Very excited to be visiting a new destination this January! St. Vincent! Spending a few days before heading to Bequia. I get the sense that St. Vincent is a bit "rough around the edges." Is it similar to the Soufriere area in St. Lucia? I am putting together my list of "must visit" bars and I know that has a popular sailing area, St. Vincent will have a few!

Is the airport (for larger jets) finished? They have been working on this for years (island time) LOL

The airport is finished, there are now direct flights from Canada.
If you are fit make arrangements to the Hike up La Soufriere volcano, it's a long strenuous hike from the leeward side of the island but well worth it. You can also go from the windward side but the hike isn't as nice.
The market in Kingstown is far better than either of the ones in St. Lucia and Grenada. There are also vendors on just about every inch of sidewalk in the city. The fish market is also very nice. I would avoid the meat market, it's not like a butcher shop you would find back home.
As for bars/restaurants, the Cobblestone Bar has good food at a decent price, very nice open air dining room on the second floor. If you are staying near Young Island Cut the French Veranda is a bit more upscale, but good food and still reasonable.
The botanical gardens are worth a visit for an hour or so, your admission includes the services of a knowledgeable guide.
Kingstown is not a tourist town, I would liken it more to Castries rather than Soufriere (my favorite town in all the Caribbean).
When we're on St. Vincent I always make it a point to visit Kingstown just to spend the day walking around, we always seem to make a new discovery.

Thanks Sunset_Sammy: This is great advice. We will be staying at Young Island so we will definitely be visiting Cobblestone Bar and French Veranda.

We went to Kingstown yesterday (Friday). Market day is Friday and Saturday so there was LOTS of activity. We only saw 2 other tourists during our entire visit. That is all, just two.

St. Vincent is not known for tourism, even though the countryside has enormous potential. The locals don't seem to want tourism as an economic source of revenue.

We were not treated differently than anyone else on the street and that was refreshing. We took a tour and our driver tried to stop at two well-marked tourist restaurants (Wallilabou and near Layou). Both were closed and the owners, who talked to our driver, didn't want any business (they told that to our driver). Interesting.

It is best to hire a taxi or tour guide if you want to explore the island.

The mainland of St. Vincent is NOT a sailing destination because of past and ongoing "security issues". The one bay that a sailor MIGHT visit is Chateaubelair Bay, but that is even highly sketchy. Yes, St. Vincent is very "rough around the edges" but the potential for tourism is there if the government and locals ever want tourists.

When you tire of the mainland, hop on the ferry and visit sweet Bequia. It is a one hour ferry ride away, costs 25 EC one way and it is on Bequia you will find sailors hanging out. In addition, Bequia has fantastic restaurants, beaches, bars and hiking in a safe environment.

Enjoy your trip!

"It is best to hire a taxi or tour guide if you want to explore the island" Defiantly - as they know the secret handshake to keep you safe and when to use it.
"When you tire of the mainland, hop on the ferry and visit sweet Bequia" That Island is the Anti St Vincent. GREAT people.

Great advice. Yes, we will be going to Bequia for the next part of our holiday.

Just a follow up. We had a great time on St Vincent. I am really glad we opted to spend a few days there before our trip to Bequia.