PART THREE – June 22 – 25 – BEQUIA
Well, after a goodbye at the airport to my son (who had to go back to work in California), hubby and I boarded LIAT (nonstop) flight in Grenada on our way to St. Vincent. Our flight and my son’s left 10 minutes apart, so while I was sitting on the Liat flight, I did see him make his way to his American Eagle flight… all was well.

Our Liat flight was right on time… even though with Liat’s reputation I worry – I have always (knock on wood) had good luck with them. Hubby and I had paired down our bags to a few essentials, left the two big rolling duffels with a friend in Grenada, and were traveling light (2 backpacks and a beach bag) for this Bequia jaunt. I can’t imagine taking anything more using the ferry system. This travel day was a Sunday, meaning the ferry has fewer trips to Bequia. If we didn’t make the morning ferry, we would have to spend the day in St. Vincent, and catch the evening boat. Remember, on Sunday – everything closes down, so we were a little worried about making the ferry on a fairly tight connection time. (We arrived at 7:35am, and caught the 8:30 ferry.) Luckily, everything went well – Liat on time; customs was a breeze (without luggage to wait for, we were 3rd in line); and there were taxis right outside the door. We made it to the 8:30am ferry without a problem.

The ferry system was a bit confusing when we arrived. It was extremely crowded, and our taxi driver told us to get in line to pay your $1 fee (not sure what this was for), and then you buy your ferry tickets on the boat. So, we paid our $1 each after standing in line, and then went out to the ferries. There were four ferries at the dock - all loading people that morning; we really had no idea which boat was the right one (we knew two ferries left at the same time, so it didn’t really matter as long as we got on one that was actually going to Bequia.) I decided we should simply follow the crowd – they must know what they are doing. So, we got on (following the crowd of course), bought a ticket from someone who was selling tickets out of a hat as you stepped on the boat (I did ask if this ferry went to Bequia and was assured it did), and found a spot on the very crowded ferry (one seat on the top deck left). Everyone on the boat was very well dressed, many wearing nametags. It turns out we had gotten on a privately chartered ferry – it had been chartered by a church group as a large church conference was going to be held in Bequia that day. Everyone was very nice, and we met a pastor from Nebraska (where I have relatives) that was traveling with a group of 22 high school students. He was quite interesting to talk with, as he had lived in St. Vincent in the 1960’s for quite some time. As it turned out, three ferries were going to Bequia (2 privately chartered). One was chartered for the church conference; one chartered for a very large funeral in Bequia; and then the regular ferry (that we probably should have been on). Well, we made it to Bequia at any rate. I doubt the normal ferry experience is usually that crowded or confusing.

Well, once in Bequia we caught a taxi to Sugarapple Inn, our home for four nights. The Sugarapple Inn is a darling small hotel that is always highly rated in Trip Advisor. They are in the Friendship area, and you can walk to the beach in about 3-5 minutes time. Being Sunday, the wonderful Cilla (that I had heard wonderful things about) was on her day off and the main housekeeper, Yvonne, met us. She checked us into our room, gave us a cell phone to use during our stay, and oriented us to the hotel and Bequia. Our room was very cute – the bedroom area was air conditioned; king bed had a mosquito net; and there were fresh flowers on the bed. At the far end of the room were French doors that opened onto a semi-outdoor kitchen/living area. The eight “windows” in that area were really large white shutter windows that you completely open – what a gorgeous view! It truly brought the outdoors right inside (as well as those refreshing tradewinds). The room was extremely comfortable, and the bedroom a/c was very cold…we used the a/c at night. The hotel has a nice deck area complete with BBQ to use, and a very nice pool area as well. The property even came with a mama cat and 2 very cuddly kittens to snuggle and play with. http://www.sugarappleinn.com/

Much in Bequia was shut down for the low season (as we discovered on our first day). We decided to walk down to the Friendship Bay Resort for a drink and find out about having dinner at the Moskito Bar. We made the walk on the long beach to discover a ghost town – resort completely shut down. It was a bit eerie to see a huge property completely empty. OK, no drinking or dinner there to be sure. We walked to the other end of the beach as we had read about another hotel with a restaurant. We found it, but alas were met by the caretaker who was showering – they too were closed down. Our last hope was to walk through a construction area – it was obvious that it was a resort under construction. We finally hit the jackpot! We had wandered into the Bequia Beach Hotel. The property is under construction, with one phase completed. The completed section was beautiful – restaurant/bar; pool; and very nicely appointed rooms. Stafford, the hotel manager, kindly gave us a tour. It will be quite amazing once the entire project is completed. However, it is very nice right now, and we enjoyed the restaurant for dinner each night as it is about a 2-minute walk from the Sugarapple. Their callaloo soup was amazing! Even though we were not guests at their hotel, they called us by name, and were very friendly and kind during our stay. Stafford is the best and works extremely hard to make sure his patrons are satisfied and happy.

OUR BEQUIA ACTIVITIES:

Restaurants:

Blue Tropic @ Bequia Beach Hotel: Very nice; enjoyed our four dinners there and drinks as well.

Macs: We love Macs and ate here two different times. Hubby had the special both times – pork creole; fish creole. I had the quiche both visits (two different kinds), very tasty. They bake their own bread, so sandwiches are wonderful – as is their pizza.

Frangipanni: We had lunch here one day. It was quite tasty, and we enjoyed our meal.

Coco’s: We wanted to find the new Coco’s on our trip. They used to be in a house high on a hill (gorgeous view) – excellent food. They have relocated to a location in town – now they are by Devil’s Table (above the model boat shop). We just had drinks there, but it looked like a wonderful spot for dining as well.

