We're just back from a wonderful 10-day vacation to Bequia, and here's an abbreviated trip report. We flew from Nashville, TN, to Miami and then to Barbados on American. All the connections worked great, and we arrived in Barbados at 10:30 p.m. Spent a quiet night at the Dover Beach Hotel - clean, reasonably priced, and not too long a drive from the airport. It was wonderful to wake up and see the turquoise ocean the next morning!

Then flew Caribbean Star from Barbados to St. Vincent. I'd reserved the seats using a credit card, and when we tried to pay cash for the tickets, they preferred us using the same credit card we used to reserve the flight. The entire check-in process took about 30 minutes, and was totally painless.

The ferry ride to Bequia was wonderful, and the seas weren't rough at all. Once we got to Bequia, we rented a car from Jump In Taxi - and headed off to Spring Estates, where we rented an apartment at Bella Vista at La Dolce Vita. The apartment was spotlessly clean, decorated beautifully, and had amazing views of Spring Bay. We loved staying in Spring, especially walking to the end of the island with the Turtle Sanctuary.

The first full day we stocked up on groceries at Knights, fresh produce at the Rush Hour, and exchanged US dollars for EC. Then hit the beach at Lower Bay. The beach was perfect for long swims - hardly a wave. For Tennessee people who are used to swimming pools and lakes, it was a perfect first day. Had lunch at De Reef, a delicious lobster salad.

The second full day we visited the Turtle Sanctuary, which is a must see. The owner has a pet turtle named Busybody, who loves to be scratched on the back of her shell. When you scratch her shell, it's like a cat purring for more! There are turtles at all stages of development - green and hawksbills. The Sanctuary is an inspiring example of what one person can accomplish. After the turtle sanctuary, we had a great swim at Industry Bay and a good lunch at the Crescent Beach Hotel. Then hiked some to Bequia Head, to look out on incredible views. We were pretty tired after the full day of sun so cooked dinner in our apartment that night. The stars were amazing to see - constellations we didn't recognize, and so bright and close you felt you could grab them with a net and take them into your bedroom.

The third full day we explored Port Elizabeth, doing the Belmont Walkway. What a fun day! There was a bit of a surge that day, so our feet got wet as we walked past some of the restaurants. We took the trail to Princess Margaret Beach, which had exquisitely soft sand, and then another trail to Lower Bay. A bit of a scramble up the hills, but we had Tevas with good traction. Then drinks at the Frangipani.

Sunday we took the Friendship Rose day trip to the Tobago Cays. What a wonderful day!! We met at the dock at 7 a.m., and returned about 5:30 p.m. You feel like pampered royalty on this trip - starting with orange juice in wine glasses and pain au chocolat, continuing with huge lunch on china with wine, and ending with tea and fresh baked banana bread. The sail to the Cays took 2 1/2 hours, and we passed Moonhole and Canouan. The Cays themselves were everything I'd dreamed they'd be. We anchored by Petit Bateau (I think) and explored that island. Then snorkeled off the reef. More fish than I've ever seen before. The weather was perfect - sunshine and no rain. This trip is a must-do.

The rest of our stay we hiked Mount Pleasant, explored the end of the island by the airport, and hung out on Lower Bay/Princess Margaret beaches. My favorite dinner was at Fernando's Hideaway - had delicious garlic shrimp and passion-fruit ice cream for dessert. It's a challenge finding the Hideaway - when we asked someone where it was, she got in the car with us to show us! We never would have found it otherwise.

We flew back to Nashville all in one day, but it was a long day. Left Bequia on the 6:30 a.m. ferry, took the 11:20 Caribbean Star flight to Barbados, then the 3:45 American flight to Miami. Then an 8:30 flight to Nashville, arriving home at 9:20 Nashville time.

The ferries from Bequia to St. Vincent have reduced their runs. The ones to count on are the 6:30 a.m. Bequia to St. Vincent ferry, and the 4:30 p.m. St. Vincent to Bequia ferry. People told us the 7:30 a.m. Bequia to St. Vincent ferry wasn't reliable, and that the 4:00 p.m. St. Vincent to Bequia ferry often doesn't run.

Meeting people on Bequia was another highlight - we were walking in Mt. Pleasant, looking at the view, when a gentleman invited us to enjoy the view from his porch. Everyone was so kind to us, and we felt so welcomed. Bequia was a true paradise, and we had our best vacation ever.