2. The Grenadines
March 2026
The Bequia Express delivered us to Port Elizabeth after an hour en route from Kingstown, Saint Vincent (set #1). From the port, we hopped into a taxi to get to our hotel. Within minutes of stepping off the boat, we noticed an obvious shift: Bequia (“beck-way”) runs on a slower frequency than Saint Vincent. Much more tourist- and leisure-oriented, the island teems with hotels and anchored sailboats.
Our first excursion was aboard the schooner Friendship Rose to the tiny island of Mustique. Here we sipped Hairoun lagers while soaking in the shocking neon blue waters. We snorkeled amongst pufferfish, parrotfish, and butterflyfish.
We spent the next day relaxing at the beach, the only true day of idleness on a trip ostensibly built for lounging. The views and weather were both perfection, but the best part of the day was when a beach dog approached and promptly took a nap on my feet.
The following day we boarded the trimaran Gusto to reach Tobago Cays, an archipelago of five low-slung islands within the Grenadines that are now a protected marine park. We disembarked on Petit Rameau, where a short trail leads to the top of the island with sweeping views of the reefs. We devoured fresh-caught grilled fish on the beach before snorkeling with massive sea turtles who trundled from sea bed to water surface.
To travel between the port and our remote hotel, we took taxis which were little more than covered truck beds with benches bolted into the floor. Even from these makeshift tailgate perches, the views were breathtaking. Most restaurants on the island also feature vistas. In the evenings on Bequia we enjoyed fantastic Caribbean cuisine that blended local, Spanish, and Indian flavors. Highlights included West Indies tapas at Cheri’s Rooftop and curries at Tantie Pearl’s, both recommended by a cab driver and the latter also visited by Bourdain.
Port Elizabeth itself is a sleepy little village on Bequia. The shops and stalls sell local crafts, including fine linen clothing made on-island by a burgeoning textile industry supported, like Argyle Airport, by a Taiwanese grant (see Taiwan set #1). My favorite place in town was the cemetery beneath Cheri’s Rooftop. The graves were brightly painted and cheerfully adorned with beautiful flowers, reminiscent of a New Orleanian attitude to death. And then I remembered that in fact the influence is reversed, and that my hometown takes a Caribbean view of crossing over.
Four days in the Grenadines was long enough to settle into the rhythm of the islands, but not nearly long enough to want to leave. The formula here is simple: turquoise water, fresh fish, a beach dog who adopts you, and a cab driver who knows where Bourdain ate. What lingers is the ease of a place that caters to, but does not perform for, tourists. We returned to Kingstown with full stomachs, mild sunburns, and that familiar sinking feeling that we had not stayed long enough.
Recipes: Candy Dream, Classic Cuban Negative.
Artistic Direction: My Wife.
Saint Vincent Photosets:
Saint Vincent
The Grenadines
