Get ready for large turtles, floating bars and pirate escapades…
Our Managing Director, Ash Van Wensveen, just returned from an enviable recce to the tropical islands of St Vincent and the Grenadines. We caught up with him before our SwimTrekkers fly out and dive into our first 2025 departures.
Like Jack Sparrow himself, Ash went roving across white sands and warm seas, finding sets from the Pirates of the Caribbean films and enjoying some of the swim spots we’ll be serving up this year – all of which will be reached aboard a stunning catamaran.
From the volcanic interior of St. Vincent, ruled by the smoking cone of La Soufrière, to the waters of Tobago Cays, populated by grazing turtles, this new location looks to be another winning paradise for explorers of both land and sea.
EXPLORE ST VINCENT & THE GRENADINES
Ash: “What you get from this trip is an authentic Caribbean experience. You see how the locals live and get a feel for islands that aren’t crowded with tourists. Most of the coast is completely untouched by tourism. No tall apartments, or high-rise hotels. What you do see is locals pushing off from the beach in boats and fishing for the daily catch. Your surroundings are so lush and green as well.”
“Most of the coast is completely untouched by tourism...”
“The further you travel up the coast, the deeper you go into a new world. You find places where they filmed some Pirates of the Caribbean films. We visited the old sets too and you can see the wardrobe and props that they used, which are on display too. Of course, there’s a life-size Jack Sparrow to get your picture with!”
“My daughter wanted to be a pirate when she was little – like for years she was like: ‘I’m a pirate’ – so I had to go and film myself running like Jack Sparrow on one of the beaches. I reenacted a scene from the movie and sent it to her. That was pretty special.”
“During our time there, we stayed on Bequia [the largest island in the Grenadines] in this beautiful, old plantation hotel right on the beach. There’s a small jetty where you can sit and watch the most amazing sunsets. It's not far from the town, which is small and provincial – not tourist-y at all really. This is where the rich and famous used to come, when they stayed on Mustique Island where Princess Margaret lived.”
“ This is where the rich and famous used to come, when they stayed on Mustique Island where Princess Margaret lived...”
“Also, there’s this bar on a floating pontoon you can visit from the hotel jetty. So, you just wave to the owner and he comes over in a dinghy to pick you up. The seats are basically swings you can sit on above the water. Then you just sip a cocktail and watch the sun sink into the ocean.”
“Celebrities used to come and dine in Bequia. There’s a popular pizza place visited by the likes of David Bowie and Mick Jagger. So, I made sure I had pizza with a cocktail and imagined Mick Jagger swaggering in.”
“There’s an incredible path that goes from town all the way along the coast, around the headlands and down to Princess Margaret Beach. The beach itself is pristine and unspoilt. Nothing is built there really. Trees descend the beach and almost step into the sea. You can walk along the sand and peer out over the waves.”
“The swims take you all along the coast and to all these little, satellite islands. Then we also visit Tobago Cays with all the turtles, which is a UNESCO-protected site I believe. I swam in some of the clearest water I’ve ever been in, and I saw my first turtle – I’ve never seen one in the sea before. I literally jumped off the boat and one swam right in front of me!”
“There were stingrays and lots of fish and large turtles. It was incredible. One of the best spots I’ve ever swum for marine life. There aren’t too many boats, or other tourists to disturb them either.”
“I swam in some of the clearest water I’ve ever been in and I saw my first turtle...”
