At the southernmost tip of St. Vincent, with stunning views of Young
Island, Bequia, and on clear days the faint outline of Mustique, the Mariners
Hotel provides a comfortable and tropical retreat for St. Vincent adventure
seekers and business travelers. Rooms are bright and feature private
balconies with views of the pool and bay, air conditioning, cable television
and internet access via television hookups.
 While we stayed at Young Island on our trip to St. Vincent, we spent an evening touring the Mariners hotel and dined at its Royal Harbor Restaurant. We took the water taxi across to the Young Island/Dive St. Vincent dock, and walked a short distance along the rustic shoreline walkway to the hotel. For divers, the hotel is about 75 yards from the Dive St. Vincent dock. People who have trouble maintaining sure footing on uneven surfaces should take the short main road. The restaurant has a covered patio overlooking the sparkling pool and
bay, and has splendid views of the sunset. Palm trees wave in the
breeze. Brightly colored coral linens brighten the table settings, and
strands of black coral light fixtures wrap themselves around columns and
fan alongside the outer walls of the restaurant.
 At dusk, our server lit candles within the branches of these sculptures and at our table, and the effect provided an elegant and living display of light and coral shadows across the walls. In the bar and lounge area behind the restaurant, the coral color theme continue, and a well stocked bar and friendly bartender await your tropical thirst whims. |
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| Near the apron of the patio, a small beach bar serves the dockside
area and a small cocktail beach – just big enough to recline and dip your
feet into the Caribbean Sea. Around the left side of the restaurant
area, a shimmering pool beckons.
Dinner at the restaurant offers a dizzying array of courses a la cart, or for significantly less, you can order an inclusive two or three course meal. Typically four or five dishes from the menu and the specials of the day are included in the price fix meal. The Caesar salad was an earnest rendition of a classic, and included fresh greens, a creamy dressing finished with crispy bacon. Max had a bowl of creamy yellow split pea soup that had hints of nutmeg and cumin. The soup was incredibly flavorful and filling. He would have been happy with just the soup for the meal. The main courses were simple yet large and very satisfying. I had a king fish stewed in a fresh Creole sauce and served with sides of boiled okra, rice, and breadfruit. The fish was extremely fresh, and was complemented by the fruity yet savory sauce. Max had barbecue chicken with carrots, okra, and rice pilaf. The chicken was less West Indian than expected, but was very good. Like the fish dish, the portions were very generous. We really didn’t have any room for dessert, but we couldn’t resist trying
a freshly baked chocolate cake that finished the meal nicely.
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| We found the Mariners hotel to be casually elegant, and rates extremely
reasonable compared with other island venues. If you would like to
splurge for an intimate evening dinner, you can arrange to dine at one
of the semi-private Kiosks on Young Island. For those wanting more
of an island evening, it’s a quick taxi ride to many clubs and night spots
in Kingstown.
With its proximity to many areas of St. Vincent, Mariners is a terrific resting place for a vacation or holiday. For divers, the rooms are close to the Dive St. Vincent dock, and Mariners Hotel has a Scuba Package. Adventurers will find it a central point to start day trips by land or sea. It is also a very short drive or taxi ride to Kingstown, so business travelers can enjoy the windward ocean breezes and the feel of a tropical retreat while staying on St. Vincent. |
