Last week I told you how Canouan was a nice island, but not really our favorite place. Well, we left there and sailed five miles to Mayreau and found paradise. It is amazing how one island is ok and another one blows you away. Well Mayreau blew us away and I can not really tell you why.
Check out this little shack on the beach. Would you expect wifi here?
It could be the wonderful little bay on the north side called Salt Whistle Bay. This bay has a small isthmus covered in palm trees protecting it from the swell and sand all the way around. There are mooring balls you can pick up from the Parks Service, but there is also plenty of room to anchor.
How cute is this little church? What a view behind it!
It could also be the village that is unique in the fact it is not right on the beach, but sits atop the small hill dominating the island. At the top I loved the little catholic church that was built in 1930. It is so warm and inviting with its red exterior and wooden interior. Plus, the view from the back of it over the Tobago Cays a few miles to the east is well worth the walk up.
Just one of the many little bars and resturants that people have in their house.
As we walked through town I was amazed at how many bars there were. It seems every home had a section set aside as a bar. Some of them were quite impressive. We saw a pen at one with some tortoises and had a look. The owner came out and introduced himself and said we have to see his baby tortoises. We figured this was his way to get us to have a drink or give him money. Shame on us, because this great guy simply loved his tortoises and wanted to share them with anyone that would look. It was wonderful seeing his energy and excitement. We I go back I will have to stop by again to check on his babies and have a drink with him.
We walked all the way up and down to the southern bay (only really a mile and about 20 minutes), which was fairly empty compared to Salt Whistle Bay. It seems like this is the bay that cruise ships come in and it takes on the feel of Coney Island as one person said. When it is empty it is a nice quite bay, but we want to head back to the “cruisier” bay and our boat.
We ended up hanging out at Salt Whistle Resort which we did not even know was open, but that is a story I will tell you in the next blog. So, to sum up why we loved Mayreau so much……I think it is a combination of everything above with a generous helping of the friendly, cheerful locals we interacted with. It is days like this that really make cruising a blessing!