Grocery Shopping:
Doris’ Market has moved to Back Street. Her store is much larger than the original. She still has a nice selection and is very helpful. We love to shop at Doris’.

Knight’s Market is a good place to go as well. Our first choice is Doris’, and then we go to Knights to look for other items.

Beaches Visited:

Friendship Bay: Gorgeous beach. It is just a few minute walk from Sugarapple Inn.

Lower Bay: We spent the afternoon here on one of our days. Nice beach with several beach bars/restaurants to choose from.

Tours/Activities:

Friendship Rose: We took the Wednesday day trip to Mustique on the Friendship Rose. My – they take good care of you all day! When we boarded, they served breakfast – fresh pastries (delicious), juice, and coffee. They had pillows spread all around for you to get comfortable on. Once everyone had boarded, we got underway. The sail was exhilarating (and a little wet). A few people did get seasick, and they were well taken care of by the crew. In Mustique, many of the passengers did an island tour. We just wandered around, looked in shops, and had planned to go to Basil’s. Well, Basil’s is closed and remodeling. So, we walked up the hill to Firefly. Such a beautiful spot with a great view. We had a drink, and took numerous photos. I’d like to do an island tour next time we go. We had really wanted to visit Tobago Cays during our stay, but the Tobago Cay trip is on Sundays only in the summer. Oh well, Mustique was a nice getaway trip, and we met some nice people aboard. Friendship Rose also served a wonderful lunch, and an afternoon tea and dessert. It was a great trip. http://www.friendshiprose.com/

Doc’s Taxi: We used a gentleman named Doc for all of our taxi needs. He was awesome, very reliable, always there when he said he would be. He was so grateful that we always called him, he insisted on taking us on a ride up to Mt. Pleasant for the view at no charge. We have previously been on taxi island tours, but Doc took us on roads we have never traveled before. What a great man. 784-529-0970

Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary: One day we asked Doc to take us to the turtle sanctuary for a visit. When I’ve been there before, I’ve always been in a fairly large group. This time, it was just us! We visited with Brother King for quite some time, and he gave us a personal tour and answered many questions. I never knew Busybody liked to be scratched on her side before, or that she could even feel scratching through a shell. He does turtle releases during the season when more people are there to experience it, so we did not get to see a release this trip. His love for these awesome creatures is obvious in all the work he puts forth trying to make a difference in their survival. We made a donation and bought t-shirts as well. http://turtles.bequia.net/

PART FOUR – June 26 – RETURN TO GRENADA

Well, the relaxation of Bequia had to come to an end. We were scheduled for a nonstop flight from St. Vincent, back to Grenada that left at 9:05am, meaning we had to take the 6:30am ferry. The ferry experience was simple and easy on the way back to St. Vincent – lots of room, no crowds, and no confusion. A taxi was right by the ferry making it an easy transfer to the St. Vincent airport. Again, Liat was right on time! Everything worked perfectly until we arrived at the Coyoba (which I already detailed), so we certainly won’t go there again.

One great find in Grenada is Classique Pottery in the Grenada Craft Center. I have a bit of a strange collection – when I travel I like to collect unique teapots. I currently have two (yes, it is a small collection at this point) – one from Anegada, and one from Bequia. Well, Shirley Noel from Classique Pottery and I had e-mailed a few times before my trip about teapots. We visited with Shirley on our last day in Grenada, and selected a darling fish shaped teapot. They will be finishing it up with colors and glaze, and then mail it to me. What a great find! Shirley was wonderful, and it was a pleasure to find her shop. She is on Lagoon Rd near a small hotel, a little difficult to find – but well worth it.


PART FIVE – June 27 – SAN JUAN

On Friday, we left Grenada on the morning American Eagle flight for San Juan. We spent one night in San Juan at the Marriott Stellaris Casino and Resort (on Ashford in Condado). Having never been to that area before, we enjoyed our stay. We were upgraded to an ocean front room – gorgeous view and patio; the room seemed quite newly remodeled.

We decided to wander a bit, and find a restaurant for lunch. We stumbled upon Ajili Mojilli right on Ashford Avenue. It specializes in Puerto Rican cuisine. It was a delicious lunch and we were able to taste and experience food that we have not had before. A good find to be sure!

For dinner, we wandered the other way on Ashford and found a Mexican restaurant called Tijuana’s. Out of all the restaurants we saw nearby, there was a line here – and most were locals, so we decided to try it. Excellent food and fun restaurant.

We did try our luck at the casino… not being avid gamblers, we decided to play penny slots – Deal or No Deal slot machines, and we won $100 on those penny slot machines! San Juan was fun way to end our trip…

PART SIX – June 28 – RETURN TO REALITY

Even with our overnight in San Juan, it is still a long way back to Alaska. We were on the nonstop from SJU to LAX, a 7+ hour flight. Two more flights and we were back in Juneau at 1am on Sunday, 6/29. All flights were on time, all connections were made, and no luggage was lost!

Reality has struck –lawn had to be mowed; a trip to the grocery store had to be made; and today I need to work on unpacking and laundry & hubby’s at work.

Dreaded Island Fever has absolutely set in, as we are missing the “islons” terribly. How will we deal with this DIF? We have our pictures (400+) to sort through and work with. We also are already working on plans for another trip to paradise! Hoping for a Christmas trip, but June for sure.

I hope that this novel of almost a 3-week trip will help someone else who is planning a trip; or just simply dreaming of a trip. Once I get pictures organized and uploaded, I will post a picture link for some of our best shots and experiences.