Hello once again!

Our last newsletter was back in September 2022, so it’s high time we checked in with you all and updated you about life in Bequia paradise 

 

A buzzing Bequia!

After a short break to the UK to see friends & family, we returned to the island to get down to business!  Every year we set aside several weeks to fix, paint, varnish, and add improvements to our boutique apartments.  We always want to ensure that they look brand new by the time the winter sun season kicks off in early November. 

Pleasingly, we had returning guests who did remark that our boutique apartments still looked as good in 2023 as they did in 2019, when we had just completed the renovation & re-modelling work.  Welcome feedback indeed as we do work hard to maintain our very high standards.

THE VIEW FROM THE LOOKOUT'S OCEAN DECK APARTMENT

As we are at the front-end of the tourism sector here on Bequia, we could see that a “post-covid bounce” was coming for the 22/23 winter sun season.  It has been so pleasing to see the island buzzing once again – busy restaurants, taxi tours full of tourists, and events such as the Bequia Music Festival returning after a 3-year hiatus. 

SVG has had more than its fair share of tough times, with the lean years of covid being compounded by the April 2021 eruption of La Soufriere volcano over on St. Vincent.  The first major eruptions since 1979 gave Bequia island quite a dusting of ash that required a tiring clean-up operation.

 

Pack for a Purpose

The increase in visitor numbers also gave us the opportunity to ask kind folks to leave a little space in their luggage to bring us much needed supplies for our “Pack for A Purpose” scheme. 

We work with six projects on Bequia, with the aim to benefit the local hospital & clinics, schools, the reading club, and all the stray animals too.

CHERYL FROM THE FIG TREE (THE HOME OF THE BEQUIA READING CLUB), WITH LOUISE FROM THE LOOKOUT

 

Find out how you can help on your next trip to the island by following the links here;

https://thelookoutbequia.com/pack-for-a-purpose.php

https://www.packforapurpose.org/.../the-lookout-bequia/

 

 

Exploring the southern Grenadines

We have lived out here for more than 5 years now and started visiting the country 2 years prior to that in 2015.  However, with 32 islands & cays making up St. Vincent & the Grenadines, there is so much to explore.  We feel that we are still only just scratching the surface.

To explore a little deeper, we took the opportunity to take a short, pre-Christmas break to the southern Grenadines with our good friends, Karen & Russ.  With Union Island as our base, we island hopped to Petit St. Vincent, Mopion Island, Palm Island, and Happy Island too.  We also explored much more of Union Island than we did on our first visit 18 months earlier, taking in new places like Chatham Bay and hanging out at the kite-surfing school in Clifton.

The Jaden Sun fast ferry opens up the country to visitors, with a reliable and regular service, starting off at Kingstown on the mainland of St. Vincent, then onto Bequia, Canouan, Mayreau, & Union Island.

 

 

ISLAND HOPPING IN THE GRENADINES

 

Christmas & New Year in the tropics

There aren’t too many things we miss about our former life in the UK.  However, we sometimes long for the light summer nights, our beautiful Tibetan Terrier Caggie, and certain foods that are not available, expensive, or hard to come by on this rock in the Caribbean Sea.

A good ‘ole Christmas roast dinner with all the trimmings is something that you will find on pretty much every Christmas table across many parts of the world.  Due to the climate and availability of certain food items, this meal isn’t something that is particularly desirable, or indeed possible, on Bequia.

So we decided to have an alternative Christmas dinner on Lower Bay beach.  The lovely Petra, who runs a small restaurant in the village, cooks up Lobster and sides for our group.  We wash that down with beer & rum, belt out some festive tunes, swim in the sea, and play games.  It’s more white sand than snow, but is a wonderful, alternative way to celebrate Christmas!

A week later and we were on the dock on at The Plantation Hotel, watching the epic return of the NYE firework show.  It lights up the whole of Admiralty Bay and it’s the first time they have been set off in 3 years. 

Lasting around 10 minutes, the fireworks are quite spectacular and are a very unexpected treat for visitors to the island.  It’s not quite on a par with Dubai or Sydney Harbour, but pretty impressive for a small Grenadine island all the same.

CHRISTMAS DAY SHENANIGANS & NYE FIREWORKS - BEQUIA STYLE!

