We have just returned from our first visit to Bequia and were thrilled to discover this unspoilt and peaceful island. The Bequia Beach Hotel is the perfect place to stay if you want to soak up the relaxing atmosphere and natural beauty of the place. Our very comfortable beachfront suite had uninterrupted views across the sea to Mustique, and the large balcony was great for morning coffee or a private early evening drink. Our breakfast table was a couple of paces from the essentially private beach that stretches for over half a mile beyond the hotel frontage. I thoroughly enjoyed the large swimming pool in the garden, and my husband made use of the small but well equipped gym.

All the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Each morning of our stay they organised a taxi to one of the Caribbean beaches on the other side of the island (about ten minutes away), where the sea swimming is amazing. The local cafes organised the return trips for us. Ben (the hotel owner) has acquired the restaurant Jacks on Princess Margaret Bay, where we had some excellent lunches. The hotel also arranged an island tour, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

We have stayed at several hotels in the Caribbean and the food at Bequia Beach Hotel is amongst the best we have eaten in this part of the world. The food was imaginative and refreshingly light. The menu is small but changes quite frequently. The floodlit view of the waves from the beachfront restaurant at night resembled a ‘son et lumiere’.

We were surprised, therefore, to read some of the negative comments about the hotel from recent guests, and do not agree with the criticism, which seems to be unfairly judging the Bequia Beach Hotel against the standards and ‘glitz’ of nearby Barbados. Bequia is a place to unwind and recharge the batteries, and to enjoy fabulous scenery – with no crowds. We thought the hotel had captured this atmosphere perfectly and we are already planning our return visit next winter.

For those with real experience of the wider West Indies, who do not base their views only on Barbados hotels or Surrey golf clubs, this hotel is a wonderful Caribbean destination, on a beautiful little island. It is impossible not to relax in the local beauty and calm majesty of the setting, but these are combined with discreet, high cosmopolitan standards, the tone of which is clearly set by the owner Ben, who impressed us greatly. He has inculcated a wonderful look and feel to the place. Its personalised charm is reinforced by efficient and lovely staff. From the evidence of our room which was only one of many similar, it has universally modern rooms tastefully decorated, aesthetically delightful but completely functional, though the Wi-Fi blinked from time to time. One aspect I have not seen mentioned, but which was notable, was the architectural and construction effort: the construction is solid, layout of buildings, landscaping, and quality of the finishings are well thought through. Our view onto the crashing rollers on what is effectively a half mile long private beach was unbeatable, though bathing is for strong swimmers only. The cuisine is what we wanted: basically international but using fresh local ingredients and local flavours, well prepared and cooked. By far the best Caribbean hotel I've been to, nit-picking criticism is churlish. I hope against hope it remains a relative secret for discerning international travellers who "get" the West Indies, who do not have unrealistic expectations, and don't look at their watch every five minutes. We are going back asap.

We spent five days at the Bequia Beach Hotel, it was very quiet as just after new year. Our room lovely overlooking the swimming pool at the top , ok for those who don't mind the steps. The Italian restaurant next to the pool had lovely food, the Swedish chef was excellent. It was perhaps too quiet for us but we would stay there again. We found the staff extremely helpful and the beach great to swim in. I would choose a room closer to the beach next time. The swimming pool is a good size and the staff helpful but not overly.