Summary. An exceptional place. Casual sophistication is a good way to describe it. Young Island is called a resort but that doesn’t really do it justice as it is significantly different than others. While it is ‘separated’ from outside by the 200 yard sea channel, it doesn’t have the same gated feel that most other resorts have. The food is amazingly good. The rooms (cottages) are spacious, very clean and comfortable (not capital city chic but we don’t want that on a holiday). There is a casual, relaxed feel about the place – again just what we want from a holiday venue. We plan to go again. Read on for more detailed analysis… and by the way, I rarely give maximum marks.

Overview. Not everyone’s choice: what suits us, wouldn’t necessarily suit everyone else. If you are looking for pampering, “yes Sir, no Sir service” and very formal attention, strict formality at dinner and elsewhere it is not for you. The place has a serene informality about it – no rush but everything gets done. Although just offshore and private, it feels much more part of the community than a gated resort stuck miles from the nearest town or village. Just a couple of minutes by resort ferry and you can sit on a ‘locals beach’ or drink it nearby bars. It is older than most resorts, thus everything may not be as modern as elsewhere, but this actually gives it an aged and mature feel, in the best sense of the terms. If you want lots of lively activity, don’t go… if you want to relax, enjoy your own and other guests company, eat splendidly, then this may just be the place for you. 10/10

Staff. Relaxed and friendly. Most have long service and it shows why. Yes, there are a couple who might perhaps smile a bit more - the same anywhere. 9.5/10

Food. We were astounded by the quality and choice. The place is up to date with worldwide trends. These chefs know how to cook. Every meal surprised. Portion sizes were sensible – not too big, and if you are on full board you can always ask for more. This place is close to Michelin standard (though probably wouldn’t get a star as it would probably be marked down for lack of frills and gimmicks –no problem there for real food lovers). Our only suggestion would be a few more Carib/St Vincent local dishes – those that were offered sparkled. 9.5/10

Drinks. Sensibly – reasonably - priced if you are not all-inclusive. (Too many hotels rip you off – not here). Wine prices are not cheap (Jan 2012 starting at $31 for decent (branded) ‘house’ wines) but that is true of the Caribbean generally and mainly down to the cost of shipping and storage. Reasonable selection. 9/10

Rooms. Fabulous views from ours – waking in bed looking over the wider sea and some of the coast – magnificent. Clean, spacious, comfortable, perfect. 10/10

Sailaway. We did the two night sailaway and had a fabulous time with Orlando and Rikky on the resort’s new catamaran. This is more stable than a single hull, but note that there are some big swells between the islands, if you aren’t that good a sailor. Highly recommended. 9/10

Negatives and other issues. We would disagree with the negatives posted here – either they didn’t affect us or we believe them to be wrong. The noise did not affect us, so no comment. Do be warned that the best cottages are probably higher up, so if you aren’t good with steps, go for lower.

Tips. In the late afternoon when the sun went off the beach (4.30 ish, January) we went across to the beach opposite most days. Gets quite busy on Sundays mostly with locals who are friendly, though nobody bothers you (they will try and sell you loungers but that’s about it! Never saw any sellers, apart from the makeshift bar where you can at least get a drink including rum punches in fresh coconuts, plus beer and sodas). Other days were very quiet with perhaps 20 or so people about.

