Palm Island, Grenadines - The Nitty Gritty

We have been looking for somewhere new and different for quite a time now. Somewhere one can be away from it all but able to enjoy good company and excellent service. Somewhere that is visually stunning yet not to vicious on flying time or money. I am glad to say we have now got as close to this perfection as we will ever get so allow me to explain why.

I chose the holiday so I am glad I got it right as, being an ex-travel professional it is surprising often I fail in this respect! Holiday choices are very subjective but this one seemed to offer the perfect compromise between my taste and that of my wife Judith. You see I like plenty to occupy myself and I am a social animal that enjoys good food, a wide range of drinks – and plenty of it. Judith on the other hand likes relaxation, British cuisine and tends to drink wine only. Palm Island had the lot! Some of such up market resorts like Palm Island tend to bring out folk that seem more inclined to dress up and pose a lot but thankfully this place, although having a sensible dress code, was pretty much free of such displays!

Palm Island is located just off the coast of Union Island in the Grenadines which are about 40 minutes flight from Barbados and a little less from St Lucia. In the old days it used to be called Prune Island and consisted of swamps, mosquitos and scrubland. It featured heavily, in its original name, in the old days of piracy but thankfully that is well in the past too!  

                                                         

Many major long-haul tour operators offer Palm Island in their brochures but I booked it online  and probably saved a little in doing so by using discounts and air miles (Avios). We flew BA to Barbados from Gatwick and this got us into Bridgetown Barbados around 1535 in the afternoon. I then contacted Palm Island through Elite Resorts who market them in the UK and USA.

 As we had booked for more than 10 days the resort included the cost of the connecting service in their hotel fee and made the booking locally for us. Anyone can do this or get in touch with the SVG website themselves. They really do try and make it as easy as possible and they meet you off your arriving aircraft and transfer you onto theirs pretty seamlessly. As the connection is reasonably short I suggest you mark your bag clearly (ribbons?) and ensure you have the coupons ready to hand over as well as possibly a photo of the bags. If the worst happens, your flight is late, and there is no time for the bag transfer then they will send them on the next morning. This is rare but I recommend you carry a change of clothing in your cabin baggage.

The plane you connect onto is small. Most seat around 20 people, have two propeller engines and are not ‘God’s gift’ in comfort however they are sturdy, reliable an fun…..in a noisy sort of way. Large cabin bags are put in the front hatch so keep your eyes open to ensure they are offloaded at Union as the aircraft often flies on to other places. When you approach Union Island (around 40 minutes later) you will fly directly around Palm Island on your approach and you can usually see it through the right hand window. You then descend onto the runway. Do not be concerned by the occasional  bumpiness on the final descent which can be caused by nearby mountain peaks as this is usual and the pilots know it intimately!

You land, watch them remove ALL your bags and go into this tiny building to clear immigration and customs. The airport is ‘quaint’ but they take their job very seriously. They are lovely people and will help you if needed but they are serious so don’t be put off. Also be warned that every time you land anywhere in this part of the Caribbean you will need a separate landing and departure form, even for the short hops so make sure you are given one. Fill them out as soon as you can as there is not much room on the plane! If the airline does not give you one then be ready to get one as soon as possible on arrival. For example, in Barbados there are forms and pens at a desk on the right just inside the arrivals building.

Having cleared customs you will be met by a very genial gentleman with an enormous golf style buggy. Climb aboard and he will take you on a 7 minute drive to the local yacht club where the transfer launch is waiting. The resort has at least two of these launches and they are big and powerful so do not worry about getting queasy on board as they rush through the waves. They give you water and cool towels and in 10 minutes you are at the Palm Island dock where there are more smiling people holding a tray of rum punches!

So now the ‘Palm Island experience’ begins. The people meeting you are usually the resort G.M. (Katy), a selection of available managers, some porters and the barman. You get offered your drink and a mini briefing on the resort. They take you straight to your room and suggest you formally check in the next day which I think is awfully civilised. The setting of resort is brilliant but quite widespread. You do not feel on top of people here. We unpacked, went on a short walk around and then into the bar and restaurant which are next to each other.

So, after this rather lengthy, but hopefully useful, preamble let’s get onto the resort itself.

As you may have gathered it is the only resort on a not very big island. There are a few private villas around its small coastline and a couple belonging to the resort itself but, apart from that you are cut off from the rigours of this world. There are little ‘dirt roads’ going around and through the island and they provide bikes for those who do not feel like walking. These are great and you can circuit the island in about 20 minutes. Some parts are on the Atlantic side, some have rocky parts good for snorkelling and some are very well groomed around the resort itself. The resort itself faces Union Island and is kind of triangular in shape. The main beach covers both sides of the point with all the amenities (pool, library, reception etc) behind it within a lawned area.

There are quite a few different types of accommodation so make your choice well. We stayed in a ‘Superior Beachfront’ which was just that. These rooms are recently built in a modern style and replace some of the original ‘Beachfront’ rooms. They are bigger and more modern with some added amenities inside and out like large draped outdoor beds etc. The room contains what you would expect in the way of fridges, ironing boards, umbrellas. Inside the fridge you get soft drinks and local beer but no wine or spirits. We bought our own local rum for pre-dinner aperitifs. The ‘bathroom’ does not have a bath  as it is replaced by a large glass screened shower area with complementary soaps and shampoo. These rooms face the main beach although set back a little.

The standard ‘Beachfront’ rooms are mainly closer to the sea, older, smaller and with a traditional decor but very attractive and we would have been equally happy staying in them. the rooms have 2 pin American plug sockets. These rooms have a small but lovely outdoor area with two comfortable sunbeds with mattresses and a grass umbrella. Great for sundowners!

