Petit Byahaut is on the island of St. Vincent, in the Caribbean Sea. To get there, you’ll first need to fly to one of its neighbors, such as Barbados or St. Lucia or Grenada. Then take a turboprop to St. Vincent. As you fly over the island enroute to the airport, don’t miss La Soufriere, the verdant volcano peaking through the clouds.

Once you land on the green, mountainous island, hire Robert Taxi to drive you to the small village of Clare Valley on the leeward coast north of Kingstown. Even though it may seem like your life is in danger as you speed up and down the perilous cliff clinging roads, Robert is a very good driver. Perhaps Perra will be on the beach, limin’ with the fishermen. Kindly ask if he would mind rowing you over to Petit Byahaut. Hiking in is the only other way to reach Petit Byahaut, but I don’t recommend it. You must know your way and be willing to brave the dogs guarding the property which you’ll trespass to reach the forested ridge surrounding Petit Byahaut. Don’t forget a cutlass to whack your way through the bush. Oh, and brushing against those mysterious bushes may result in a nasty, persistant skin rash.

The peaceful boat ride will allow you time to admire the black cliff walls dripping with vines and wild frangipani and cactus, as warm waves rush against the cliffside creating eddies between the boulders. As you turn into the bay that is Petit Byahaut, you’ll feel as if you’re entering an amphitheater, with headlands extending into the sea on both sides, rising high to join the lush peaks forming the backdrop. The black sand beach spills into the turquoise sea and, if you look down, you’ll be mesmerized by the yellow tube sponges and purple fan coral and schools of colorful fish below. You’ll wonder where the resort is. That is part of the magic, you see, the guest bungalows were all carefully hidden so that this vision of paradise would remain.

Sadly, Petit Byahaut is no longer operating. This is what it once was.

Charles Meistrell and Sharon Schrama discovered Petit Byahaut in the 1980s and made it into the resort it was when we arrived. Click here to browse their Petit Byahaut website.

Here is a video I found of a more recent Petit Byahaut.