Where do I begin ? I suppose at the beginning when we were met at St Vincent airport by Smokey (our guide and freind for the week) A warm smile and a quick call to the Island alerted them that we had arrived and after a short taxi ride (about 6 minutes at smokey pace) we arrived at the jetty where the little boat to the island was waiting for us. Luggage was loaded and a few minutes later we were welcomed to Young Island by Bianca, the manager and a nice cold rum punch. Evenn though it was 10.30 at night Bianca said she had kept the chef back incase we would like a meal but after a long days travelling we were happy with our rum punch and our beds. Bianca quickly showed us the facilities and then took us to our cottage. On the way she said "I hope you don't mind but I've upgraded you". Don't mind, we were extatic, we had our own private cottage suite with a plunge pool, double hammock and our own private gazebo where many a night was spent watching the sun go down with a cocktail or two. Our suite had a separate lounge with fridge, tea/coffee facilities, fresh fruit daily and ice replenshed daily. Our bedroom had a large comfy bed and all the windows were louvered so you could let in the beautiful warm caribbean breeze. Our bathroom was small but then the outdoor private shower was fantasic no sweaty bathroom to get changed in and a fantastic view to the beach if you stood on your tiptoes. Next morning we wandered down to breakfast to be given a beautiful gazebo for two overlooking the beach. You had a choice of all meals all of which were fantasitc, from locally caught fish to Lobster and crab backs and they were served to you apart from the barbeque on Saturday night which was great. The food was fantastic, the staff where fantastic and the bars where fantastic. My husband and I could not believe we had been so lucky in our choice and our luck continued as we got to know the staff and made the island our home for the week. James and Ivan got to know our tipple and there was always a welcoming drink (and smile) when we needed one. We were on the all inclusive package so we had everything we wanted, whenever we wanted. You can go half or full board but then you pay extra for your drinks and the supermarket is near the airport so it's a long way to get your supplies. The nearest shop is 25 minutes walk away uphill so we felt it was worth it. The beaches are cleaned daily and all the whole island (St Vincent aswell) is spotllesly clean. Other people have mentioned the noise from the bars across the water and yes we did have this issue aswell but it's bearable and it's not every night and it certainly didn't spoil our stay. We felt so at home here, it was like living in a little bubble for the week and we certainly had a job getting back to civilisation when we arrived in Barbados for our second week. How I wish we had booked Young Islaned for 2 weeks. ~All the staff had a smile and a good morning, from Bianca and her daughter who was on the island some of the time to the gardeners and the ferry man. The Island was not busy during our stay so sometimes it felt like we had our own private island, it was heaven. I mentioned Smokey earlier, he is the best taxi driver/guide you could wish for, his pace is slow, his knowledge is good and his mini-van is luxurious. Big leather seats and air-conditioniong meant our guided tour of the island (which we booked privately with him) was a pleasant distraction from lazing around on the beach. We also took a day trip to Bequai which was quiet but we really should have taken a taxi to the other side of the island where the best beaches were. The ferry was cheap and a bit rough but ok. The journey can be a bit rough so if you are a bad sailor it may be better to take a liat plane ride or maybe the fast ferry.
The coconut bar wasn't open every day as the island was quiet but it was fun when it was, swimming from our private cottage across for a drink and back was great fun, the ultimate swim up bar,
Wifi is located at the bar but you can have the best of both worlds as it reaches out to the beach just infront of the bar so you can surf or chat to your poor unfortunate friends who had to stay behind in the cold.
I really can't express in words how wonderful Young Island is, it has been the best holiday we have ever had and we can't wait to return next year. If I could go back sooner I would.
Thanks again to everyone on Young Island for making this our best ever holiday. See you next year.

This is not regarding the resort but the beach and how the staff of the resort treated the day beach visitors.

On the jetty, a type of "angry at my job" man greets us with the kind words of "what do you want here"


Only costs 80 EC for a couple of sunbeds and the lunch, 3 small wraps with some fries for 90 EC.

If the resort are opened for other than guests of the resort this is not the way to run a business.

Ended up cursing at the "angryman" upon departure.

Worst beach relaxing ever

I had my wedding in October and rented the whole island for our family and friends for 4 days. I have been inside everyroom on the island so feel free to email me with any questions regarding rooms or having a wedding there.

PROS:
Great food !!!! My husband is a chef, as were many of the wedding guests and everyone agreed that the food was way better than expected. Not your standard all inclusive quality of food. The servers were FANTASTIC !!! So nice and friendly, even being on island time I still thought service was prompt. 5 course dinners....lots of local foods and lots of options.

