Warning!! This is a rather lengthy review as I want to give you as complete a picture as possible. We rate YIR a 3.5 on a scale of 1 to 5.

We stayed at YIR, Cottage 6, May 14-21, 2008 as a family vacation...
Mom and Dad (middle-aged) and teenage son. We were looking for peace and solitude (yes, even with a 14-year old!), not a rambuncious resort with jet skis threatening anyone in the water, etc. This, YIR did deliver...it was, quite honestly, the most relaxing vacation week I can remember. If you are looking for a resort with lots of activity, this isn't it. If you want a quiet, relaxing environment (except for the music I discuss below) this is it, unless any families with small children are present. YIR seems to cater mostly to couples of all ages looking for some quiet time. After a week of the simple life of sitting on the beach or cottage patio, enjoying the sound of the wind and surf (i.e., total relaxation), the arrival of young children will definitely destroy the tranquility. During our stay, there were no small children present until our last day. Perfect timing! Please note that I have nothing against small children (I was one once!!), but "kids will be kids" and the screeching and yelling is annoying. But, YIR is not an all-adult resort, so this needs to be contemplated.

Despite the wonderful ambiance and natural environment, we did encounter a few, but (to us) significant, issues that affected our overall impression of the resort.

The island itself is wonderful...very tropical, nice trade wind breezes, no humidity, no flying, biting insects during our stay. Whether this is true at other times, I cannot say. But, the weather during our stay and overall ambiance of the resort was terrific. More on this later.

Cottage 6 is located on the northeast corner of the island with direct beach access and views of the "mainland" across the 200-yard (180 meter) channel north between Young Island and St. Vincent and the wide open ocean to the east. A nice private gazebo faces east and the private freshwater plunge pool with very useable deck area was a wonderful addition. Being on the corner of the island produced a very private feel. The bathroom is not luxurious, but functional, fairly small with an outdoor shower that faces the beach. There is some vegetation and a wooden wall to protect the shy from view, although not completely viewproof as the wall has small gaps between the wooden slats. So, if you are the bashful type (or just want total privacy when showering), this might not work for you.

As all of our issues were related to the cottage, though, I'll get these out of the way and then more on the other aspects of YIR.

First, the king bed is actually 2 twins pushed together and is VERY uncomfortable. A single 4-inch mattress over a wooden base, not the comfy, luxurious bed one would expect for $900/night. It reminded me of some of the European-style mattresses I've experienced rather than the thick pillow-top mattresses of most upscale U.S. hotel chains. The cottage was not designed for more than two, but we wanted it due to its location and the plunge pool, so a cot was added to the living area. It was more comfortable than the king bed, but again, for $900/night it was a little odd sleeping on a cot. Other cottages had two double/queen beds, so this was our choice.

Second, is a problem with ants and those teeny, tiny crawly insects. I guess this is due to the cottage being directly on the beach at ground level, and the open-air aspect of the cottage, We had to use bug spray around all the doors each night in an attempt (fairly successful)to keep the ants out, but there is no getting rid of the nearly-microscopic ones unless you spray the entire room each day. My wife kept everything sealed in plastic bags as the tiny bugs were always present on the bathroom countertop. So, this was definitely an unwelcome aspect of the accommodations.

Third, is the activity across the channel from the cottage. There are several restaurants and bars directly across on the water opposing YIR. Several nights each week there is live music that absolutely shatters the quiet until late at night. With no TV in the cottage to "drown" out the noise, you are left with no alternative but to put up with it (unless you have earplugs). Rather hard to enjoy a good book with the "thump, thump, thump" of the bass and the music loud enough to seem right in front of the cottage. Thankfully, this occurred only twice during our stay. But, twice was two times too many. This is not limited to weekends only, but no descernible pattern evolved during our stay.

Now, back to the island particulars...

The thatch-roofed huts in which we ate were great. The open-air environment (again, no humidity or flying insects) was idyllic. A few geckos and doves would visit looking for crumbs of the wonderful fresh breads presented at each meal.

The breakfast menu remains the same and is fine. Not a huge variety, but enough so we never felt "bored" with the same thing each morning. The fresh fruits were great and the flaming creole frenchtoast is a real treat. A breakfast buffet would be a nice addition.

The lunch menu changes every 3 days and is not your normal (American) fare (e.g., not burgers, wraps, hot dogs, fries, etc.). It is, however, quite satisfactory, but not necessarily memorable.

The 5-course dinners were also good, but not spectacular. The "catch of the day" (both at lunch and dinner) was mainly kingfish or mahi-mahi. Snapper was available twice during the week (at dinner only). Desserts were a wild card...the ice creams and sorbets were the best choices.

The wait staff was wonderul. Only one of our servers during our stay seemed not to want to be there. They were very friendly...take the time to talk with them. They're all local (from St. Vincent) as opposed to being from all over the Carribean like so many of our other island vacations. Frequently, you can hear them laughing in the background. It's a good feeling to have happy people taking care of your meals.

Definitely take a little time and explore Young Island. The south end of the island has some breathtaking views of Ft. Duvernette (look for the still-present cannon at the peak) and some serious surf from the trade winds. The water surrounding the island is crystal-clear with the most beautiful shades of aqua to turquoise. The freshwater pool is pleasantly surrounded by tropical foilage, but was closed for maintenance the last 3 days of our stay.

St. Vincent is not a shopping bonanza and we did not spend time on the mainland as we were focused on the sand, sun and surf we found at Young Island. We did take a boat trip around the leeward side of St. Vincent to the Pirates of the Carribean film site. Larry, of Dive St. Vincent, was a terrific tour guide and we visted all the "nooks and crannies" of the island along the way.

The beach is fine, but not large, and the swimming area is fine too, but due to the constant surf and winds the sea "debris" is ever-
present. It is not the pristine, white sand beach of Cayman but is entirely adequate for the limited number of guests on the private island. We experienced no beach-side service, but that is not an issue to us, however we probably would have had more drinks if this would have been available. They swept the beach each morning, but did not re-align the lounge chairs nor clean them of the prior day's sand. Several of the beach umbrellas were in disrepair (I fixed two of them in our favorite location).

Getting there and back is a chore, but worth the effort. We had no problems with LIAT and all our flights were on time. It just takes a while to get to your final destination. Dallas to Miami to Barbados to St. Vincent took about 18 hours, including layovers. You don't want to short-change your connection times as you never know if the flights will be timely due to weather or other issues. Been there...done that!!

Overall, we had a great time despite the few issues we dealt with. Since YIR is not a "budget" destination, we didn't think those issues should have occurred. But, if anyone knows of the totally "perfect" island vacation, let me know!!!

Hope this helps you make up your mind regarding a trip to YIR.