Mayreau St Vincent and the Grenadines
Mayreau has a population of roughly 270 people and no airport, no paved road connecting it to anywhere else, and no ATM. You get there by boat or not at all. This is not a quirk to be managed; it is the reason to go. The island covers less than half a square mile in the southern Grenadines, accessible only by ferry or water taxi, and the enforced logistics filter out the category of visitor who needs a full-service resort with a swim-up bar.
What Happened Here
The island’s layered history follows the standard Caribbean arc with some specific local details. Arawak people settled first, living on reef fish and shellfish. French planters arrived in the 1700s with enslaved workers from West Africa, establishing cotton cultivation and building the small Roman Catholic church on Station Hill that still overlooks the bay below. After emancipation in the 1830s, the population shifted to farming and fishing, a pattern that continued with minimal interruption until tourism discovered Saltwhistle Bay in the second half of the twentieth century.
Hurricane Beryl struck in July 2024 and caused serious damage across the southern Grenadines, including Mayreau, destroying beach infrastructure (restaurants, bars, dockside facilities) and damaging accommodation. By late 2025, the island had substantially rebuilt, with the yachting sector particularly resilient. If you are visiting soon, verify with your accommodation that facilities are fully operational before booking.
Getting There
The two main options are the Jaden Sun fast ferry from Kingstown (capital of St. Vincent) and a flight to Union Island followed by a water taxi. The Jaden Sun operates a Kingstown to Union Island route stopping at Bequia, Canouan, and Mayreau; total journey time to Mayreau is around two hours, and fares are in the range of EC$60 to EC$80 one way (roughly USD 22 to 30). The ferry schedule changes seasonally and should be confirmed by phone or email before you travel.
Flying to Union Island from St. Vincent takes around 20 minutes on a small propeller aircraft. From Union Island’s dock, a water taxi to Mayreau takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes and costs around EC$40 to 60 per person depending on the number of passengers. This combination is faster but more expensive than the ferry.
There is no car hire on the island. The village is reached on foot up Station Hill; most of the beaches and bays are also accessible on foot or by local boat.
Saltwhistle Bay and the Beaches
Saltwhistle Bay in the north of the island is a double-sided crescent: calm water on the west, open Atlantic swell on the east, with a narrow strip of land planted with coconut palms separating the two. It is consistently rated one of the finest anchorages in the Caribbean and fills with yachts during the December to April sailing season. The beach itself is accessible to non-sailors; walk down from the village or arrive by dinghy from a moored boat.
The bay on the southwestern side of the island, near Dennis’ Hideaway, is smaller and less frequented. Diving and snorkelling off the rocky outcrops around both bays turns up good visibility and healthy reef fish populations.
Tobago Cays
The Tobago Cays Marine Park is the primary reason most visitors come to this part of the Grenadines. The park is a short boat ride from Mayreau (your hotel or guesthouse can arrange day trips) and consists of five small uninhabited cays ringed by a horseshoe reef. The protected lagoon has exceptional clarity. Green and hawksbill turtles graze in the seagrass beds year-round; they are accustomed to snorkellers and will come close if you float quietly without chasing them.
Entry fees apply and are collected by the park authority. Anchoring in seagrass is prohibited to protect the turtle feeding habitat; anchor in sand or use a park mooring. No fishing is permitted inside the park boundary. Day-trip boats from Union Island and the charter yacht crowd descend on the Cays between around 10:00 and 14:00; being there at 08:00 or staying after 15:30 gives you a substantially different experience.
Where to Stay
Dennis’ Hideaway in the village is the long-established local institution: a guesthouse with a bar and restaurant that has been a sailor’s landfall for decades. It is simple, genuinely local in character, and the best place to get an honest briefing on current conditions on the island. Saltwhistle Bay Club (the resort property on the bay of the same name) offers a step up in comfort at considerably higher prices, typically USD 200 to 350 per night. Confirm restoration status post-Beryl with any property before booking.
Accommodation on Mayreau is limited. There are fewer than 50 bookable rooms on the entire island; during peak sailing season (mid-December through April), everything fills well in advance.
Where to Eat
The island’s food options are modest and mostly attached to the guesthouses. Dennis’ Hideaway serves Caribbean cooking using local fish, and the welcome at the bar is genuine. The Saltwhistle Bay Club restaurant operates for guests and visiting yachties. In the village, a few local women run informal food stalls; grilled fish and rice is the staple and usually very good.
Bring Eastern Caribbean dollars (XCD) in cash. Credit card acceptance is limited and sometimes unreliable when satellite connectivity is poor.
Practical Notes
The dry season (January through May) brings the most reliable weather. Hurricane season runs June through November, with peak risk in August and September. The sailing season corresponds roughly with the dry season, which means the island is busiest precisely when conditions are at their best.
The village church on Station Hill, built by French settlers and still actively used, is worth the short climb regardless of whether you have any religious interest. The view from the hill over both bays on a clear morning is one of those scenes that would look implausible in a photograph.
Mayreau does not have mains electricity across the whole island. Solar power is increasingly common. Phone and data connectivity exist but are variable. This is the correct setting for these things.