We ended up here by accident in April, 2006; the place we'd reserved double booked and we were switched to the Bayaleau Point Cottages for the first few days of our stay. Before we arrived, we weren't too happy about that. It took our family of four (boys 6 and 8) three days to get from Colorado to Carriacou and once there, we just wanted to stay put. Also, Bayaleau Point Cottages is on the "far" side of the island away from Hillsborough and the beach sounded marginal.
It ended up being one of the most magical experiences we've ever had in the Caribbean.
This place is not for everybody; in fact, it probably isn't for most people. It's set up so that you feel as if you're living half indoors, half outdoors. We were in the Little Blue Cottage, which from the outside looks like a Caribbean version of the Three Bears' home, complete with gingerbread and porches. Inside is a small room with a double bed downstairs and a loft bed where our kids slept. In one corner is a small stove, fridge and table and shelves for food. You go outside to get to the kitchen sink and bathroom, you eat on the porch steps, you swing in the outdoor hammock. Our cottage was set in a half-wild garden with citrus trees and flowers right outside the door and paths leading to the other cottages and down to the beach. Other than the owners, whose house is away from the cottages, no one else was staying there.
Despite being located on a very poor island and an easy walk from a basic town, the cottages felt totally safe. We never locked the door or windows; I don't think it was possible. I had the following conversation with the owner on the first day.
Me: "Is it safe to leave our things in the cottage when we're away?"
Owner: "Why? Do you have a lot of valuables?"
Me: "Well, just plane tickets and money."
Owner (dismissively): "Oh, you can leave those. That won't be a problem."
My husband and I loved how peaceful the place felt. We enjoyed walks along the almost deserted roads nearby and exploring the town of Windward, where we never saw another tourist. While the beach wasn't gorgeous by Caribbean standards, it was fine for a swim, with clear clean water and the views of the Grenadines in the distance were incredible. Because Carriacou is so small, it doesn't take very long to drive to beautiful beaches nearby.
The only drawbacks I can think of were the heat and mosquitos. There was very little breeze while we were there, which I understand is unusual, but it made it quite hot. When we go back, we'll stay more on top of the mosquitos with coils and repellent, as we did get bitten up.
Finally, here's the experience of my 8-year-old son. Our family tries to visit a Caribbean island every spring. Though we choose islands with relatively few visitors and stay at simple places rather then big resorts, we often end up in hotels with pools and/or air conditioning and/or tvs and/or beach bars where the kids can order ice cream. His favorite place to stay in the Caribbean (and at this point he's probably been to 20 different hotels) is the Bayaleau Point Cottages which has none of those amenities.
It's the only one he talks about and daydreams about on a regular basis. He'd do anything to go back there and every month or two tries to convince us to return. This despite the mosquitos and having to share a hot loft bed with his little brother.
Why? He has a hard time explaining just why he loved it so much but some of his reasons include the frogs in the bathroom and the birds that flew through the open windows into the cottage and pecked at our food until we stored it all in tins or in the fridge. He and his brother could run down to the beach by themselves and play with a litter of puppies or catch hermit crabs. They could look for land crabs along the paths or pick fruit in the garden. They could hang out in the hammock and read a book or play cards on the porch.
As a family, we went kayaking and swimming. We took a day-long snorkelling trip to the Grenadines in the handbuilt boat belonging to the owners, Mostly Harmless. We hired Popo to drive us when we wanted to go somewhere and the kids got to ride in the back of his old pickup.
I can't help but mention one of my pet peeves: the Caribbean vacations marketed to families: enormous cruise ships complete with ice skating rinks, mega resorts where the kids go to day camps and there are 50 different organized activities.... For my boys and, I imagine, for lots of kids, none of that could compare with a couple of weeks on Carriacou at the Bayaleau Point Cottages.
Carriacou is really hard to get to, which is probably what has kept it so special. I don't know when we'll be able to return, but it's definitely one of our family's most memorable and special vacations. If you're the kind of person who would like the Bayaleau Point Cottages, I can't recommend it highly enough.
