Advice to lone female traveller
 

Hi everyone, i'm just looking for some advice on a trip i'm planning this november...

I'm going to a wedding in st vincent, but wanted to take the opportunity to visit some other islands, too. I found a deal where for £200 (UKP) i can travel to 3 different islands, and then back to the original one. so i need advice on lots of things really... i can fly to either st lucia or barbados, what do u recommend? and then, which islands to visit?? st vincent would obviously be one. please bear in mind that i'm a 20-year-old blonde brit who'll be travelling alone, so i'm sure there'll be places i want to steer clear of...

I went to Martinique in June alone, which i really loved, however i went in low season so there was not much happening culturally, carnivals etc. I may go back there, what do u suggest??

i'm heavily into roots reggae and dancehall/ragga, i'm a guitarist/singer, and am fascinated with rastafarai also. i know that jamaica sounds like a perfect place for all this but someone told me i'd be kidnapped if i went there alone...?

I love a place that has natural beauty and tranquility but can also be not far from the hustle and bustle of the markets and locals.

does such a place exist my friends??

please, any advice would be much appreciated.


p.s. also i speak french, may help?

Air Jamaica links from Barbados into Kingston with a connector flight to Port Antonio (or a driver to meet you at airport for the 2 hr coastal drive).
Though it's a bit on the rough side to put it mildly, Drapers San might be music central for you as it's owned/run by an Italian woman/reggae producer with many in entourage. French might get you by there, Italian certainly, but it's English everywhere else. Rio Vista Hotel, the small cottages at Winifred Beach, Great Huts at Boston Bay might also suit you. Use your normal city-street smarts. And rely on a good driver/guide.

If you're going to be in St.Vincent for a wedding why not visit the Grenadines. Bequia is not to be missed. Lots of nice shops and restaurants in Port Elizabeth. A day trip to Tobago Cays and Mayreau. St.Vincent is nature's paradise. Much natural beauty. You like the hustle bustle and the local flavor then Kingstown,St.Vincent is the place for local culture and a true Caribbean city without tourism.I visit usually once a yr. Next to home my next favorite place on Earth. Is the wedding on the mainland or one of the other islands?

Thanks for the replies guys,

tivertonhouse: i just found out from the travel agent that apparently jamaica isn't the caribbean (first i'd heard of it!) and so the pass doesn't include it... but saved it on my favourites for when i'll be living in martinique next year, thanks!

Vinceygirl: the marriage is actually on Bequia! lol. i visited a friend there in June just for a couple of days and ur right it's lovely. also, the family are planning a day trip to the tobago keys which i'm invited on as well, so st vincent will be the only island included on my pass so far, as it doesn't count the island u start on (st lucia in my case, booked it today!!)... given that i'm only there from the 4th-18th, and i must be on Bequia on the 11th (wedding), how should i go about all this??

thanks again!!

Hey Sizzta, If you give me a bit more info muight be able to help. Kingstown is only a ferry ride away from Bequia. Do you have a place to stay on the mainland? Do you plan to start in St.Lucia and go south from there?
Sandy

sizzta, wishing i were as brave to travel alone as you are. but, i really would love to know from your travel agent where they have moved poor jamaica too??

Assuming you have something like a LIAT Islandhopper pass, then you have a lot of options. I personally would not try to cram too much in such a short period as two weeks, noting you will probably lose a day for international travel at each end anyway.

So, in your shoes, I'd suggest you fly into Barbados as it is a more convenient hub than St. Lucia.

Stay in Barbados a few days, then fly to St. Vincent and ferry to Bequia (you can do this easily within an afternoon)

Since you are going to be on Bequia for the wedding, it is very easy to use the frequent ferry service to get over to the St. Vincent mainland and take advantage of its ecotourism opportunities.

Stay in Bequia for a week and use it as your base for visiting St. Vincent mainland and for visiting, by day sail with Friendship Rose or Passion, the smaller Grenadines such as Mayreau, Mustique and the Tobago Cays.

Then take the ferry over to St. Vincent and catch one of the daily flights south to Grenada or Tobago (not both!) for the last few days before looping north again to Barbados and your trip home.

