Getting There
By Plane -- Four of the Grenadines -- Bequia, Mustique, Union Island, and Canouan -- have small airports. Service from St. Vincent is by small inter-island carriers. SVG Air (tel. 784/457-5124; www.svgair.com), one of the longest-established airlines in the region, will fly you in modern five- to nine-seaters to any island within the Eastern Caribbean. The one-way fare from E. T. Joshua Airport on St. Vincent is EC$52 (US$19/£10) per person to Mustique, and EC$80 (US$30/£16) per person to Canouan or Union Island.
By Boat -- The ideal way to go, of course, is to hire your own yacht, as many wealthy visitors do. A far less expensive option is to take a mail, cargo, or passenger boat, as the locals do, but you'll need time and patience. The government mail boat, MV Barracuda (tel. 784/457-1502, St. Vincent's tourist office), leaves on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 10:30am, stops at Bequia, Canouan, and Mayreau, and arrives at Union Island at about 3:45pm. On Tuesday, the boat leaves Union Island at about 6:30am, stops at Mayreau and Canouan, reaches Bequia at about 10:45am, and makes port at St. Vincent at noon. One-way fares from St. Vincent to Bequia are EC$15 (US$5.55/£3). To Canouan, it's EC$20 (US$7.40/£4); Mayreau; EC$25 (US$9.25/£5); and Union Island, EC$30 (US$11/£6).
You can also reach Bequia daily on the Admiral I and II for EC$25 (US$9.25/£5). For information on these sea trips, inquire at the Tourist Board, Upper Bay Street, in Kingstown (tel. 784/457-1502).
