Young Island was my treat to myself. I'd spent a week on a 40 foot sloop sailing in the company of my husband Keith and a couple of his sailing buddies and coming as near to death as I want to be. Well, maybe not that close but it was a scary experience even if the three master sailors saved the day. .

Before we headed back to the real world of offices and paper work, I sent the two heros home and booked the skipper myself three days of rest and relaxation at Young Island Resort

Young Island Resort takes up the whole of an islet separated from the St. Vincent mainland by just 200 yards of the Young Island Cut. We loaded Doug and R.K. into a taxi for the airport and we headed for the dock waiting for the ferry to take us to Young Island. After the 3 minute ferry ride landed us on a small dock, our luggage loaded was on a trolley and we were ushered to the office to check in.

While our luggage was taken up and the room readied for use, the clerk greeted us warmly by name, took an impression of our credit card then showed us to the dining room for breakfast .

The dining room wasn't a room at all. We were seated under a thatched roof, open on all sides and surrounded with lush tropical foliage. Now, I am not a "breakfast person" but I have to tell you that rich coffee, just baked bread and a selection of tropical fruit can whet even my morning appetite. Keith had his favorite, Eggs Benedict and I chose the flying fish cakes. It was outstanding.

After breakfast we went up to the room and I do mean UP. Our suite, the same one to which the management had hauled a grand piano for Leonard Bernstein, was 158 steps up a stone stairway winding up the volcanic rock that is Young Island. The stairway twists through a lush hillside garden of hibiscus, bouganvilla and poinsettia planted amoung ancient mahogony trees clinging to the hillside. Every 25 or 50 steps the stairway turns back on itself and there is a stone bench on which to stop, sit, enjoy the view and catch one's breath.

The climb was worth it. Our suite was at the top of the rock with a view out over Blue Lagoon where we had left the boat with Bequia and Mustique out on the horizon. We were one half of a two unit building so well designed that the residents of neither suite are aware of the other. The architect who designed the layout made each unit a island of privacy. We entered into a dining kitchenette area and were greated by the smell of fresh brewed coffee with a basket of fresh fruits and bread on the table . There is also a supply of coffee and tea for brewing in the coffee/tea maker waiting in the tiny kitchenette.

The spacious bedroom with twin kingsized beds was to the left, along with the bathroom area with lots of closet space, twin wash basins, hair dryer and w/c. The shower was separate and outdoors. It is open to the sky and separated from the private patio by just a privacy screen of louvers to let the breeze through. The whole unit surrounds the patio and both the bedroom and dining area are separated only by sliding screen doors. The heavy use of local woods in the construction set off by tasteful decoration with local art works and pastel textiles is warmly inviting. The patio is furnished with a second dining table, chaise lounges and a delightful hammock for swinging and air drying after a shower. Never completely satisfied, Keith said that the only thing missing was a private plunge pool on the patio of our suite to make it an ideal honeymoon spot. If you like, the staff will bring your meals to you and once up, there is no pressing need to go down.

No reason, that is, unless you count the gardens, the large and comfortable salt water pool in the gardens or the nice beach looking out to the cut and the St. Vincent shore and the fine restaurant. We tried to plan out a schedule each morning so that the climb up was limited to twice a day. Besides, with the quality of Young Island's kitchens and the quantity of the portions we needed the exercise to work off the calories.

One highlight of our too short stay was the beach barbeque on Duquoinois Rock. It rears out of the water just a hundred yards or so along side Young Island. A stairway to the top takes you to the ruins of the Fort built in the 18th Century to control the access to the south part of St. Vincent and with part of its battery of rusted cannon pointed inland, to defend the garrison against the possibility of slave rebellion. When Young Island lays on a twilight beach barbeque the stair is lit with a series of torches making the site a romantic setting for a picnic.

There was one problem with paradise, one that I cannot blame on the management at Young Island. Before I tell you about it I want to make it clear that the hotel staff is attentive and well trained. We were treated with politeness and concern throughout our stay at the resort. The St. Vincent taxi driver was a different story. Our plane to St. Lucia and connections home left at 6:00 AM from St. Vincent's Arnos Vale Airport. That meant that we had to leave Young Island at 5:00 to give us time to check in and clear immigration. The night before our flight Keith had arranged at the office for us to be picked up at the dock. We rose early and carried our luggage down. We had been sailing and we had packed light and Keith did not want to bother the staff at that hour. When we reached the dock on the St. Vincent side the taxi was not waiting as we had arranged. After about 15 minutes the ferry man called back to the office and was told that they had nothing to indicate that a taxi had been called. He arranged another for us and we made it to the airport on time.

We were waiting at the ticket counter to check in when Keith was accosted by a very angry young man demanding to know why we had not waited on him. We, he said, had cheated him out of his fare! He claimed that he had been at the hotel bar when Keith had arranged for the taxi with the barman. Of course, Keith had not been at the bar nor had he arranged a taxi with the barman. Finally, after much shouting and an ugly scene, Keith figured that the only way we were going to shut the guy up was to give him money. Keith threw a 10 dollar bill at him and he went away cursing us in particular and Americans in general.

When I got back to he office I sent a fax to Young Island explaining that experience and suggesting that it had made me wonder if I could recommend St. Vincent to my clients. I was just venting and I really did not expect a response. I got one the same day, promising to investigate and get back to me when they had resolved the problem. I did not expect to hear more. Again I was pleasantly suprised. A week later I got a fax from the manager who informed me that he had identified the driver involved and had removed him from the list of approved taxi operators to be summoned for Young Island guests.

Despite that experience Young Island itself was a delight and one that I can wholeheartedly recommend to clients looking for a secluded romantic getaway.

By : Joan B. Hays