In Barbados, stay at the small, friendly, value-priced and very special Peach and Quiet in Barbados, and use local transit to get around during the day (taxis at night).

In Grenada, stay at the Flamboyant Hotel on Grand Anse Beach. On Tobago, I recommend heading north and staying in the village of Charlottesville.

Check out wwww.grenadaexplorer.com and www.mytobago for good information on both these islands. Use www.svgtourism.com, wwww.bequiatourism.com and www.bequia.net, and www.grenadines.net for St. Vincent, Bequia, and Grenadines info.

And bring earplugs wherever you go, and a flashlight is a good idea too.

I've written this note with a view to the 'lone young blonde female traveller' and the issues you raise. You are right to be concerned, but don't let this put you off your adventure. Just exercise good sense. Normally, a simple 'go away' or 'not interested' is sufficient. More push would be required in Barbados (but still not bad). Sadly, I would not recommend Jamaica on your own - not that you will be kidnapped, but that the hassle factor is very high there.

You will be hit on and, in particular, you will be hit on if you head to any of the heavy music scenes you like. Go to these only with friends or companions you REALLY trust - and please don't give your trust easily to most of the urban rastas. They are not good news and many are simply gigolos.

On Bequia, the owner at Gingerbread is quite happy to have visiting musicians sit in (no pay but your drinks are free) and the local bands seem to enjoy this as well, though it's sure not dancehall! There's a popular jump-up late every Sunday afternoon at De Reef and, again, jammers are welcome

Re finding the music scenes, have you read "Travels with my Trombone" by Henry Shukman - about his adventures seeking out and playing pick up with bands all the way from Trinidad to St. Lucia ? It might give you some useful tips.

P.S. If you decide to stay on St. Vincent, Vinceygirl can offer great advice. Here's my two cents for what it's worth. By way of hotels, consider Beachcomber's and (more expensive) Mariner's. I personally stay at a small inexpensive B&B called Chez Norris (with shared kitchen and sitting room) run by an American/Vincentian couple. They also run a taxi, do excellent tours and supply provisions to yachts. You can reach them at [email protected]. Norris knows everyone on the island and, if you ask, I am sure, he could arrange for you to visit some of the rasta farms and meet the wonderful men and women who run them.

Huh - just noticed you are arriving in St. Lucia. So I'll alter my proposed itinerary for you as follows:

November 4 - arrive St. Lucia. Your international flight will land at the airport in the south of the island.

November 5-8 - fly to Barbados (find out asap whether your flight out of St. Lucia leaves from the airport in the north end of the island and give yourself a good half day to get there, if it does). I have no recommendations about where to stay in St. Lucia - depends on how long you decide to stay and where your next flight is leaving from. My LIAT flights have usually left from the north.

Nov 9-13 - Stay on Bequia, take day trips to the Cays and St. Vincent.

Nov 14-17 Fly to Grenada and stay at the Flamboyant on Grand Anse Beach.

Nov 17-18 - fly back to St. Lucia - again make sure you leave lots of time to get to your international flight.

Hope this helps

er - and on Nov 8 or 9 fly to St. Vincent and ferry over to Bequia

Sizzta,

We were just in Bequia via St. Lucia. We flew into Hewanorra (south) Stl. and spent the night at a nice business, but very nice hotel---Auberge Seraphin @100 night US. Had our two children with us also. Next day flew to StV. in the north via Liat. Then ferried over to Bequia at 6:00-----would have been at 12:00 approx. but due to Carnival it didn't run. Hung out at Grand View Hotel---very nice overlooking Young Island. Bequia is real nice, slowpaced, no A/C anywhere, very friendly and the Frangipani area is lively. I regret not going to the other Grenadines by sail----could see them from where we stayed. Food at Mac's and Gingerbread was good. Then we went back to St. Lucia for 9 nights-----14 total and it was like going home.

But I would say it was tiring getting to Bequia so I would pace yourself----took us about 2 days and alot of beer. The duty free shop in the St. Vincent airport had some great deals on liquor etc. St Vincent is very scenic, but very undeveloped which we like.