If you're coming to the Caribbean for Duty Free Malls, Zip-Line Adventures or jet boat rides, then the tiny island of Bequia is probably not for you.
But, if you want gorgeous unspoilt beaches, minimal development, friendly people, and some of the best sailing opportunities in the Caribbean, then you'll love beautiful Bequia. And today, as Tracy and I joined a sailing trip, we saw the best of all these attractions.
Our trip took us around the island's lush coastline, as we headed off towards some of the other Grenadines – tiny green dots in the sea, mostly unpopulated. After unleashing the sails, we arrived at the neighbouring island of Petit Nevis, where we did some snorkelling. The coral down there isn't colourful, but there were plenty of multi-coloured tropical fish down there – a new sight for me were the formations of black cuttlefish neatly aligned like an attack squadron of fighter pilots. The only downside to an hour of idyllic snorkelling, was that I and a couple of others got stung on the arms by (I think) sea lice. It wasn't anything major, just a tingling that wore off after about an hour, but it was a reminder from Mother Nature, that you can't take her for granted.
To round off a wonderfully relaxing trip, we called into the gorgeous Princess Margaret Beach, for a lazy float in its incredibly buoyant waters – with just one restaurant there (which was closed), this was pretty close to being the stereotypically perfect Caribbean beach.
There isn't that much to do in Bequia – other than relax – but that's the point! A totally chilled out start to this leg of the cruise.