5 Best Hotels in Bequia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

With an ideal location on pretty Friendship Bay, this stunning boutique property is a great choice for a relaxing beach getaway or family vacation. Large "classic rooms," some family suites that accommodate four, and a penthouse suite with a Jacuzzi and the ultimate sea view are set back on the hillside and surround a second pool; 14 beachfront suites are also near the main pool. All rooms have unique decor, evoking a 1930s-style adventure-travel vibe (period wicker furnishings, antique travel posters, leather trunks, four-poster beds). Nearby, six gingerbread-style, self-catering cottages, painted in Caribbean colors, offer either one or two bedrooms; three have a kitchenette and private plunge pool. A four-bedroom Presidential villa has a private infinity pool. The Blue Tropic Restaurant, open only in the high season, features Italian cuisine in a cozy, romantic setting; Batagelle, the main restaurant open year-round, is a more casual beach bar with live music and entertainment. VIP air transfers from either St. Lucia or Barbados can be arranged on the resort's own Bequia Air charter service.

This small inn, mainly suited to adults (although kids are welcome), is about 2 miles (3 km) north of Port Elizabeth on a 28-acre sugar plantation that dates from the late 18th century. Four stunning guest rooms, a cottage, and a villa—all decorated in a contemporary style—are tucked into the side of a hill overlooking endless coconut palms, the only banana plantation on Bequia, and the beach at Spring Bay. Meals are served in the Great House Restaurant, which also welcomes non-guests. Strolling down to the beach, you'll pass the ruins of the original sugar factory.

The venerable Frangipani, once a sea captain's home and also the birthplace of the late James "Son" Mitchell, former prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, is especially known for its welcoming waterfront bar and restaurant. Luxurious garden and deluxe hillside units, built of local stone and hardwoods, rise on a gentle hillside filled with fragrant frangipani trees. These rooms have tile floors, louvered windows and doors, canopy beds, spacious private baths, and verandahs with spectacular sunset views of the harbor. Two deluxe hillside rooms have air-conditioning. Five rooms in the historic house (less than half the price of the garden rooms) have painted-wood walls and floors, grass rugs, and plain furniture; they share a bayfront terrace at the front and a cold-water bath at the end of the hall (Room 3 is closest to the bath).

Overlooking Admiralty Bay, Gingerbread's six breezy waterfront suites—each suitable for up to three guests—are large and modern, with bedroom alcoves, adjoining salons, and full kitchens (but no air-conditioning). Lower-level rooms have twin beds and large bayfront porches; upper-level rooms have king-size four-poster beds and verandahs. Decorated and furnished in a sophisticated tropical style, suites have Italian tile floors, and natural wood and rattan furniture throughout. En suite bathrooms are large and modern, too.

On a hillside overlooking Friendship Bay (and Bequia Beach Hotel), each room in this small inn offers a different view and a different color scheme—but all have a kitchen and airy sitting room. Louvered windows on three sides of the sitting room open to the breeze. Continental breakfast is available on the spacious verandah overlooking the pool; each week (in season) guests gather on the verandah to enjoy dinner and a movie. "Sugarapple on the Beach," a separate beachfront cottage, has two apartments that each accommodate two or four guests; it's a five-minute walk from the main building and right on the sand among the palm trees on Friendship Bay Beach.