Petit St Vincent, known locally as PSV, is an island south of St. Vincent in the

Grenadine islands The Grenadines is a chain of small islands that lie on a line between the larger islands of Saint Vincent and Grenada in the Lesser Antilles. Nine are inhabited and open to the public (or ten, if the offshore island of Young Island is counted): ...

. It is the southernmost island in

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea ...

. The island is privately owned and operates as a resort. The resort has 22 one- and two-bedroom cottages and villas. Since 2013, it has been a part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World hotel chain.

Location

Petit Saint Vincent from Petite Martinique

Petit St Vincent is located in the southern part of the Grenadines island chain, to the north of Carriacou and Petite Martinique and south of Palm Islands and Union Island.

Geography

PSV is surrounded by of white sand beaches. Inland, the terrain consists of gently rolling hills and tropical woodland, amid which the resort's accommodation is built. The highest point on the island is on Marni Hill to the northwest of the island, which is above sea level. The Grenadines are marginally drier and warmer than St. Vincent to the north, with the average daily temperature being between all year round, due to the island chain's proximity to the equator.

History

The island is privately owned. In 1963 Haze Richardson and Doug Terman chartered their 77’

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoo ...

''Jacinta'' to Mr. H.W. Nichols, Jr. and family. During this three-week cruise, Mr. Nichols expressed interest in purchasing an island and building a small hotel. Richardson and Terman concentrated their search on the Grenadines island chain, eventually arranging the purchase of Petit St. Vincent from a woman on Petit Martinique. The two men oversaw the construction of the 22 cottage resort on the behalf of Nichols, who asked Richardson to stay on as manager. Richardson accepted this offer and never left the island, becoming owner after Nichols’ death in 1985. Richardson died in a swimming accident in Costa Rica in 2008. His wife, Lynn Richardson, continued to manage the resort until November 2010, when it was announced that the island had been sold to Freedom Resorts Ltd., operated by business partners Phil Stephenson (majority owner) and Robin Paterson. Improvements made by this group include renovations to the cottages, a new beach bar and restaurant, and a spa. The Petit St. Vincent resort contains 22 cottages, as well as a spa and a dive center in the 115 acre area. Food services are provided by the Main Pavilion Restaurant and Bar and the nearby Beach Restaurant with the adjacent Goatie's Bar. Stephenson invested heavily in the refurbishment of the resort, and under the management of husband and wife team Matthew and Anie Semark, the island was inducted into the portfolio of Small Luxury Hotels of the World in July 2013. The diving center on the island was opened by Jean Michel Cousteau in 2014.

References

{{Recreational dive sites, reereg Islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Windward Islands Private islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Luxury hotels Underwater diving resorts Underwater diving sites in the Caribbean Resorts in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines