and each one has a very different but spectacular
vista. I also learnt that guests can dine in their cottage as often as they
want and some guests take every meal in private.
Following
lunch at the Beach restaurant and the most delicious ice cream I have ever tasted,
I visited Mopion Island which is a small sand island just a 10 minute boat ride
away from PSV where guests can enjoy a romantic picnic or indeed get married in
the middle of the ocean! It is a unique place.
I
decided that since Matt had told me the ice cream was made purely from cream
rather than milk that I had better attend the 4pm complimentary yoga class with
Frankie, a Balinese instructor whose wife is a masseuse at the resort. The yoga
platform has stunning views and with three complimentary classes a week, one
cannot help feeling relaxed. As always, the 10 minute relaxation at the end
sent me into oblivion!
Not
content with the fact that the room service system had worked for breakfast, I
had to try it again , ordering a frozen Margherita for 6.30 and guess what
right on the dot, it arrived ....
Matt
had shown me around the island today and one can't help but be impressed by all
the eco measures in place here- they have their own water plant converting sea
water into drinking water and recently introduced their own bottling plant. They
are proud if their organic vegetable garden and 200 chickens. Children can
collect the eggs for breakfast and learn how the fallen leaves, cut grass and
seaweed are used as fertiliser. Glass containers and cans are crushed and
transformed back into sand and small particles. There is also a Children's
Scholarship Fund which funds 80% of educational costs for employee’s children
from the age of 3 right through to University. I hope to introduce more family activities for guests next July and August 2016.Dinner tonight was in the Main Restaurant,
the more formal of the two restaurants and obviously a popular choice.
Day 3 - I had packed my phone away in the safe and was concentrating on more important issues like what to do today. All non-motorised water sports are complimentary at PSV and they also have a fleet of 5 boats and I could see that Matt has a passion for them! Black Pearl is a sexy speedboat but my favourite was a sloop called Beauty expertly captained by Geoff and one of the reasons why guests return year after year .Today he took us to a remote beach and cooked up a BBQ " like only Geoff knows how" Fish has not tasted the same since ....it was sensational and so healthy!
Day 3 - I had packed my phone away in the safe and was concentrating on more important issues like what to do today. All non-motorised water sports are complimentary at PSV and they also have a fleet of 5 boats and I could see that Matt has a passion for them! Black Pearl is a sexy speedboat but my favourite was a sloop called Beauty expertly captained by Geoff and one of the reasons why guests return year after year .Today he took us to a remote beach and cooked up a BBQ " like only Geoff knows how" Fish has not tasted the same since ....it was sensational and so healthy!
Later
that afternoon , I had a tour of the cottages I had not seen, my favourites
being 10,17,18,19 as they are close to the beach but number 1-5 on the bluff
are so private, you feel like you're on a desert island ( oh I am!) What I
really loved was that there are no room keys at PSV.
Day
4- I am feeling thoroughly spoilt by now as I never normally stay more than
three nights anywhere but Matt had insisted that I stay four to get the full
experience ....very indulgent but I was so glad I had because I had a wonderful
day ahead.
After
breakfast and checking emails (the weekend was over!) I joined a group for
snorkelling at Tobago Cays, the most stunning collection of five cays each more
beautiful than the last in crystalline waters and a protected marine park for
the turtles. We then went to Mayreau a small island with only 320 inhabitants
and 56 houses where many of the super yachts moor to get supplies, fresh fish, ice,
eggs etc. I had not realised there is a whole industry based around the yachts
passing through. It was fascinating. Young fishermen were cleaning out sea
urchin prepared to order for the yacht captains. There is even a boat taxi
industry should yacht owners wish to come ashore and browse the little stalls
of clothes and jewellery and of course stop at the iconic rum punch bar for a
mandatory tipple! I really enjoyed seeing these simple yet resourceful people
pleased to see and chat to visitors about their lives and families.
On
the return, we passed by Union Island which seemed vast in comparison to
Mayneau and saw the boat used in Pirates of the Caribbean which can evidently
be chartered for day sails. One of my favourite spots was a restaurant called
Chatham (local fare) which is totally remote and a favourite with repeat guests
to PSV. Our last stop was at Happy Island, close to PSV and built from rocks and
conch shells by its eccentric owner Janti Ramage who advocates "rum
therapy". The island is actually only a few feet above water but Janti is
quite the host and for every punch you buy, there's one on the house!! It is a
must to visit here - www.rumtherapy.com
It was a busy and most enjoyable day so I opted for dinner in my cottage that night. It is the same menu as the main restaurant and the table whether alfresco or inside is set as if in the restaurant. It's an extremely romantic thing to do - I just needed George Clooney to walk through the door!
It was a busy and most enjoyable day so I opted for dinner in my cottage that night. It is the same menu as the main restaurant and the table whether alfresco or inside is set as if in the restaurant. It's an extremely romantic thing to do - I just needed George Clooney to walk through the door!