The ‘Garden View’ rooms are just that i.e. they face inland towards the lawns and pool. They seemed identical to the Beachfront rooms but without the seafront and sunset to look at. Other than that they looked great.

Then they had the suites. I did not see many as they were occupied but they too looked very comfortable. The ‘Sea Grape’ suites are on one side of the resort next to the Sunset restaurant on a small stretch of beach close to the main jetties. Externally they looked great and did not seem to be troubled by noise from the surrounding activities. The resorts ‘Loft’ suites were spread around the place and were built on two levels. I liked what I saw but thought that there were perhaps too many variations of accommodation and prices. I was however very impressed with the range of rooms.

So what about the public areas?

These can be split into a number of sections. The main block contains an open sided traditional Reception area with attached office and shop. Any briefings are made in the lounge furnished reception area. It is not always manned but the adjoining office always has someone on duty. I have been told that this area is one of the few places where you can get a WIFI signal but my 4G Vodafone worked everywhere including by the pool or in our room. The shop stocks most things but at Caribbean prices which are a little higher than ours. Strangely the shop seems the only place where you can buy crisps or nuts to eat in your room. You can reserve your bikes from Reception

Just down a path from the shop is the Sunset restaurant. I am not sure where the name came from as when we were there it was only open lunchtimes apart from the very occasional evening. The seating is both indoor and outdoor under grass umbrellas and the food and ambiance a delight. There are plenty of fish specials, tacos, fajitas, lobster (in season) and meat alternatives. The staff are laid back and very helpful.

My second section is on the main beach and mainly comprises of bar and main restaurant. Again the restaurant is very well organised with excellent service and good food. Breakfast can be as extensive as you want it to be. There is a buffet section for all sorts of self-service items including cereals and toast, and a waiter who gets your hot items. There is very little missing for both European and North American tastes. Dinner is special in both  range and quality. We did not have one bad meal (except perhaps for the baked shark!) and the staff were super-attentive without being pushy.

Next to the restaurant is the bar which is almost as large in size. It has a main square stone island where the barman has his drinks which is surrounded by stools. Most premium drinks were offered here. There are loads of easy chairs dotted around the rest which is great but DON’T try to move them as they weigh a ton! One tends to find different types of folk gravitate towards each other and we ended up with some great people from Canada, Mexico and Germany to while away the evenings with. Like most places smoking can be an issue but the resort is pragmatic about it i.e. they don’t try and stop you if you sit around the edges of the lounge area. They even provide ashtrays! Musical entertainment was provided nightly which I thought was of a high standard…..especially as the evening wore on!

My third section is the grounds and what is in them. The pool is freeform and long. There are further grass umbrellas and plenty of sun loungers around. My only gripe was the sun loungers as they are canvas covered and have no mattresses so you can end up with a numb behind! There is no lifeguard but also no children, so it seemed reasonably safe especially as it is not very deep (4ft)! There is a little covered area at one end and there you can find towels and a fridge with cold drinks. If you want anything different to drink you need to accost the occasional passing barman or wander down to the main facility. The pool was rarely used (apart from us) as it gets quite windy there in certain seasons.

Like most parts of the hotel the pool area is very open and surrounded by well-kept lawns. It is on these lawns and surrounding sand and paths you see most of the wildlife including birds, iguanas and tortoises. Looking across and beyond the lawn is a line of low rise buildings which house the gym, games area (including tennis and ping pong) as well as the library and TV room (there is no in-room TV). The library has an enormous selection of books that are stacked three deep. There are little screened off shower areas if you need them for washing or costume changes!

The final section is the beaches. There are quite a few of them and I did not see them all as I was too lazy to cycle much. Each beach is a little different and four have hammock areas built by the resort. If you book and pay a little extra you can enjoy these hammocks for a day with a champagne lunch provided. The main beach is very white, very sandy and with plenty of sun umbrellas with those ‘comfortable’ sunbeds. There is a water sport section quite close to the main bar area. The guys there are very helpful and are happy to get you drinks either from their store or the bar. Towels are available here too.

A visitor!

We enjoyed the beach greatly although it does shelve quite steeply in parts and some might need to take care about this. Again, the water level also shelves in places so be aware. Sometimes you get day trippers on the beach but thankfully not as much as other islands. Some guests complain but there is very little that the resort can do as all beaches in the Caribbean are ‘open to all’. The resort does take lunch booking from day visitors but I think this is fair as why have a half empty restaurant if people want to eat there!

For a quiet laid back place there is surprisingly a lot to do if you have time or enthusiasm for it. They run regular boat trips to great snorkelling places like Tobago Cays where you are almost guaranteed to swim with turtles and rays. Union Island next door can be toured by taxi but I have to admit most people were glad to lounge around the island or sail.

Looking back at what I have written I am thinking a) it’s a bit huge and b) have I forgotten anything important. As far as size is concerned, I’m sorry! And secondly? Yes. I have not mentioned the management and staff which can make or break resorts so I will put the latter right, now. It is all about management style or lack of it and this team have a lot of style. This style is slightly different to some as they are very friendly, very relaxed and are seen as very…..familiar to some. They really do believe in being efficient but at the same time like to put guests at their ease by using first names and wanting to talk. To a number of people I saw it was not expected but, by the end of their stay, they all seemed happy enough. Katy, the GM runs a tight ship and others of her senior team follow her lead well. Cyril, the restaurant manager, is hugely friendly but cannot be faulted for it in any way.  I even enjoyed being called Mikey by the end of our stay!

The rest? 

WE WILL MISS THEM!