Back downtown, the Cobblestone Inn has a grand historic vibe befitting a 200 year old former sugar storage building, an imposing stone and brick edifice with steep stairs and wooden floors, it’s evocative of another time, a favourite of old Caribbean hands, a refuge for the cognoscenti; state owned and family run by the Joshuas for decades, it’s dated yes, but has great wi-fi, very moderate rates and a dedicated long serving staff with a roof-top bar and restaurant. Beware though venturing onto the adjacent timber lookout, more akin to a rickety stumble across the deck of the ghost ship Marie-Celeste (an issue about to be rectified apparently). www.thecobblestoneinn.com
The view’s nothing special either, unprepossessing at best, of container yards and dilapidated immigration offices unless one of those leviathans of the modern age, a cruiseship, is at berth which is always an arresting sight. But, feet up, clutching a cold Hairoon beer, with late afternoon zephyrs off the tradewind caressing your brow and Bequia’s western peninsula shimmering in the haze eight miles distant, you can dream of those idylls beyond.
Moreover, pushing through the smoked glass portals into the mood lit bar on the ground floor, you really do enter another world, symbiotic somehow with the Inn above, an oasis of quiet calm, simply the coolest gaff in town (quite literally, with the air con normally tuned to ice station zebra temperature). This is Basil’s Bar & restaurant, he of the eponymous, fabled Mustique institution whose ownership he relinquished some time ago. Still based in Mustique, he pops over regularly to ensure things are running smoothly and also leases out three villas near Villa beach. Menus are solidly West Indian, prepared to perfection as you’d expect, and underscored by excellent service, not a theme you can guarantee elsewhere.
It’s fair to say Basil Charles is a legendary figure hereabouts, a greying, well preserved 77 now, his father was a Vincentian fisherman with little involvement in his life, his mother died when he was nine and his grandmother brought him up. Moving to Mustique on a whim, he was employed as bartender at the Cotton House hotel by Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, the island’s owner and was then installed at a new beach bar on Britannia Bay…. which later became his own. Colin walked in one day and demanded a drink which Basil blanked by telling him to wait. Colin took umbrage over the delay and threw a glass of water over him, whereupon Basil leapt over the bar and smacked his Lordship in the mouth. They became firm pals thereafter with Basil holding court as friend and confidante to aristocracy, rock royalty and business moguls for forty years. The Mustique Mule became his signature co*cktail, and there are many tales to tell. Few have been, though he admits to attending the Royal Wedding of William and Kate in 2011. The island’s long running Blues Festival is also still the main fund raiser for his Educational Foundation in St Vincent.
St. Vincent is an island that rewards exploration and inquiry like no other, save perhaps Jamaica, and for those intrepid enough the rugged, untrammelled interior virtually demands it. Large tracts are still inaccessible, especially the seaward bluffs and craggy indentations of the western, leeward coastline. Hiking really is the best way to appreciate new landscapes and an exceptional cohort of tour operators and private guides can help you on your way, some of whom, shall we say, can be, er, loud and excitable. Each to his own, but I prefer the quiet, understated disposition of people like Desron Rodriquez, “Lavaman” to all and sundry. His father was a bush farmer at Reeves Level near Biabou on the east coast, and he remembers as a kid going rock climbing in the mountains.
Lava Man & Basil Charles in Mustique
“I suppose I was quite feral , I went swimming in the volcano’s crater lake at eight or nine years old”, Lava recalls, “then after secondary school I migrated to Barbados as a labourer and well digger. I returned here at 23, trained as a mechanic then went north to Antigua where I got in with a bad crowd, somehow managed to escape, came home again and planted herbs for a while before moving to Trinidad in construction.” Finally, he found his true vocation—as an informed man of the mountains. Decent money too at US$100 per person when fifty tourists off a cruise ship are at your behest. He rose to national celebrity status as “Lavaman” while the volcano erupted, (or some would say “lunatic”) when defying all advice and filming from forest paths as burning magma and ash spewed forth. An insane reaction maybe, but he couldn’t help himself, and he’s reaped the just rewards. Other experienced operators are Hazeko Tours and Paul Cyrus.
For starters and establishing your bearings, take a walk to Fort Charlotte if you can deal with the ascent to 636 feet for a spectacular view of Kingstown Bay and the Grenadines from the northern promontory, then gravitate to the Botanical Gardens below as a must-see diversion, best avoided perhaps on a cruise ship arrival day, but otherwise a serene way to spend a morning or late afternoon, no guide needed either from your base, just a quizzical eye after a 20 minute walk or short taxi ride. Founded in 1765 on twenty acres they’re the oldest in the western hemisphere, embracing a wide array of trees and flora in a tranquil parkland setting including perhaps the most vital arboreal in the entire Caribbean. It’s an extraordinary story too, and one not generally appreciated by many West Indians. Breadfruit is ubiquitous around the region, hanging like green cannonballs within thick shiny green foliage even in backyards, and so prolific they’re effectively overlooked although remaining a staple in many local dishes.
