OT - Anyone been to Bequia?

[LC]

Hubby and I usually vacation in St. John, but decided to do something different this year. I've heard several people say that Bequia is a lot like St. John was years ago. So that made our decision for us.

We're booked for a trip in August....anyone here been there? I'd love to hear some first trip advice, suggestions, etc.

[sailorgirl]

I have. I spent a few days anchored in Bequia harbor about 7 years ago. Its a charming little (emphasis on little) island. There is a great bar/resturant on the harbor called The Fragapani (sp?). I has adirondack chairs on the lawn with holes cut out in the arms for your drink. My kind of place. Since we were on a boat I did not sample the cuisine or beaches . This topic came up on this forum several months back. Maybe a search request will turn up more information. From Bequia we made a crossing to Canouan (sp?) and a small uninhabited island that had decent snorkling. Mustique is also nearby.

Enjoy.

[flip-flop]

LC - I've never been but you did get my curiosity up. Googled and found a great trip report http://www.scubamom.com/grenadines/bequia/island.htm.

Looks just perfect to me. I wonder how difficult it is to get there!

[mbw1024]

wasn't JMQ there?

[Ken]

Well, finally a thread I can contribute to. My wife and I spent 5 incredible days there in January of this year. We chose Bequia because of exactly what you just mentioned - like St. John used to be. The first time I visited St. John was (believe it or not) 4 years ago TODAY. So I can't really comment on whether that statement is accurate, but it is a small, laid back island that is absolutely gorgeous. It has some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. Crime is nearly non-existent. It is a real pain to get there (which is good), and once you arrive, you are forced into island time.

The town sits on the harbor much like Cruz Bay. But the big difference is that there is a beautiful little walkway that goes along the water (the Belmont Walkway) with restaurants and bars all the way from end to end. The view is very calm and quiet in the harbor and it is almost magical. We stayed in town to be near the "stuff" and I'm glad we did on our first visit. We didn't rent a car because we didn't need to. Taxi's are plentiful and cheap - just find one under the almond tree or have somebody call one on the radio. Water taxis are also plentiful and cheap if you wish to travel by water.

I could go on and on, but it is a wonderful place. We love St. John, and have been 4 times in the past 4 years. We will go back. But we also loved Bequia and will definitely go back. Next January will be Virgin Gorda and Anegada. Saba is also on the list.

Feel free to PM me for more info. You can probably tell I'm passionate about this place. Definitely worth the trip if you like St. John.

Here are some pictures from our trip there:

http://www.pbase.com/rcplanefan/bequia

Ken

[mbw1024]

I knew it was one of our resident photographers!
I remember your report.

[Kentuckygirl]

I remember those pictures too ... beautiful!! I just tried to save them to my favorites, and they were already there. I would love to go there someday!

[sailorgirl]

Bequia also has a whaling tradion. Using dories and hand held harpoons. There was a man, who's name I can not recall, who was a famous whaler. He was quite old 7 years ago and may have passed on by now, but he had a small musuem in his home. He was interesting to talk with.

[flip-flop]

Ken - I found myself going through all your galleries. WOW, incredible. I love the baby at Ambiance in the bumpo seat. BTW, how old was he? Just wondering as we are taking our babe who will be 10 months in November!

[LC]

I knew someone here would be helpful - thanks guys!

Flip-Flop - Scubamom has an awesome website, doesn't she? I'd like to have her travel budget?

I'll have to check out the Whaler guy, too, that sounds really interesting.

Ken- I tried to PM you, but not sure it worked. everyone is right - your pics are fabulous! I'm glad to hear that the taxis/water taxis are plentiufl, as we'd planned to not rent a car either. What did you think about food options there? We're planning on getting some groceries to stock the villa for breakfast, snacks, etc. how are the markets there? And for dining out, is there a variety as far as expense? (we're usually pretty casual diners, so probably don't won't to go out to anything fancy or too expensive)

[ScubaGirl]

I've been doing research, and from everything I hear and read, it's amazing, and we're going to barboat there.......sometime. I've bought the crusing guide.But....I'm not ready to NOT go to the Virgin Islands yet. It's like my second home.

Sydney

[Ken]

Ken - I found myself going through all your galleries. WOW, incredible. I love the baby at Ambiance in the bumpo seat. BTW, how old was he? Just wondering as we are taking our babe who will be 10 months in November!

Hey, Flip-flop. Colin was 5 months old at the time and he was a great traveller. We called that picture "King Colin" as it looked like he was sitting in a throne surveying his kingdom! Now that he is just over a year and walking everywhere, I can't imagine how the airplane flight would be - and I'm not sure I want to find out!

Ken

[Ken]

LC, I didn't get your PM so I'll just answer your Q's here as best I can. Food options were very, very good. We ate 2 or 3 dinners at the Frangipani hotel as the location and food were great. I don't think there is anyplace you have to "dress up" for on island - mainly shorts and shirts for us. Dinner at the Frangi was about $40 for 2 and it was very good. There is a little French restaurant down the walkway a bit that was also very good. Mac's pizza was great as was every other place we stayed. We also took a taxi over to Miskito over at the Friendship Bay hotel which has an incredibly beautiful setting. Food was OK and the most expensive of the trip. The bar has hanging swings for seats which was very, very cool.

If you like to be on the water, you can ask around for private charters. My wife and I spent the day on the Frangi's boat (ask at the check-in desk). We had a captain and 2 crew and just the 2 of us for the whole day - go wherever you want. We ended up sailing to Mustique and then to a deserted island to snorkel. Cost for the day? $290. Can you believe that? Bequia is much cheaper once you get there, but it is quite a trek to get there.

We didn't buy any food on island except for what we ate at restaurants, so I can't really comment on buying provisions. There are a couple of small markets, but we didn't visit them.

Great place - have a blast! Also, check tripadvisor for the St. Vincent forums - lots and lots of info there.

Ken