A sunny hello from Bequia paradise!

We thought you may be interested to learn what’s been happening on island over the last few months.  Going forward we plan to send quarterly updates to keep you up to speed with life on this little rock in the Caribbean Sea.  As you will read, there’s been quite a few exciting developments and plenty of cause for positivity, optimism, and sunshiny smiles 

Right now, Admiralty Bay is the busiest we have seen for over 2 years.  Our guests are enjoying watching the boats come & go, spying on them with the binoculars we provide, whilst sipping on a rum punch from their private deck!  There are boats of various shapes & sizes that have travelled from all over the world.  Everything from small fishing boats, to US$500M+ mega yachts that even match some of the visiting cruise ships in terms of magnitude.  It’s always fun to use the “Marine Tracker” app to see which celebs or business owners may be on board and to learn of the eye-watering costs to charter and run such an asset.  The word is that the Caribbean migration has only just begun, with dozens of vessels negotiating the high seas of the Atlantic Ocean on route to Bequia paradise as we speak.

Restaurants & bars are starting to buzz once again, creating a smiley, happy atmosphere from Port Elizabeth down to Lower Bay and across to Hamilton.  Bequia has always punched above its weight for an island of just 7 square miles, with so much to stimulate & entertain.  The restaurant options have actually expanded for this season, with at least four new additions to the dining & bar scene.  To summarise these are;

·         Provision, Lower Bay

o   Lovely garden restaurant with high-quality, small plate fusion cuisine and cocktails

·         Cheri’s Rooftop Terrace, Port Elizabeth

o   West Indian Tapas is the speciality here, but this is a popular breakfast spot too

·         Daffodil’s Open Deck, Hamilton

o   Waterside dining offering an excellent value, 3-course set menu

·         The Underground Bar at Bequia Marina, Ocar

o   An extensive, worldwide drink selection and the BBQ is firing every night

PROVISION HAS SET THE BAR FOR FINE CUISINE ON BEQUIA

At The Lookout we are enjoying a return to busier times, but we still have some available slots from now up until Easter & beyond.  We are finding that people are booking at shorter notice than usual and deciding (quite spontaneously) to bite the bullet and take that trip to enjoy some winter sun.  Go on, you deserve it too!  If it’s not on your agenda, we’d be grateful if you could share our piece of heaven with your friends & family. Check out our availability calendars & rates here https://thelookoutbequia.com/rates-and-reservations.php

Looking beyond the traditional winter sun season, we are welcoming longer term stays between April & October 2022 and will offer attractive discounts for longer term stays.  Get in touch via e-mail louise@thelookoutbequia.com or WhatsApp +1 784 527 2377 to find out more.  It’s also worth considering using one of our boutique apartments for remote working.  Some of our previous guests have experienced this and can highly recommend the lifestyle!  In addition, we have recently upgraded to the fastest fibre optic WIFI, with super whizzy speeds provided by the cable that was laid beneath the Caribbean Sea last year.

We’re always looking at ways to improve our facilities and on top of the WIFI upgrade, we have also added a new water filtration system to our property.  There is no piped water supply on our little island, so we collect rain water then triple filter it into the apartments.  To go one step further, we provide Brita filter jugs in the fridges so that you can enjoy quadruple filtered drinking water!  We also work hard prior to each & every season to paint, varnish, fix & upgrade the entire property, thus ensuring the highest possible standards are maintained.  The apartments are as fresh & new today as they were when we first welcomed guests in January 2019.

We bought the property that is now known as “The Lookout” in 2017.  In the same year, the international airport on the neighbouring island of St. Vincent was opened following a US$259M investment – the largest capital project in the country’s history no less.  This was very exciting news at the time, but we thought it would take a least a decade before the large carriers from the UK arrived – we were wrong!  In October 2021, the first ever direct flight from Virgin Atlantic out of London Heathrow arrived at Argyle International airport.  The now twice-weekly service is a game-changer for tourism in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, with the island of Bequia just a leisurely 1 hour ferry ride across from the mainland.  The timely connection between the flight arrival and the ferry makes it possible to leave London and arrive on beautiful Bequia island on the same day.  There are also direct flights into St. Vincent from Miami (AA), New York (Caribbean Airlines), and Toronto (Air Canada Rouge).  Plus the usual connections via the tourist hubs of Barbados, Grenada, & St. Lucia make it possible to connect and land into Bequia’s tiny airport on “south side”.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC ARRIVING AT ARGYLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN OCTOBER 2021

From a personal point of view, your hosts at The Lookout, Chris & Louise, have had an eventful time since taking the leap to move out to paradise.  We have just celebrated the 3 year anniversary of our first arrivals at The Lookout and we have been blessed to have many returning guests as well as attracting newcomers to Bequia.  In addition, we are just coming up to our 2 year anniversary of becoming Estate Managers at “The Sail House” on Mount Pleasant.  This is a very unique, private property that encompasses a main house with music studio, a caretaker’s cottage where we reside, 3 guest cottages, and a workshop with solar farm.  Being part of this project has already given us a starring role on primetime TV in France as part of a travel & lifestyle program!  We expect big things to continue going forward, with an increased focus on attracting musical artists (both locally and internationally) to produce & record music on lil’ ole Bequia! 

We continue to support local charities on Bequia from B.A.P.A (the island's animal charity), to Bequia hospital, to “Action Bequia” – the main charity that has helped to transform the island with projects such as the construction of the Belmont Walkway and recycling schemes.  We also pioneered “Pack for a Purpose” in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, facilitating travellers to bring supplies for the hospital, stray animals, schools etc. We ensure the right kinds of supplies arrive and are distributed in a prioritised manner.  So, if you’re thinking of coming to Bequia soon, please check out how you can help here https://thelookoutbequia.com/pack-for-a-purpose.php

That’s about it until next time. 

Just a reminder that booking your place at The Lookout does include a complimentary welcome pack that has all the grocery essentials such as fresh bread, milk, cereal, fruit, plus beer & wine too.  If you’re lucky, we may even bake some sweet treats for you too!  We have two apartments, both with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, plenty of outdoor & indoor space & fully equipped kitchens.  Not to mention, ocean & beach views to die for!  As your hosts, we are here to provide advice & guidance and we will always go the extra mile to enhance your island experience.  If you can’t sit still on holiday, we’d actively encourage you to join us on various hikes (or even runs) to spectacular viewpoints & locations – all part of The Lookout service.

If you can’t wait until the next e-mail update, then please follow our social media pages below;

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/The-Lookout-Villa-Bequia-284750105603349/

Twitter https://twitter.com/lookoutbequia

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thelookoutbequia/

You can message us using these platforms or simply drop us an e-mail or WhatsApp, or fill in the contact form on our website;

E-mail: louise@thelookoutbequia.com

WhatsApp:  +1 784 527 2377

Contact Form:  https://thelookoutbequia.com/contact-us.php

We’ve also recently updated our photo gallery.  Therefore, if you’d like to give your eyes a treat, go and grab a pina colada and spend 10 minutes browsing through our slideshow https://thelookoutbequia.com/gallery.php

Sending our best wishes and plenty of sunshine.

We hope to see you in paradise soon!

Chris & Louise