AS "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN," FAMILIES CAN PLUNDER THE BEAUTY OF ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES WHILE LEAVING NATURE AS IT IS...UNSPOILED
Week-long Air-inclusive Packages with Alken Tours From $1,440 Per Person Offer Larger-Than-Life Sojourns in the Non-commercialized Caribbean
You don't need to be Blackbeard or Captain Kid to follow the clues in Walt Disney Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer Films' action-adventure "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." The new hit movie offers a treasure map leading to some of the world's most precious gems - not plundered booty or pieces of eight - but islands of the Caribbean all but lost to the modern world. It's not only swashbuckling adventures that will come to life in this tale of swordplay, treasure and an Aztec curse starring Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush who slash it out under skull and crossbones. So, too, will the pristine reaches of the Windward Islands in scenes the filmmakers could only have shot in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Southern Caribbean.
Families visiting St. Vincent and the Grenadines can feed their taste for adventure - as well as seclusion - by visiting sites used in the movie and exploring some of the Caribbean's most protected bays both above and below the waves. The movie is historically grounded in fact, as St. Vincent was no stranger to pirates who stumbled upon a last stronghold of the Carib Indians against the onslaught of French and English colonizers. Today's more peaceful buccaneers will find in St. Vincent a last bastion of a Caribbean that pre-dates the era of mass tourism.
St. Vincent, the base of operations for the cast and crew, is the seat of government and the country's main gateway. The capital Kingstown on the southwestern coast is a vibrant town of 18th century architecture. Visit the produce market (open Mondays - Saturdays) or "church-hop" through the island's rich history from St. George Cathedral (built 1820) and Cathedral of the Assumption (1823) to Kingstown Methodist (1841) and Scots Kirk (1880).
St. Vincent is also home to the oldest botanical gardens in the western hemisphere, founded in 1765. Captain Bligh of the HMS Bounty brought the first breadfruit tree to the island to feed slaves - and direct descendents of this tree abound here. Stay in character by enjoying West Indian food at The Bounty restaurant, whose daily menu reflects the produce and catch of the day; or at Ocean Allegro Restaurant & Bar, a favored hangout of Hollywood's band of pirates.
While the spectacular Falls of Baleine on St. Vincent's northwest coast can't be reached by road, you and your own shipmates may come ashore by boat on the leeward side of the island. A hike to the nearby 60-foot waterfalls is easy, rewarded by a refreshing dip in a natural rock-enclosed pool. A day trip to the falls can be structured to include a stop for lunch at Walillabou Bay, where the "Port Royal" set was built - dock and building façade remain; and Chateaubelair, where a town and cave-like set (now torn down) went up for the movie.
A more difficult climb is La Soufrière, St. Vincent's only active volcano, rising to more than 4,000 feet. Junior and fully-grown privateers should be fairly fit to attempt the summit and its stunning views.
X Marks the Spot
The exclusive private island retreat of Young Island Resort was a worthy hideaway for the cinematic adventurers and provides a convenient base just off the coast of St. Vincent for the leisure set. Legend has it that this 35-acre island was once home to a powerful Carib Indian chief. Now accessible from St. Vincent proper via a five-minute boat ride, the island boasts the purest white sand beaches in the country, so relax and rejuvenate for the journey ahead.
Land ahoy on Bequia, the largest of the 32 islands in the Grenadines. Its boat-building, whaling and fishing heritage is alive in the craftsmanship of model boat makers who sell their wares along the beaches - and will hand-fit anything from a traditional wooden schooner to a custom-made replica of almost any yacht. Explore the Grenadines using Friendship Bay Resort's spacious beachfront rooms as a base from which to pursue the romance of the sea.
Walk the plank off a dive boat to reach up to 35 dives sites in and around Bequia including "The Bullet" where rays, barracuda and nurse sharks mingle; "Devil's Table" for a chance to float above a sunken sailboat wreck; and the 90-foot drop aptly named "The Wall."
Hoist the Jolly Roger during another day at sea - with Grenadine island hops including Mayreau and Tobago Cays, the chain's most secluded landfalls. Mayreau's Saltwhistle Bay is a perfect pirate's cove of clear waters and white sand beaches (maybe even buried treasure). West of Mayreau lie the five uninhabited islets of the Tobago Cays (a protected national park), and on one of them, Petite Tabac, where the film's hero was marooned, visitors may rekindle the Golden Years of Pirating be they landlubbers, divers or snorkeling aficionados.
A six-night "St. Vincent and the Grenadines" package from $1,440 per person (double occupancy) includes roundtrip economy airfare from New York with American Airlines, six nights accommodations (three nights each at Young Island Resort and Friendship Bay Beach Hotel), one-day dive in Bequia, island highlight tours in St. Vincent and airport transfers. Additional gateways and customized tours are available.
For more information and reservations, contact Alken Tours at 1-800-221-6686. For more information on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, visit www.svgtourism.com or call 1-800-729-1726.
