Location
Beautiful Bequia (pronounced bek way) is an undiscovered paradise, the Caribbean of 30 years ago. Covering an area of only 7 square miles, Bequia lies in the warm tropical waters of the Caribbean Sea, far South in the hurricane belt and has the most ideal temperatures averaging between 25 and 32 degrees centigrade. It is just a short plane hop from the ever popular Barbados and next to the renowned Mustique, both favourite islands of the rich and famous. It is the largest of the Grenadine Islands known also as the ‘jewels of the Caribbean’ and is blessed with several pristine, white sandy beaches, many of which are totally natural and undeveloped. Bequia truly is a unique island. Large enough to be interesting and exciting, yet small enough to retain its local charm and uniqueness that only a small ‘off the beaten track’ Caribbean Island can offer. If you want resort hotels, nightclubs and beaches full of sunbeds, don’t come to Bequia. If you want to discover the undiscovered, visit our beautiful Island, enjoy the pristine, white sandy beaches, swim and snorkel in our safe and warm Caribbean waters and experience the genuine friendliness of the local Bequian people. Tropical Hideaway is located in an elevated hillside position high above the famous Princess Margaret Beach and with an incredible panoramic vista overlooking the Caribbean Sea, Admiralty Bay and the surrounding forested hillsides, the views are absolutely stunning and will not disappoint.
If you enjoy walking, it’s a nice downhill walk to three of the best beaches on the island. Princes Margaret (approximately 20 minutes), Lower Bay (20 – 25) and Friendship Bay (around 30). It takes about 20 – 25 minutes to walk to the Gingerbread and Frangipani area and a few minutes more along the beachfront into town. A few parts of the road are steep. Most people walk down to town, the restaurants or the beach and catch a taxi back. Taxis are cheap and plentiful. Some guests walk both ways and some guests hire a car for a few days to explore the island. Princess Margaret Beach is ideal for children and adults alike. It is very safe with turquoise blue, warm, calm waters. The beach is stunning with lovely white powdery sand.
Admiralty Bay is a large and safe natural harbour encompassing several small villages and white sandy beaches. It is a yachtsman’s paradise with views that are forever changing as visiting ships and yachts come and go on their sailing adventures around the World. It has strong historical links to the traditional boat building community and is a world famous ‘off the beaten track’ sailing destination with every yacht ever launched rumoured to visit Bequia at some point during it’s life.
There are many restaurants, bars and rum shops dotted along the shoreline of Admiralty Bay, from the world famous Frangipani Hotel with it’s Thursday night ‘Jump Up’ to the unsophisticated and laid back ‘Green Boley’ (which, incidentally, has some of the best Roti’s and Rum punches on the island and is popular with both expats and locals alike). There is a very nice restaurant on Princess Margaret Beach called Jack’s Bar. Tuesday evening features a live band and an excellent barbecue buffet which invariable ends with several rum punches, some local ‘Rock and Roll’ style dancing and a slight hangover the
next morning. Lower Bay is the furthest village to the West of Admiralty Bay and is different again. It is, dare we say, even more laid back than Port Elizabeth. Again you have the long, beautiful, white sandy beach together with several beach bars, De Reef, Keegan’s, La Plage and Dawn’s to name but a few and all offering tasty food, giving undisturbed views of the sunset and (if you are lucky) a green flash. Sunday is the day to visit Lower Bay, where you will often find an impromptu jamming session with local musicians and tourists coming to ‘chill and lime’ the day away. Bequia has it all and we really are very fortunate to have such a diversity of restaurants and bars on our ‘big’ little island.
The Belmont Walkway restoration and Princess Margaret Trail are now fully open and thanks to Action Bequia, this stunning beachfront walkway is a major attraction on Bequia for visitors and locals alike. The trail has been extended over the headland to Princess Margaret Beach using a spectacular board walk suspended from the rock face. You can then walk over Princess Margaret Beach to the next headland which has a path to Lower Bay. People can now walk close to the shore, all the way from Fort Hamilton to Lower Bay and beyond. Over 3 miles of heritage, natural beauty and smiling faces. The new Princess Margaret Trail is not only better than the road or the old path, it competes with the best coastal trails in Barbados, Mustique and other world class destinations.
There are many interesting small boutique shops, rum bars and local restaurants and cafes to explore. Relax or lime along the way, pop into the Fig Tree run by Cheryl who also owns the Bequia Bookshop, have a coffee at the Gingerbread, a favourite with many of our guests and enjoy a home made ice cream or yoghurt from Marannes’s ice cream parlour. The perfect place to sit and soak in the atmosphere, watch the ever changing views and make new friends as you speculate which famous couple are on the super yacht in the Bay.
You’ll be surprised by how many of the rich and famous visit Bequia. An escape from the sophistication of Mustique to the friendly and colourful life of Bequia. From the royals who often visit the Island by boat to Mick Jagger who was seen at Lower Bay, from Jerry Hall and Rupert Murdoch who were on Princess Margaret Beach to Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones who enjoyed a coffee at the Gingerbread. It’s a temptation that many find difficult to resist and who can blame them. Bequia is a very unique island, a secret island, a very special island, a Caribbean Island of 30 years ago and only discovered as yet, by the lucky few.
From adventurous solo sailors who have rowed across the Atlantic to huge Mega yachts costing hundreds of millions of dollars, Bequia is a sailors paradise and is a magnet for many ships and yachts from around the World. Tropical Hideaway is perfectly positioned for taking photographs and if you are interested in ships and yachts I am sure you will enjoy the slideshow below. The photos have been taken from Tropical Hideaway using various lenses including a 100 – 400mm Canon zoom lens for the most detailed of shots.
A relaxing day on the beach or an adventurous dive on a nearby reef. Maybe you want the excitement of exploring another Island or perhaps you want to go for an energetic walk to one of the lesser known parts of Bequia. Whatever you prefer to do, you will always find an adventure on Bequia.
Bequia may be small and laid back, but for the adventurous there is so much to see and do. Any taxi will take you on a tour of the island visiting such places as the turtle sanctuary, pottery and both the boat and whaling museums. You can hire a car, scooter or bike to explore the many beaches yourself. The fast ferry allows you to visit the other Grenadine Islands and the mainland of St Vincent. There are numerous day charter yachts for you to explore the smaller, closer islands and there is the famous Friendship Rose, the old mail boat, which takes you on day trips to Mustique and the Tobago Cays.
During the ‘busy season’ November to April we are sometimes visited by small cruise ships. Two of the most spectacular being the Royal Clipper, (the largest 5 masted sailing ship in the World) and the legendary Sea Cloud windjammers. They light up the bay at night and literally look as though they are anchored right on the edge of the Infinity Pool. They look spectacular and create a focal point for anyone looking over the bay after dark.
Guests sometime ask, if we ever tire of the view? The absolute answer is always a resounding ‘No’ and a large part of that relates to the fact that every day the view is different. The clouds, the sunsets, the colours of the sea, the diverse and very different ships and yachts that visit Bequia. From the solo sailor making landfall in Bequia after a transatlantic crossing sometimes lasting over a month, to the largest super yachts in the World invariably owned by Russian oligarchs. Not only do we enjoy spectacular daytime views, we enjoy spectacular views 24 hours a day as the evening and night time views are as impressive as the day times ones.
Wherever you go on Bequia, you will be given the warmest of welcomes. Everyone is happy to help you have the best holiday ever. They do not go out to hassle you for business, as on other islands. They know you are here to relax and they give you the space to do that. This is why so many visitors return year after year, after year, so be warned, if this is your first time to Bequia, it will probably not be your last.
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