Mayreau, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Mayreau has a permanent population of around 270 people, one road, no cars, and no airport. It covers less than half a square mile and sits 3 kilometres west of the Tobago Cays Marine Park. These facts are the point. The smallest inhabited island in the Grenadines chain is worth the effort of getting to precisely because that effort filters out the kind of tourist infrastructure that has homogenised most of the Caribbean.

The island’s ownership history is unusual even by Caribbean standards. A French colonist named De L’isle claimed it in the 1720s and retained personal possession even after St Vincent and the Grenadines passed to British control under the 1763 Treaty of Paris. After the Napoleonic Wars, the Saint Hilaire family arrived from France, claimed all land on the island, and administered it under a quasi-feudal arrangement in which descendants of the family’s enslaved workers were permitted to build homes and farm freely. The Saint Hilaire family retained ownership of most of the island’s land into the late 20th century, which is one reason development remained so limited while neighbouring islands were being built out.

Getting to Mayreau

There is no scheduled air service to Mayreau. You arrive by boat.

The most practical route is to fly into Barbados, Grenada, or St Vincent and connect by ferry. From Kingstown (St Vincent), ferry services including the Jaden Sun Fast Ferry and MV Gem Star run south through the Grenadines chain, stopping at Bequia, Canouan, Mayreau, and Union Island. The journey from Kingstown to Mayreau takes several hours; tickets cost around EC$65 one way (roughly USD 24). Schedules vary by season and day of the week, so confirm current timetables directly with the operators before planning connections.

The alternative, which most visitors arriving by air choose, is to fly into Union Island (a short hop by propeller plane from Barbados, Grenada, or St Vincent via Mustique Airways or SVG Air) and arrange a water taxi the final 8 kilometres north to Mayreau. This takes around 20 minutes and costs around EC$80 to 100.

A third option, popular with wealthier visitors, is to arrive by chartered yacht. Mayreau sits in one of the premier sailing cruising grounds in the Eastern Caribbean and the main anchorages at Salt Whistle Bay and Saline Bay are well protected.

Salt Whistle Bay

The northern anchorage at Salt Whistle Bay is a near-perfect crescent of white sand shaded by coconut palms, sheltered from Atlantic swell by its natural curve, and calm enough that the water looks flat even on windy days. It is regularly described as one of the most beautiful anchorages in the Grenadines, and the description is accurate. Visiting yachts anchor here in numbers during high season (December to April); during low season it can be almost empty.

The bay has no road access from the village side, which helps keep it from becoming overrun with day visitors.

Tobago Cays Marine Park

Mayreau’s greatest practical asset is its proximity to the Tobago Cays, a group of five uninhabited islands inside a horseshoe reef that forms one of the most intact marine protected areas in the Caribbean. Water taxis from Saline Bay (the island’s southern anchorage, which has a small dock) reach the Cays in under 15 minutes.

Snorkelling in the Cays is among the best available without scuba equipment anywhere in the region. Green sea turtles feed in the shallows at Baradal Island; the Horseshoe Reef holds healthy coral and large schools of fish. The marine park charges an entrance fee (EC$10 per person as of recent reports, payable at the park station) and access to some snorkelling zones is managed to reduce pressure on the reef.

To see turtles reliably, enter from the small beach on Baradal’s southern tip, which faces a buoyed swimming area closed to boats. Do not touch the turtles; this is enforced.

Where to Stay

Mayreau’s accommodation is genuinely limited, which is part of its appeal and also a logistical reality that requires advance planning.

Salt Whistle Bay Resort sits directly on the bay and has been the island’s primary hotel for decades. Bungalows are simple and well-maintained, oriented toward the water. It operates at the upper end of Mayreau’s range (Caribbean boutique pricing rather than budget) and includes a restaurant.

Mayreau Beach Club and Villas is a more recent, upscale addition offering private villas with plunge pools, a tiered infinity pool, and gourmet dining. This is island luxury at full Caribbean prices and suits visitors who want high-end comfort in a remote setting.

Windward Mayreau Resort, which opened in late 2025, offers beachfront bungalows with reclaimed teak furnishings within the Tobago Cays Marine Park buffer zone. It is the newest accommodation option and sits at the higher end of the market.

For budget visitors, a handful of guesthouses in the village rent basic rooms. Standards are basic and booking is typically done by phone or word-of-mouth rather than online; arriving without a reservation in high season is a genuine risk given the island’s size.

Where to Eat

Island Paradise Restaurant in the village serves classic Caribbean food: grilled fish, rice and peas, conch, lobster in season. The setting is simple (it is run out of what amounts to a local home) but the food is honest and the prices are the most reasonable on the island.

The Salt Whistle Bay Resort Restaurant covers all meals for guests and opens to non-guests for dinner. Fresh seafood with a Caribbean-French accent is the general direction, at resort prices.

Beyond these, the village has a rum shop or two where cold Hairoun beer (the national beer of St Vincent) is available and conversation is free.

Activities

Hiking to Station Hill, the island’s high point, takes around 30 to 45 minutes of moderate climbing on a rough path. The reward is a view across the Tobago Cays, Petit St Vincent, Petite Martinique, and on clear days, Grenada on the horizon. The ruins of a Catholic church near the summit add texture; the hill has been used as a landmark by sailors navigating the Grenadines for centuries.

Snorkelling at Mayreau Gardens, the reef directly off Saline Bay, offers a shorter excursion than a full Tobago Cays trip and is accessible without a boat if you are a confident swimmer. Turtle sightings are common here too.

Island walks covering the single road from Salt Whistle Bay through the village to Saline Bay and back take about an hour at a relaxed pace and pass through most of what the island offers: the Catholic church, the village, the views across to Union Island, and the domestic life of a community that has survived without cars, traffic lights, or supermarkets for generations.

When to Go

December to April is the dry season, the sailing season, and the period when Mayreau is at its most animated. Anchorages fill with yachts, the restaurants are open, and the weather is reliably good. High season also means higher prices and less solitude.

May to November is the hurricane season for the Eastern Caribbean, and activity on Mayreau slows significantly. Most accommodation remains open outside the active hurricane months (August to October), but you should have direct confirmation before booking. The upside is substantially lower prices and far fewer people.

The best crowd-avoiding tactic within high season is to arrive on weekdays rather than around weekends, when day-trippers from charter boats operating out of St Vincent often converge on Salt Whistle Bay simultaneously.

Practical Notes

• Eastern Caribbean dollars (EC$) are the local currency. USD is widely accepted but at unfavourable exchange rates. Bring EC$ cash from a mainland ATM (Union Island has one; Mayreau does not).
• Mayreau observes Atlantic Standard Time (UTC-4) year-round with no daylight saving. There is no clock change to account for.
• The island has no pharmacy, no hospital, and limited medical capacity. Travel insurance with evacuation coverage is not optional here in any serious sense.
• The Catholic church at the top of Station Hill has a view from the grounds that rivals anything the beach offers. It is worth the walk even if you have no interest in churches.