Beach: was really nice !!! It's not a huge long, wide beach but the water in crystal clear, you can snorkel right off the beach and there are plenty of loungers and hammocks. The free use of the paddleboats and kayaks is nice. ( Take the kayak and paddle over to the rock fort for some great views )

Location : The island is BEAUTIFUL !!! Lovely paths and trails and look out points all over. LOTS of steps but really is worth it to explore around the island. Flowers everywhere , SO pretty

ROOMS: (see below for my room cons )
A lot of the rooms have amazing views and are really nice. A bit outdated as far as furnishings but still quite comfortable. The rooms and everythign on the island has a rustic tropical feel. Really comfortable beds. You are on a island, in nature so don't be surprised to have some outside visitors show up in your cottage. We had a gecko friend that hung out on our wall most days. Didn't bother us at all. We actually looked for him each day .

STAFF: Almost everyone who worked on the island was great. Only issues were with the night bartenders ( see below ) Servers, groundsmen, ferry driver, security, chefs were fantastic !!!!! The answer to pretty much anything you could ask for was always YES !!! They actually had a member of their groundskeeping staff cut down a dead tree that was right in the middle of where I wanted to have my wedding ceremony.




CONS:

The mini sailboats are in dire need of repairs , take out at your own risk. Two of my wedding guests who are avid sailers took one out and a part of the rig broke while they were out at sea and they couldn't get back, they had to be towed back by the coast gaurd. Luckily they were spotted or this could have been a really dangerous situation.

NOISE ISSUES !!!! - major problem that the Island can't do anything about it seems. There are 2-3 open air clubs/bars across the water from Young Island and they play loud music almost everynight starting around 8-9 pm ( Sometimes right as you are sitting down for a nice romantic dinner ) and the music goes on till 3-4 am some nights. It is LOUD......so loud that even if you have AC in your room and can shut the windows you can still hear it and feel it. The music often has the heavy bass sound that makes you vibrate inside. Good luck trying to sleep !!

The rooms:
We had the Duvernette Suite #26 which is the largest and nicest cottage located at the top of the island. The cottage was really nice and had a great backyard area with a large infinity with a view to die for, a outdoor table and a hammock. The backyard and pool area however is ruined by the poor placement of a large & loud generator that is right next to your cottage. The constant noise really ruined the enjoyment of sitting outside at night trying to have a romantic time. Really bad idea to place it right next to the most expensive cottage on the island.

Bartenders : I had a MAJOR issues with the bartenders that I want to share.....My husband and I paid close to $10,000 for all of my 55 guests to have an open bar for the 4 days they were at Young Island. I told the Bar Manager & Staff Manager when I arrived on the Island that my husband and I would be tipping all the servers & bartenders at the end of the weekend.
The way I understand an all inclusive is, that while tipping is appreciated it is not required...so I thought that by letting them know I would be tipping at the end they wouldn't be upset or disappointed when my guests did not tip. Most of the time my guests were in bathing suits and I didn't want anyone to have to carry around a wallet or purse. I also just didn't want my guests to have to worry about or pay/tip for anything during my wedding weekend.

The night bartenders actually told my guests that they wouldn't make them drinks unless they started tipping, they threatened to shut the bar down and go home and tried to sell them bottles from the bar so that they didn't have to be bothered to make drinks themselves. I understand that the bar can't be open all night long but on one night they wanted to close at midnight. Management was notified and we were assured that this problem would be resolved.
It WASN'T as it happened again the next night ( my wedding night ) and one of the bartenders actually got in a verbal spat with one of my female guests and got quite rude.
Management needs to figure out some sort of resolution to this. If you charge guests $55 per person per day for all inclusive drinks you need to be able to provide drinks into the night. Or you need to clearly state the closing time of the bar. When I asked the closing time while I was booking the island for my wedding I was told, " the bar stays open as long as there are people coming to it "
If your bartenders don't want to work late and want to go home then you need to provide a cooler of beverages or some sort of self serve options to your guests. They make glass or plastic beverage servers that could be filled with a rum punch or some sort of drink and left for guests to serve themselves.

****** I won't name the actually bartenders that we had issues with but I would like to call out MICHAEL who worked at the Coconut bar most days ......He was FANTASTIC, made great
drinks and served them in Coconuts, always had a smaile and was just so much fun. *******


Bottom Line: I had an amazing wedding weekend, my guests had the times of their life and are still talking about what an amazing trip they had. I would go back in a second and would tell anyone else thinking of going to GO !!! Just be aware of the pros & cons so you know what to expect.