Our first trip of 2026 began with a relaxing retreat in the mountainous interior of St Vincent. A sunny Caribbean island to provide a welcome January escape!
St Vincent (known by locals as ‘Vincy’) is the largest island of St Vincent and the Grenadines, a small country in the Eastern Caribbean which is often abbreviated to SVG.
SVG gained independence from the British in 1979. While English is the official language the local dialect is Vincentian Creole which is a mix of different languages.
Itinerary
- 3 nights in the rainforest of St Vincent
- 5 nights on the Grenadine island of Bequia
- 4 nights by the sea in St Vincent
This post centers around our unique and quirky stay in a treehouse and is the first of 3 blog posts covering this trip.
The purpose of this initial treehouse stay was to do some hiking in the lush rainforest and also to unwind and relax a little.
The AirBnB treehouse was the perfect place for this with its full wrap-a-round decking and comfy seating both at the front (looking west) and the back (the east) which meant we could follow the sun or the shade at any time of the day.
The back of the treehouse overlooked the rainforest and other than the occasional barking dog or the screeching trill from a bird, all we could hear was the peaceful rhythmic sounds of the rainforest.
The treehouse had a small yet practical kitchen which included a fridge, kettle and various utensils.
And a small dining area with a glass topped table for two and shutters which opened to reveal the panoramic valley below whilst letting in a refreshing breeze.
Plug sockets were the UK 3 pin type which was convient for us.
The bed was covered by a mosquito net which made a snug and cosy nest although other than the regular appearance of a small green lizard and a smallish spider, we didn’t see any mosquitoes inside the treehouse.
Our decking overlooked the top of a papaya tree and from here we also saw a dark green humming bird darting around.
Day 1: Walking to Buccament Bay ~ 7 miles
For our first day, following breakfast in the Bush Bar (more on that later) we decided to walk the 3 miles down through the valley to Buccament Bay to have lunch and a look at the sea.
For much of the downhill walk we passed through villages where the locals seemed friendly saying hello and waving to us.
Some Caribbean islands have safety warnings, for example, when we stayed in Jamaica 15 years ago we were warned against leaving the resort. However this time we felt reasonably safe as it was daylight and quite a few people were around.
We had been advised that Tides Restaurant would be a good place for lunch so this was our first stop.
Hairoun is a local beer brewed in St Vincent which was refreshing following our 3 mile walk in 29 degrees.
I had grilled tuna with rice, steamed veg and a gravy boat of creole sauce. Creole sauce is a mild spicy sauce popular in West Indian cuisine.
From Tides restaurant we walked along the slightly scruffy beach towards the Sandals resort. Opened in March 2024 this is a fairly new Sandals offering guests 5* all inclusive luxury.
Non-Sandals guests are permitted to enjoy the immaculate golden sands and crystal clear lapping waters for free at this end of Buccament Bay. You need to pass through the Sandals security patrol and assure them you will not enter the resort or use their beach umbrellas!
You can get a day pass into the Sandals St Vincent resort which includes the full all inclusive use of facilities, bars and restaurants but we considered the hefty price tag of 680 USD for both of us to be a tad expensive!
From our walk along Sandals beach we decided to walk to Greaves, a big supermarket to buy some supplies for our self catering treehouse.
This was about a mile out of town however as we walked up and down the aisles we decided for the next day it would be easier to just buy some fruit and wing it with snacks and food at Bush Bar the following day.
Here we were close to the Sandals reception so we walked down with the intention of negotiating a day pass discount as past guests. But security wouldn’t let us past the entrance gates telling us to book online…
At the end of the afternoon we had arranged for a taxi to pick us up and take us back up the 3 miles into the valley to our treehouse.
Day 2: Hiking to Vermont ~ 8 miles
Our second full day was spent hiking from the treehouse to the Vermont rainforest nature trail.
With nearly 3 miles to walk to the start of Vermont we set off at about 9 am. We were soon joined by a random dog! This friendly female pooch decided to accompany us all the way to the start of the Vermont trail.
About half way there and leaving our new friend outside we stopped at Derry’s Mini Mart and purchased supplies including a very tasty and not too sweet raisin pastry each.
We later found the dog was called Ziggy who belongs to Rachael our AirBnB owner. She stayed close at all times and gingerly tucked in between us with her tail down whenever we passed other dogs in the village.
Past the village the 3 of us walked through lush rainforest. Ziggy seemed much happier at this point although still stayed close either just ahead or just behind, patiently waiting if we stopped.
Nearly there…
Upon arrival we paid our 5 USD per person entrance fee and our new doggie friend had to stay put at the entrance. She would only let Chris or me near her and between us we tied a cord to her collar and one of the Vermont staff led her away and tied her to something… she wasn’t happy and struggled a bit, although she didn’t bark at all.
Chris and I headed into the heart of the rainforest to begin the Vermont trail.
Helpful signs provided information about the fauna and flora of the trail.
One of the highlights is the St Vincent parrot lookout point where you can often see this large colourful Amazonian parrot.
These rare birds are only found on St Vincent island and are the national bird of SVG.
We both saw one but it flew by high above the trees in the distance. Birds Caribbean has a huge amount of information including details on the St Vincent Parrot.
