holmestead
hideaway
the
Where exceptional hospitality meets extraordinary purpose.
The Holmestead Hideaway is not a typical Caribbean property. It's a nonprofit-led bar and retreat designed from the ground up to create real, lasting impact — for guests and for the island community that makes it possible.
Intimate oceanview bungalows — Designed for genuine rest and connection. A small number of beautifully appointed accommodations where you wake up somewhere that actually feels special.
The bar — The heartbeat of The Holmestead. Rotating menus curated quarterly by celebrated sommeliers, mixologists, cicerones, and beverage innovators. A program built on craft, intention, and the belief that a great drink is the beginning of a great conversation.
Wellness and retreat — Daily classes, curated retreat programming, and real space to exhale. Yoga, meditation, movement, and leadership gatherings designed for people who want more than a vacation.
Education hub — We train locals and visitors alike in hospitality, bartending, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Because real impact means equipping people, not just funding them.
Community impact — All net proceeds split equally between investing in the local island community we call home and funding disaster relief wherever it strikes. Every stay. Every gathering. Every drink.
what we're building
Why We're
Doing This
At thirteen, my father sent my sister and me to the Caribbean — a trip I initially resisted. That journey became one of the most formative experiences of my life. I came home transformed, with one clear intention: return as often as possible.
Over the following decades I did exactly that. And with every visit came a quiet longing for something I couldn't quite find — a place with genuine soul, exceptional craft beverages, and the kind of hospitality that makes you want to linger. A place that felt like the islands but drew from the best of what the beverage world had to offer.
After founding Charleston Wine + Food Festival, BevCon, and Chow Chow Asheville, the vision began taking shape. It was a visit to a bar in New York where every dollar went to charity that stopped me in my tracks. Suddenly this wasn't just a place I wanted to visit. It was a place I knew I was meant to build.
When I brought the idea to my husband Brian — an engineer and operations leader who has spent his career building things that last — he didn't hesitate. Together we started asking a bigger question: how do we build something that matters far beyond the guest experience itself?
That question became Holmestead Angels. And it changed everything.
— Angel & Brian Holmes, Founders
Bequia is a seven-square-mile island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with approximately 5,000 residents and one of the most beloved yacht communities in the Caribbean. Admiralty Bay welcomes over 15,000 yachts annually. There are no mega cruise ports, no large resort corridors, no pressure toward mass tourism. Just a warm, deeply human island where relationships matter and where thoughtful investment is both welcomed and felt immediately.
We chose Bequia because the scale is right, the community is ready, and the impact we can create here is direct and visible. This is not abstraction. You will know the people your dollars reach.
why bequia?
The Holmestead Hideaway isn't open yet. That's the point. We're inviting people to help build the first chapter — before the doors ever open — so that when they do, you can say you were there from the start.
We call the people building it with us Angels. Some give once. Some give monthly. Some give a founding gift that names a piece of the place. Some host a night, introduce a friend, or simply pray. Every one of them counts.
There are three ways to step in today:
Become an Angel — Any gift, from $10 up, makes you part of the Island of Angels, the community building this from the ground up.
Join the Holmestead Hundred — One hundred founding supporters carrying the dream to doors-open. The founders of the place, named for good.
Start a Bar Tab — Give monthly and keep The Holmestead moving, a little at a time, all the way to opening day.
Every stay. Every gathering. Every drink. It starts with the people who build it first.
Be a part
Absolutely — and we'd love it. Bars, restaurants, and shops can become Angel Stops by hosting a night or a giving cocktail. You can guest bartend with us, host a fundraiser, introduce us to someone who'd care, or simply follow along and share the story. Reach out at angel@holmesteadangels.org and let's find your way in.