Bequia covers seven square kilometres and has five thousand residents. It is the largest of the Grenadines and the easiest to reach: an hour by ferry from Kingstown, with several departures a day. It is also the only one in the archipelago with a real village that lives all year, with its shops, its schools and its boatyards.
The essentials in four lines
- Fly into Argyle (SVD) on Saint Vincent, then an hour by ferry from Kingstown, or a fifteen-minute domestic flight.
- East Caribbean dollar, US dollars accepted. One hour ahead of Montreal in winter.
- No all-inclusive resort: small hotels, rentals and guest houses sold without meals.
- December to May is the dry season. Hurricane season runs June to November.
Port Elizabeth and the walkway
The village is built around Admiralty Bay, a natural anchorage where sailboats moor by the dozen in season. The ferry dock, the fruit market and a row of shops fit into two hundred metres.
From there, a path cut into the cliff, the Belmont Walkway, follows the water for a kilometre to Princess Margaret Beach. It passes restaurants with their feet in the sea and private jetties. It is the whole island’s late-afternoon promenade.
The beaches
Princess Margaret
A long curve of pale sand lined with sea grape trees, with no building on the landward side. Calm water, natural shade, a single beach bar. It is the finest on the island.
Lower Bay
Just to the south, wider and used more by residents at weekends, with two or three restaurants and very clear water.
Friendship Bay
On the south coast, into the wind, longer and more exposed: fine for walking, lively for swimming.
Industry Bay
On the east coast, lined with coconut palms, with the turtle sanctuary right beside it.
Boatbuilding
Bequia built its economy on the sea long before tourism: whalers, trading schooners, fishing boats. Workshops still build hulls by hand, and a tradition of remarkably precise model boats survives in two or three village shops. They are the most serious souvenirs to be had in the Grenadines.
In the north of the island, a private sanctuary has taken in juvenile hawksbill turtles since the 1990s, raising them until they can survive before release. The visit takes half an hour.
Further still, a set of houses built into the rock and the natural arches of the cliff from the 1960s onward forms a strange and photogenic place, visited on foot from the road.
Getting around and going out
Shared taxis, pickup trucks with benches, shuttle between the harbour and the beaches for a few dollars. The island crosses in twenty minutes. Scooters and small cars can be hired; driving is on the left and a temporary local permit is required.
In the evening, life concentrates on the Belmont Walkway and around the harbour: a dozen restaurants, live music two or three times a week, and nothing after midnight.
From Bequia, day trips run to the Tobago Cays, two hours of sailing south, or to Mustique, forty minutes away.
Accommodation
There is no all-inclusive resort. The supply consists of small hotels of twenty to forty rooms, villas and guest houses, most sold without meals, at rates well below those of the private islands in the south of the archipelago.
For a first experience of the Grenadines, Bequia offers the best balance of access, character and budget. If you want an all-inclusive plan, our criteria for choosing an all-inclusive hotel will point you to other destinations.
When to go
From December to May the trade winds blow, the air holds around 29 °C and rain is rare. It is also the sailing season: the anchorage fills and the restaurants run at capacity.
The Easter regatta, over four days, is the year’s great gathering. From June to November, showers multiply, some businesses close and the island returns to its village rhythm. Our guide on when to travel south from Montreal sets out the pricing calendar.
To plan this trip, see also our St Vincent et les Grenadines page, Palm Island, St Vincent and resorts that suit families.
