Saint Vincent & the Grenadines

If it’s the comparatively untrammeled Caribbean you’re after, you could do much worse than Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), an arc of 30-odd beautifully arrayed islands at the southern end of the Windwards. From the cheery capital of Kingstown on Saint Vincent to the white-sand coves of Mustique in the Grenadines, this archipelago has all the beauty of the West Indies—without the drawbacks of overdevelopment and tourist throngs.

A snapshot of history first: The British controlled SVG from 1763 until 1979; and the early decades of colonial rule saw two all-out wars with the Garifuna, or "Black Caribs," a people of mixed African and Amerindian ancestry. Since independence, the islands have slowly and steadily gained a reputation for off-the-beaten-track beauty; The Pirates of the Caribbean movies, partly filmed here, have given the country’s profile a notable boost.

Saint Vincent is by far the biggest of the islands, and Kingstown—the capital, has colonial buildings and a lively market where you can appreciate the alimentary pleasures of fresh SVG seafood. Nearby sprawl one of the oldest botanical gardens in the Americas, where—in addition to admiring tropical greenery—you can spot the endemic Saint Vincent amazon parrot. Jungly volcanic highlands form Saint Vincent’s spine; La Soufriere, the 4,050-foot volcano forming the nation’s high point, has blown its top to calamitous effect on several occasions in historical time (a crippling 1902 eruption synchronizing with one of Martinique’s Mount Pelee). Despite that intimidating legacy, the volcano’s a popular hiking destination.

Meanwhile, the Grenadines tempt with some of the Caribbean’s most idyllic islands: Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, the Tobago Cays, and others. Besides idling away your time on the beaches, you’ve got world-class sailing, snorkeling, and diving here—opportunities akin to the Virgin Islands, but, in most respects, much quieter.

If it’s the classic pleasures of the Caribbean that seduce you—from rum cocktails on the beach to sunset sails along palm shores—but the crowded clamor of St. Martin or Aruba turn you off, consider SVG. More and more travelers are discovering the country as one of the Caribbean’s best-kept secrets, but you’ve still got a good chance of feeling part of a deliciously exclusive club.