I found the above photo on their website: Birds Caribbean
At the end of the trail we enquired about the dog but apparently she had escaped and ran out of the park entrance presumably to return home.
But no… 5 minutes after leaving the entrance she appeared from nowhere! Excitedly wagging her tail friendly little Ziggy had been patiently waiting for us. She didn’t bark or jump up but set off again trotting along either just in front or behind us.
A heavy downpour started suddenly so the 3 of us sheltered in a nearby hut close to the road. But only for a short time… we felt uncomfortable when we glanced around the hut and saw workmens belongings which included someones lunch and a couple of machetes!
The sun was soon shining and we stopped again at Derry’s and purchased afternoon provisions. And this was great timing as a huge downpour began while we were in the shop, one of those which quickly resulted in a torrent running down the road. But again this lasted for about 5 minutes…
Ziggy stuck with us all the way back to the treehouse. As we let ourselves in she sat at the end of the short path and watched, waiting until we were inside and then scurrying back to her home after her little adventure with us today.
Back at the treehouse relaxing on the deck with a cold beer, salted peanuts and sea salt popcorn when another friend came to join us.
This small friendly lizard ate a crumb of sea salt popcorn then stretched its little tongue out to lick the condensation from the bottom of the bottle!
We had several short downpours on this day – one minute it was 29 degrees of full on sun and suddenly a 5 minute shower would occur!
Dining
The treehouse had a small kitchen and so self catering was perfectly possible. However, for us this was limited.
SVG has strict custom regulations on bringing food into the country so we had minimal snacks with us.
We didn’t hire a car so had limited access to shops. As mentioned we walked to a supermarket but found everyday provisions to be expensive and not worth buying for a couple of days.
Thankfully there was a couple of excellent options very close to the treehouse.
Bush Bar
Rachael had recommended Bush Bar and when I checked Google Maps it was due to open at 9 am.
Planning to have breakfast we walked along the track for about 7 minutes and arrived. It was closed and the owner Zen explained she doesn’t usually do breakfast.
However she welcomed us in and was happy to cook some delicious ad hoc banana fritters together with a mug of fresh ginger tea each which was perfect. And using ingredients from her garden.
She then offered us a piece of fresh papaya each and suggested we could pick some bananas. All of this was less than £9.
We had such good service in a delightful tranquil setting that we messaged Zen on whatsapp and booked for dinner the following evening.
On this occasion we had a couple of glasses of Zen’s home made pineapple wine each.
With tasty home made pumpkin fritters…
And wonderful vegan coconut curry made with local home grown vegetables including yams and served with fresh salad and rice. This was presented in homegrown calabash bowls.
These organic bowls come from the fruit of the calabash tree and have been used for thousands of years in Caribbean and African cultures.
A self-described Rasta hippie, Zen opened the Bush Bar in 2009 and also offers art therapy classes such as ‘paint and sip’ which you book with her in advance.
Zen’s art is displayed throughout the Bush Bar.
If you wish to combine relaxation and healthy food the Bush Bar is a lovely hidden gem in the heart of the rainforest.
Dewi’s Asian Kitchen
Close to the Bush Bar and just a 3 minute walk from the treehouse Dewi’s Asian Kitchen opens from Thursday to Sunday. However as we arrived at 6.30 pm on a Sunday and left at 9 am on a Wednesday we missed this place being open.
But thankfully even when the small restaurant is closed, if you contact them in advance, again by whatsapp, they will cook for you and deliver outside of opening hours.
A takeaway of 2 portions of spring rolls and vegetable chow mein from Dewis in our little treehouse was our option for the first evening.
Portions were huge and the vegetable chow mein was amazing and one serving was enough for both of us.
Getting to St Vincent
Virgin Atlantic have a daily schedule which includes a touch down in Barbados. Passengers for Barbados disembark, passengers for St Vincent remain on the plane and after a quick tidy up, new passengers board for the 15 minute onward flight to St Vincent.
Getting around
We spent 3 nights in the treehouse and as the purpose was to unwind, relax and do some hiking we didn’t hire a car. Instead we got around either by taxi or on foot!
Weather
January is the dry season although ironically we arrived in a storm! As we approached St Vincent, with one minute to landing, the pilot suddenly accelerated the huge A330 airbus and we started to ascend again. We circled around for 15 minuted until the storm passed and it was safe to land.
We had many short rainshowers throughout the night and during the afternoon of our second day. But thankfully they lasted for 5 minutes and the sun continued to shine alongside the showers! Locals were grateful for the rain as their recent official rainy season was in fact very dry…
Average temperatures were 29 degrees during the day and 26 degrees overnight.
Money matters
Most of the restaurants around the treehouse only accept cash so for this part of the trip we ensured we had plenty of East Caribbean dollars aka XCD or EC$. We also needed this for taxi’s and expenditure for example in the small shop. While we could probably have paid in USD cash, the preference seemed to be for local EC$ and I think this gave us a better exchange rate.
Summary
A great start to our trip with highlights being the novelty of the treehouse, the hospitality of the Bush Bar, the picturesque Vermont trail and of course Ziggy the dog!
Next we travel by ferry to the paradise Grenadine island of Bequia for the second stage of our SVG adventure…
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