Five Slow Days in Bequia
Bequia is the kind of island you slow down to meet. Seven square miles of green hills and quiet bays in the Grenadines, still shaped by boatbuilders and fishermen rather than resorts. I based myself at Bekonos, a small ocean view stay a few minutes from Friendship Bay, and let the days find their own shape from there.
You get here by water, which is half the pleasure. Fly into St Vincent first, then take the ferry across from Kingstown. It is about an hour on the sea and 25 EC each way, and it is the loveliest possible way to arrive. Here is how I would spend five days, with real time left over to do nothing at all.
Your Bequia Itinerary at a Glance
- Day 1 Day 1: Arrive slowly
- Day 2 Day 2: A long day at Friendship Bay
- Day 3 Day 3: Up to Peggy's Rock, then nothing
- Day 4 Day 4: On the water with Water World
- Day 5 Day 5: One last slow morning
Where to Stay in Bequia
What to Do in Bequia
Order a Spring View organic box
Bekonos is self-catering, so provision before you leave the mainland.
Friendship Beach
Friendship Bay is the beach you picture when you picture Bequia.
Hike to Peggy's Rock
Go early, before the heat.
Boat cruise with Water World
Spend the day on the water with Water World.
Where to Eat in Bequia
Sunset by the pool
No plans tonight.
Cook in at Bekonos
Tonight you cook.
How to Get to Bequia
The fast ferry from St Vincent
Fly into St Vincent, then walk down to the Kingstown jetty for the fast ferry across to Bequia.
The ferry back
Down to the jetty for the ferry back to St Vincent, 25 EC and an hour that gives you just enough time to promise yourself you will come back.
Your Day by Day Bequia Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive slowly
The whole of today is about getting here and settling in. No agenda beyond your first swim.
Order a Spring View organic box
Bekonos is self-catering, so provision before you leave the mainland. Spring View is a 250-acre organic farm on St Vincent, and their organic box comes with everything you need for the week: fruit, vegetables, salads and coconuts. Carry it across on the ferry, or have them deliver for a small extra fee. Real island produce for the villa kitchen, not shipped-in frozen food.
The fast ferry from St Vincent
Fly into St Vincent, then walk down to the Kingstown jetty for the fast ferry across to Bequia. It is about twenty minutes and around EC$25 (roughly £7) each way, and on the fast boat it is a smooth, easy crossing rather than a bumpy one. You watch the mainland fall away and Bequia rise up ahead.
Bekonos
Home for the week is Bekonos, a modern ocean view stay a short hop from Friendship Bay. Drop your bags, and take your first swim in the pool as the light turns gold.
Sunset by the pool
No plans tonight. Let island time take over and watch the sun drop from the pool. The trip has already started.
Day 2: A long day at Friendship Bay
Give the whole day to the beach. This is the one you came for.
Friendship Beach
Friendship Bay is the beach you picture when you picture Bequia. A long, calm, pale gold curve with barely anyone on it. Bring a book and nothing else, swim when you get warm, and stay until the light softens. A simple lunch by the water is all the plan you need.
Home to Bekonos
Back to the pool to rinse off the salt, then a quiet night in. You are settling into the rhythm now.
Day 3: Up to Peggy's Rock, then nothing
A little effort in the cool of the morning, then a properly lazy afternoon and a good dinner out.
Hike to Peggy's Rock
Go early, before the heat. The climb up to Peggy's Rock is short but steep, and the reward is the whole of Bequia laid out below you, Admiralty Bay on one side and the open Atlantic on the other. Take water and go slowly.
A lazy afternoon at Bekonos
Come back, cool off, and do absolutely nothing. This is what the pool is for. A slow afternoon at home is as much a part of the trip as anything on the map.
Cook in at Bekonos
Tonight you cook. With the villa kitchen and the organic box you brought from Spring View, dinner is a simple plant-based spread eaten by the pool as the light goes. Fresh salads, roasted vegetables, coconut, whatever the farm sent you home with.
Day 4: On the water with Water World
A full day at sea, seeing the parts of the island you cannot reach by road.
Boat cruise with Water World
Spend the day on the water with Water World. Out around the coast and into quiet bays you can only reach by boat, with time to snorkel and swim straight off the side. It is the best way to understand how small and how beautiful this island really is.
A quiet night in
Back to Bekonos with salt in your hair and sun on your shoulders, for a quiet evening by the pool.
Day 5: One last slow morning
No rush. Leave the way you arrived, by water, already planning your return.
A slow start at Bekonos
One last swim, a long breakfast, a final look at the water. Let the morning be unhurried.
The ferry back
Down to the jetty for the ferry back to St Vincent, 25 EC and an hour that gives you just enough time to promise yourself you will come back.