 

Exploring SVG with the family

Turning the page into 2023 and the island continued to get busier & busier, with winter sun seekers escaping the cold for a taste of the tropics.  Included in those visitors were a group of 20 family & friends from the UK.  The trip had been planned for quite some time and we were determined to show everyone what Saint Vincent & the Grenadines has to offer.

What a country this is! 

There’s so much to see & do and way too much to achieve on a short one or two week holiday.  Nevertheless, the packed itinerary we had prepared for the group ensured some magical memories were created. 

FAMILY TIME IN PARADISE

“Bucket list” activities such as swimming with hawksbill turtles, bathing in waterfalls, and climbing an active volcano, were interspersed with dining on fresh lobster & fish, island taxi tours, spa sessions, and the return of Bequia’s annual music festival.

This was the first music fest since January 2020 and, although only organised at the last minute, it was a roaring success.  Such a variety of music and exceptional talent, performing everything from jazz to blues to reggae & soca to steel pan. 

Our favourite session was under the palms at The Plantation Hotel on Saturday afternoon.  Even a little liquid sunshine couldn’t spoil the fun for everyone!

BEQUIA MUSIC FEST 2023

Famous at last…..sort of!

We love Bequia!  We are self-proclaimed Chief Enthusiasts for the island and we make it our mission to spread the word and to share our passion. 

We were delighted to be approached by a Daily Mail journalist last November who was looking to find out the lowdown on what was new & happening in this part of the world. Naturally, we took Nick Redman under our wing to show him some of the island highlights, before spending a lazy lunch at our favourite restaurant on island, Provision. 

As always with such articles, no one is ever quite sure what will make the final cut for release to the world.  Just as the music festival was kicking off, we were contacted by the Daily Mail to say that the article was due to be released imminently and The Lookout, and indeed Provision, would feature.  How exciting!

As you can see from the link below, the article is nicely written and is such a positive move for the island and future tourism.  Blink and you may miss our mention, so we won’t be beating off the paparazzi and selfie hunters just yet!

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-11684627/A-bountiful-beauty-Exploring-little-Caribbean-island-Bequia-St-Vincent-Grenadines.html

 

The Post-Covid bounce

The 2022/23 winter sun season looks set to break new records for The Lookout, with happy guests coming to stay with us all the way from early November 2022 into the beginning of June 2023.

Historically, the season has been quite short on the island, with most visitors choosing to come between Christmas & Easter.  However, with increasing regularity of direct flights into the neighbouring island of St. Vincent from the UK, Toronto, Miami & New York, the season is starting to lengthen. 

Barbados, just 100 miles to the east, attracts visitors all year round and that is the opportunity for Bequia.  We can confirm that spring & summer is a lovely time to visit the Grenadines, with calmer seas, warmer waters, deserted beaches, and still a wide choice of restaurants & bars that remain open for most of the year.

Bookings for the 2023/24 season are already strong, so Bequia is returning to the days where travellers are advised to book up to 12 months in advance if they want to secure the best accommodation options on island.  Therefore (and this is not a sales pitch by any means!), right now is the time to plan any winter sun trip between today and April 2024.

Have a browse of our live calendars below and we look forward to hearing from you!

 

https://thelookoutbequia.com/rates-and-reservations.php

 

Testimonials – a guests-eye view of The Lookout

We feel so blessed & privileged to welcome many happy, smiley guests to this rock in the Caribbean Sea.  Only a few years ago The Lookout was a run-down dwelling and we put blood, sweat & tears in to creating our boutique apartments. 

CHRIS & LOUISE ENJOYING SOME DOWNTIME WITH THEIR FRIENDS ON BEQUIA'S FLOATING "BAR ONE" 

We are a young business, so we rely on feedback & reviews so that we can keep on improving and attract others to our little piece of paradise.  In only a short period of time, we have built up a loyal following and have more than 40 five-star reviews.  So don’t just take our word for it, click the link here to see what people are saying about their stays with us. 

 

https://thelookoutbequia.com/reviews.php

 

R.I.P. Liz

We would like to place a special mention here for our friend Liz from Grenadine Sea Salt.  She tragically died on 31^st January 2023 following a car accident in Spring, Bequia.  Our thoughts are with her husband Jerry and the rest of the family during this very difficult time.  She was a sweet soul who will be missed greatly.

 

Keep in touch

If you can’t wait until the next newsletter/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

 

Sending sunshine & warm wishes,

Chris & Louise