We found the Bay Guesthouse in the Lonely Planet. The guesthouse is located a short walk from the main part of the village, but in some respects is a world away. The bright orange two story building faces the ocean, and once you step inside the gate to the property, it doesn’t take long for you to relax and realize this is great value for the money (we paid $30US a night). The property is very clean, and the rooms, while basic, are immaculate. There is no hot water, but in the afternoon the water (or air) seemed to get warm enough that it didn’t matter. There is free wifi, and our room had a kitchenette, with dishes, a counter with bar stools, and a stove.

There are two rooms in the back, with no view, and two ocean facing rooms in front. All rooms are on the ground floor, as the owners occupy the top floor. There is a couple of picnic tables, a hammock, and some loungers – lots of seating to enjoy the sunset every evening, play cards, or eat some basic food picked up in town.

The owners were very helpful setting us up with all the information we needed, and really took the time to make sure we were comfortable and well settled in. It was the best checkin desk we’d ever seen – at a picnic table under a palm tree, as the sun set on the ocean in front of us. In addition, the owners arranged a car rental for us, and a transfer to the airport.

There is no beach as such at the Bay Guesthouse, and while the local beach, just a couple feet away in Gros Islet, looked good from far, it was actually far from good, with a pipe leading directly into the ocean dumping something into the ocean. However, if you walk the other direction, away from the village, you get to Pigeon Beach – the same beach that Sandals is on. It’s about a 5 minute walk away from the hotel. At the end of the beach closest to Bay Guesthouse, the sand is a little rough – lots of coral – we always wore water sandals. In addition we saw quite a bit of broken glass in the water. There’s a couple of picnic tables. The beach, for the most part, is empty. Yes, it would have been nice if there was a beach directly in front of our hotel, or even a safe way in to the water (not on slippery boulders) but the 5 minute walk really wasn’t so bad.