Holiday Bequia 2016 Edition

Gingerbread building and Maranne’s Ice
Cream Parlour. A little further on are the
gaily painted premises of Dive Bequia.
Returning to the town centre, the BTA
office, located at the end of the main
ferry jetty is the place to buy water,
stamps, Bequia Sailing Club souvenirs and
postcards. You can also pick up your extra
copies of Holiday Bequia, as well as the
invaluable weekly guide to what’s on in
Bequia – Bequia This Week.
Opposite the BTA is the Bayshore Mall
– a small shopping centre which contains
some dozen shops including a Travel
Agency, an ice-cream parlour, stationery
store, delicatessen, and two boutiques.
Further north, past the Revenue Office
and Post Office, is the covered fish and
vegetable market on the water’s edge,
with its own dinghy dock. There are also
a number of small t-shirt, casual wear and
gift boutiques here, plus a bakery outlet
with delicious fresh bread and baked
goods and a small bar. An ancient almond
tree provides welcome shade inside the
market courtyard. Opposite the market is
a boutique that carries bali-style furniture
and gifts. Shipping all over the world is
available.
As an age-old seafaring island, Bequia
caters exceptionally well for visiting
yachts. There are a number of first-rate
shipwrights, carpenters, repair specialists,
sail lofts and general marine and fishing
supply shops in and around Port Elizabeth,
and a varied selection of grocery stores
and delicatessens which cater for both the
simple necessities and the most refined
gourmet tastes. Deliveries to your yacht or
to your rental villa can easily be arranged.
The building of model boats is a Bequia
speciality – even H.M. Queen Elizabeth
II has an example in her collection. You
can see both the intricate workmanship
in progress, and the fabulous models
of schooners, brightly-coloured yachts,
traditional ‘double enders’ and Bequia
whaleboats. Walk past the vegetable
market to find first of two Model Boat
Shops (ask to see the workshop outside,
under the breadfruit tree), and then a little
further along the road, you will find the
second one with its busy workshop right
on the premises. Take your time to look,
choose, and then to look again. The quality
and detail is quite magnificent and the
finished models true works of art.
Holiday Bequia
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