Bequia: Port Elizabeth, Admiralty Bay and Belmont Walkway
Base · 4–5 days
The practical northern gateway and the best all-round base: ferry access, guesthouses, provisions, diving, casual bars and the parish’s most dependable dining scene. Stay here if you want the Grenadines without turning every meal and transfer into a project.
Southern and Windward Bequia
Base · 2 days
Lower Bay and Princess Margaret are the easy swimming beaches; Friendship Bay, Industry and Hope feel quieter, hillier and more rural. It is the beach side of Bequia, best explored by taxi rather than optimistic walking in the heat.
3Mustique
Base · 3 days
A tightly managed private island for villas, serious quiet and polished beaches, not local-island spontaneity. A day sail from Bequia is a glimpse; staying overnight is the point if the budget allows.
Canouan: Charlestown and the Southern Public Side
Base · 3 days
A strategic mid-chain stop with exceptional water and sand, but much of the prime coast is wrapped into the resort estate. Worth it for resort guests, golf or an airstrip-led itinerary; less compelling for independent wandering.
Mayreau: Saline Bay and Salt Whistle Bay
Short stop · 1 day
The chain at its smallest and least hurried: one village, sparse roads and Salt Whistle Bay’s near-perfect anchorage. Stay for silence and simplicity, not for choice, ATMs or backup plans.
Tobago Cays Marine Park
Short stop · 1 day
The essential water day in the southern Grenadines: turtles in seagrass, reef snorkeling, iguanas and the lagoon inside Horseshoe Reef. Visit by charter, yacht or water taxi rather than trying to treat it as a land-based stop.
Union Island: Clifton, Ashton and Chatham Bay
Base · 3–4 days
The southern group’s working hub and the sensible base for Tobago Cays trips, kiteboarding and boat charters. Clifton handles services and provisions; Chatham Bay is the quieter anchorage, while the island retains more local energy than its neighbors.
Palm Island and Petit St. Vincent
Private-island retreats just beyond Union, built for low-density luxury, soft sand and switching off from normal logistics. Choose either as a destination in itself, not as a cheap or efficient exploration base.
Sample routes
Bequia without the logistics circus
7 daysBequia: Port Elizabeth, Admiralty Bay and Belmont Walkway (5 days) → Southern and Windward Bequia (2 days)
For first-timers who want beach time, decent food and boat access without sacrificing days to transfers. Base around Port Elizabeth, then use the southern side for Lower Bay, Princess Margaret and quieter coves. A Mustique day sail is optional; Tobago Cays is not worth forcing into this short Bequia-focused trip.
Plan this routeClassic Bequia to Union Island
9-10 daysBequia: Port Elizabeth, Admiralty Bay and Belmont Walkway (4 days) → Union Island: Clifton, Ashton and Chatham Bay (3-4 days) → Tobago Cays Marine Park (1 day) → Mayreau: Saline Bay and Salt Whistle Bay (1 day)
The strongest first multi-island trip: Bequia supplies the sociable northern base, while Union is the practical southern hub for the Cays and Mayreau. Treat the Bequia-to-Union move as a travel day and keep the final day flexible around ferry or flight schedules.
Plan this routePrivate-island splurge with a real southern finish
14 daysBequia: Port Elizabeth, Admiralty Bay and Belmont Walkway (4 days) → Mustique (3 days) → Canouan: Charlestown and the Southern Public Side (3 days) → Union Island: Clifton, Ashton and Chatham Bay (3 days) → Tobago Cays Marine Park (1 day)
For travelers willing to pay for flights or arranged boats rather than build a holiday around sparse ferry days. Bequia gives the trip texture, Mustique delivers the high-end private-island stay, Canouan is for resort-grade beach time, and Union plus the Cays prevents the itinerary from becoming an expensive sequence of hotel compounds.
Plan this routeSouthern-water escape
5 daysUnion Island: Clifton, Ashton and Chatham Bay (3 days) → Tobago Cays Marine Park (1 day) → Mayreau: Saline Bay and Salt Whistle Bay (1 day)
The efficient short break for snorkelers, sailors and repeat Caribbean travelers. Stay on Union for provisions, boats and weather flexibility; make the Cays the non-negotiable full-water day and visit Mayreau when sea conditions and boat timing cooperate.
Plan this route