St. Vincent & the Grenadines form a multi-island nation well known to wintering yachties, aristocrats and rock stars but off the beaten path for most other visitors. St Vincent is a refreshingly rugged and raw-edged backwater, while the 30 islands and cays that comprise the Grenadines are among the most popular cruising grounds in the Caribbean.

The Grenadines reach like stepping stones between St Vincent and Grenada and are surrounded by coral reefs and clear blue waters ideal for diving, snorkeling and boating. Fewer than a dozen are inhabited, and even these are lightly populated and barely developed. Although some of the Grenadines, like Mustique and Palm Island, cater to the rich and famous, others, like Bequia and Union Island, attract an international crew of sea salts and beachcombers and offer decent places to stay and eat.

Kingstown is best appreciated for its West Indian feel rather than for any grand attractions. It's a good place to relax and stroll the cobblestone streets. The town gets its unique atmosphere from the produce vendors along Bay and Bedford Streets, the crowds at the fish market and rum shops, and its stone-block colonial buildings.

Kingstown is known for its churches. The 1820s St Mary's Cathedral of the Assumption (Catholic) has an eclectic mix of Romanesque arches and columns, Gothic spires and Moorish ornamentation. Other notable churches include the Georgian-style St George's Cathedral and the Kingstown Methodist Church.

This delightful, hilly, green island is just an hour's sail south of St Vincent. The largest of the Grenadines (though that's not saying much), it was once a center of shipbuilding and whaling. Today, most maritime activity is confined to yachting and model boat building. The island's commercial center is Port Elizabeth, which fronts Admiralty Bay on the western coast. The town strikes a nice balance between quaintness and convenience.

It has an international mix of residents, and many of the restaurants and shops are run by expats. Many of the waterfront businesses cater to the boaters and shun touristy glitz. Friendship Bay, on the southern coast of the island, is oriented more toward the tourist. The bay has a golden-sand beach and offers good swimming and windsurfing. You can view the paraphernalia of Bequia's whaling past at Anthneal's Private Petite Museum in Friendship Bay.

The southernmost port of entry for the country, Union Island is more of a jumping off point for the Tobago Cays than a destination in itself. Consequently, if you wander out of the port of Clifton, you will discover a decidedly local atmosphere that is virtually untouched by tourism. About 3 miles (5km) across at its widest point, the island is rocky and dry, covered in thorny scrub and dotted with cacti, the consequence of decades of foraging by free-ranging goats.

Clifton, in the island's southeastern corner, is the commercial center of the island. More functional than quaint, it's the hub of the Tobago Cays tour junket industry. Short walks from the center of town offer views of the island and its neighbors. Few tourists make it to Ashton, on the island's southern coast, making it a great place to walk around and soak up the West Indian atmosphere.

The yachting capital of the Southern Caribbean.  Known for its pleasant and constant trade winds this yachting paradise is home to many races and charter ships and captains.