We have been visiting Bequia for the last ten years and this is by far the best villa we have stayed in - and we were lucky (with forward planning) to have booked it for four months. The situation is very quiet and peaceful and the view over the bay is beautiful. The villa is exceptionality well equipped and maintained. John and Dianne are the perfect hosts, nothing is too much trouble. You arrive as visitors, leave as friends. We will return!
Bequia is a lovely little Caribbean island, still with the painted colorful houses and vibrant flower filled yards of old. Very charming and quaint. Its is small with lots of curvy hills, and this villa sits about 3/4 of the way up one of the hills less than 10 minutes from the main town.
The villa starts on the second story with the garages,pool room and laundry underneath, and so the extra elevation affords one a sweeping view of the countryside below, and the endless ocean vistas. You enter around the rear of the villa down a lovely flower lined pathway and into the kitchen and living area. The entire villa is done out in soothing Caribbean colors, light tile floors, pretty soft turquoises and creams and so although compact, is very soothing to the eye and seems spacious and uncluttered. The kitchen is well equipped with every bowl, plate or glass you may need, including serving and Tupperware (not always a given in these rentals) and so was a pleasure to cook in.
The bedrooms are on either side of the great room, with one being reached through the extensive bathroom and walk in closet, which is great if you are travelling with kids as it gives you more separation at night. Both bedrooms lead out to the verandah as well. The bedrooms have very pretty mosquito canopies and very traditional wood beds. The netting is imperative as there are tons of grasshoppers and whatnot at night and it is best to put all the netting down before sunset. We also learned to give a good spray of bug spray behind the furniture and in the closets during the day, when the mossies would be looking for these cool areas to rest in. Once one has a plan in place, it is all quiet manageable -but be aware- you are in the deep tropics here, and there is lots of insects. They are often quite pretty, giant moths and multi colored beetles, and so we really enjoyed seeing them....just as long as they weren't in bed with us.
The exterior of the villa, which is almost 50 percent of the space, is magnificent. There is a generous roof overhang for shade and protection from the little rain showers, which happen sporadically, just long enough to cool everything down. There are a couple of seats under the overhang for perching in when one needs respite from the heat. The huge dining table is located in a deep alcove, so it remains cool and dry and a perfect spot for alfresco meals.There are good sun loungers next to the pool. Not in any of the pictures, is an excellent couch and table set at the end of the long verandah under a ingeniously rigged umbrella, where my husband and I enjoyed our morning coffee and watched the sunrise over the ocean- brilliant way to start !!! The pool was a miraculous temperature all day and night- so perfect for swimming at all hours, no waiting for it to 'warm' up. It is cantilevered over the hill, and so the effect is that you are swimming out to sea. There is an underwater ledge at the deep end, ideal for sitting and sipping a cold beer or cocktail and admiring the view. The sky is fantastically large, and watching the little puffs of clouds transverse the sky and cast shadows over the ocean and the out lying islands, was enough to fill all our days. Even our teenagers were taken with how many shades of blue developed as the sunlight played through the clouds and how the ocean glistened, it was truly enthralling.
The hosts were lovely people and made us feel welcome immediately, explaining how everything worked. Their house is next door, up a hill and separated from the villa by an extensive and lush garden. They keep a very respectful distance but are there at the drop of a hat if one needs fresh linens or any other thing. The house keeper and grounds man kept the villa crispy clean and were friendly but unobtrusive.
One of the highlights of the holiday was the fresh tropical fruit and veg from the "rasta" market down in town- a great bunch of folks who love to haggle and cajole. They will offer you tastes of the sweetest melons and sour sops and mangoes -delicious ! Make sure you walk to each booth first to see who has the best of each item and then try buy a little from each -this keeps it equitable and everyone happy. We never did find the fisherman, which was a disappointment.
Beaches and restaurants were lovely, as is the stone walkway along the cliffs in town where all the restaurants were, but honestly our best time was spent on the lovely verandah, eating our day's "catch" of fresh fruit and watching the clouds whizz across the ocean. This villa is better than its pictures and highly recommended.
Location is stunning. The facilities reflect the degree of personalised attention given by Dianne and John. Their preferred taxi driver, Noel was always on hand to take you wherever you wanted if you did not want to hire a car. We would highly recommend the villa for couples or families who want that extra special holiday.
We stayed for nearly a month at Tamarind and fell in love with Spring Bay and especially the people. The villa is generously proportioned with 2 large bedrooms off the huge lounge / kitchen. Everything is provided for and in excellent condition and the caretakers are truly amazing and close by if you need anything. We lazed away on the sun terrace with nothing to hear apart from the surf in the distance and the odd calls from Hawks high up or the local Rufous-vented Chachalaca which is something never forgotten. The views of the bay across to Baliceaux Islands and Mustique in the far distance were sensational, and the private pool, cool and inviting and a good book and a rum punch and bitters to round it off. To get around we hired a moke from Bronte of Gideontaxi and had a really enjoyable holiday.
When you go you'll never want to leave and we need to keep Tamarind a close secret.
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The villa is situated on a hillside overlooking the sea. The views are even better than those shown on the website, they are truly delightful. Also the deck and pool are totally private so you can just saunter out in the morning and RELAX. The pool itself is in the sun all day which makes it nice and warm, but there is also sufficient shade for people like us who do not like to sit in the sun all the time.
The villa is in excellent condition and everything is of the best quality. We were met by the owners Dianne and John who had prepared a lovely evening meal for us on arrival.
This is not a cheap holiday but if you are looking for a luxurious relaxing hideaway it fits the bill perfectly.
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