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murrayskinner Bequia - A travel report by Murray
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Bequia,  St. Vincent and the Grenadines - flag St. Vincent and the Grenadines -  Charlotte
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murrayskinner's travel reports

Bequia - The Little Gem Of The Grenadines

  14 votes
Page: 1 2
Bequia is the first island in the Grenadines while sailing from St. Vincent (10 miles away). It is a beautiful, quaint island with stunning beaches and friendly people. It is only 7 miles long and only has 5,000 inhabitants. report of the month contest
Apr 2009


The Beach at Spring Bay
The Beach at Spring Bay
We visited Bequia in April of 2009 after sailing to and from there through the other Grenadine Island. It has a real laid back vibe and is the perfect spot for a peaceful getaway. the island has several beautiful beaches with Princess Margaret beach, Lower Bay, and Spring Bay among the most beautiful. It is a common getaway point for yacht charters through the neighboring islands. It also ha some great dive spots and has two fully staffed and excellently operated dive shops. You can fly to Bequia directly on St. Vincent Airlines from Barbados but most visitors fly to St. Vincent and take the hour long ferry from St. Vincent

It's tradition lies in a history of Whaling. to this day the islanders are allowed two whale catches a year. When successful everyone arrives at the whaling station and is entitled to some of the catch. I have seen a video of this on You Tube and it can be quite gruesome. In fact the islanders caught a whale a couple of weeks after we arrived there.

Admiralty Bay is home to many of the visiting sail boats and you can be sure to meet sailors from around the word there. Just adjacent to the small town of port Elizabeth is what is called the Belmont Walkway. It is a beautiful little area with many quaint restaurants and bars. The weekly Jump Up at the Frangipani is the busiest social scene frequented by locals and visitors alike.

There is a Turtle Sanctuary on the island. It is operated by an old man and is run through admission fees as well as donations. His efforts have helped the large Green turtles return to healthy numbers. This is a beautiful island that will make you feel as relaxed as a Jimmy Buffet Parrot Head within days. i imagine it is like much of the caribbean was 30 or 40 years ago.

Favourite spots:
Admiralty Bay from Princess Margaret Beach
Admiralty Bay from Princess Margaret Beach
Our favorite spots were easily confined to Bequia's beautiful beaches and it's principal village of Port Elizabeth. Princess Margaret Beach is probably the most beautiful and gets it's name from the frequent visits Princess Margaret made here, although the locals still refer to it by it's original name - Tony Robbins Beach. Jack's Bar on one end of the beach is great place for a snack or a rum punch at sundown. the other end of the beach has a walk in cave that is very nice to explore.

The beach at Lower Bay is also very nice and is frequented more by the locals and is home to many small and inexpensive bars and restaurants. Spring Bay is on the quiet side of the island and used to be a plantation. There is a grove with hundreds of palms here and the place exude a tropical feeling.

Fort Hamilton is also a beautiful place which affords a stunning view Admiralty Bay and Port Elizabeth.

What's really great:
Palms at Spring
Palms at Spring
This place is magic. The sundown and azure waters are astounding as was the lush tropical vegetation. But I must say I really enjoyed the people. Even when they try to steal from you, they are polite. One afternoon I was sitting at a bar and a local man was reaching for the coins I had on the bar. I grabbed his wrist and said hey, you are trying to steal my money' to which he grinned and said yes, you caught me trying to take your money. I responded that wasn't very nice and he said No, that wasn't very nice. he then just sat there and asked how long i would be visiting. You gotta love a place like this.

Sights:
View from Fort Hmilton
View from Fort Hmilton
There is beauty everywhere on Bequia. From the tropical palms, beautiful beaches, to the stunning view of Port Elizabeth and Admiralty Bay from Fort Hamilton. One should also visit Moonhole which is an eclectic smattering of cave apartments built by eccentric New Yorkers. One can rent them by the week if you don't mind having no power or windows. Most come with a cook for the week and Moonhole beach is isolated and very nice,

Accommodations:
Bananas Apartment
Bananas Apartment
We stayed at a beautiful 2 bedroom apartment called the Bananas Apartment in Spring. It is owned by a beautiful British couple who were very accommodating. The ground (acres) are immaculate and the apartment has private use of a beautiful in ground pool.

Spring is a quiet area and has many Americans, Brits, and Canucks who have carved out a piece of paradise for their golden years.

Nightlife:
Frangipani Caterpillar
Frangipani Caterpillar
Don't go to Bequia for the nightlife. It might be more exciting watching a caterpillar crawl. By the way, the local Frangipani Caterpillars were large and beautiful

Hangouts:
Sundown at the Green Boley
Sundown at the Green Boley
The Green Boley Roti Bar was our favorite. The place was right on the Belmont walkway on the water and was inexpensive with tasty Rotis and excellent 151 proof rum punches. These drinks are lethal yet tasty. The 151 proof rum is forbidden on aircraft because it is flammable. One word of caution, sometimes the place is closed in the evening if the owner has had too much to drink in the afternoon.

Restaurants:
Nando at work in the kitchen
Nando at work in the kitchen
Fernando's Hideaway is far and away the best place. It is tucked away above lower Bay and Nando the owner and cook is the real deal. He goes out every morning and catches his own fish for dinner service every night. His Goat Water Soup served on Saturday's is fantastic and is famous on the island.

Other recommendations:
Bequia Water Taxi
Bequia Water Taxi
Even though the island is small, there is convenient transport. Dollar taxis ply the busy roads (pick up trucks) and are cheap and fun. Water taxis are the way to get to the popular beaches.

Published on Thursday April 30th, 2009


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Mon, May 25 2009 - 08:33 AM rating by alhamarental

The Frangipani Caterpillar, and It gets me remembering the gorgeos sent of the Frangipani Tree. Great report

Thu, May 14 2009 - 02:55 PM rating by bootlegga

Great photos, especially of the bay with all the sailboats!

Thu, May 14 2009 - 07:47 AM rating by bineba

This is a great report with lovely photos.
Your report of the month report is well deserved.

Tue, May 12 2009 - 04:20 AM rating by louis

Hi Murray,
I just found the time to read your report. And I really like it. It was good choice to reward it with RoM. Could be little longer but I will not complain.
Again my congratulations...
Rafal

Sun, May 10 2009 - 07:27 PM rating by aufgehts

Murray, I love the caterpillar, very funny! This looks like a wonderful place that was able to get a strong hold on you. Those places are the most special.

Tue, May 05 2009 - 05:15 PM rating by eirekay

Rum Punch at Sunset! Great pictures and some terrific suggestions!

Tue, May 05 2009 - 05:31 AM rating by krisek

A great report. I've had St Vincent & Grenadines on my list for a long time. Does the side of the water taxi say 'Phat Shag'? Hmm... does it mean something else than... well, what does it mean in the Grenadines?

Sat, May 02 2009 - 04:03 PM rating by mistybleu

An excellent report, to a really unknown island to many. I took the ferry from Union to St Vincent so was happey to see its shores.

Fri, May 01 2009 - 04:21 AM rating by kwongmei

wah, highly interesting! The caterpillar is beautiful but is it poisonous?

Fri, May 01 2009 - 02:41 AM rating by pesu

That'a a Carribean dream, Murray! Stunning pics also, I've never seen a frangipani caterpillar before. :)

Thu, Apr 30 2009 - 09:14 PM rating by jacko1

I enjoyed this report very much, anybody reading this would want to visit here, well written and informative, well done.

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