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.
6 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 30, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Marcia
Nic,
I am very impressed and proud of all that you have accomplished! Look forward to reading your book. I think this web site and what you have written on it is very enticing.
Love,
M
December 5, 2009 at 12:01 am
njdurbin
Thanks M!
December 29, 2009 at 8:43 am
Christmastime in St. Vincent – III « A Dream Made Truth
[…] The Resort […]
January 29, 2010 at 9:26 am
Going public « A Dream Made Truth
[…] The Resort […]
February 10, 2012 at 10:02 pm
originALLIty
We came here back in the early 2000s. We moored in the bay for a couple of night after a rough passage sailing. We snorkled around, and I remember going ashore and walking around the resort, looking at how they were set up and thinking it was weird to have bathrooms so out in the open. And then we ran around catching lizards until we were tuckered out. Now that I’m older and more mature, I hope to go back sometime soon, aiming for December, with my husband. (anywhere is fine with me, as long as I get to eat some more roti!!)
February 11, 2012 at 8:02 am
Nicole
Thanks so much for writing! Yes, the bathrooms were an unusual design feature. 🙂 Guests were often surprised at just how out in the open they were. And roti… I miss those too! Happy sailing on future trips and let us know if you visit again!