Palm Island travel guide

Also known as Prune Island, this is another privately owned, luxury resort, about a mile from Union Island, with coral reefs on three sides. The island was developed by John and Mary Caldwell, after they had made several ocean voyages. John is the author of Desperate Voyage, a book describing his first ocean crossing; with virtually no previous experience, he sailed from the USA to Australia to meet Mary. The boat was demasted, wrecked on a reef and John was stranded on an island and had to eat slime from his boat until he was rescued. The Caldwells later leased this low-lying, swampy island from the St Vincent government and the family built the resort.

There are four beaches, of which the one on the west coast, Casuarina, is the most beautiful, helped along with copious amounts of sand washed up by Hurricane Lenny in 1999. A casual bar and restaurant facing Union Island is open to yachties and passengers of small cruise ships, but the rest of the island is reserved for guests. Even access to the beach from the jetty is prevented by ropes and notices. Water purchase is possible for yachts, moorings available. Sailing, windsurfing, scuba diving, snorkelling, fishing, tennis and health club are all available, snorkelling and diving is usually on the Mopion and Punaise sandbar islands. Shared charter flights can be arranged from Barbados to Union Island, where you will be met and brought over by the resort’s launch, 10 minutes.