Another perfect island retreat (Grenada)

Member Name: kingseany

Product:	Grenada
Date:	22/06/08 (67 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: People, beauty, music, beaches, ocean

Disadvantages: 9 hours from UK!

Grenada, the Spice Isle, one of the islands of the Caribbean was the location for one of our most recent trips to this part of the world. With a population of around 100,000, it's small in comparison to other islands such as Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. Devasted in 2004 by a category 4 hurricane, Ivan, signs of the aftermath were still noticable during our visit. However the island people are strong, and won't let a hurricane get them down for long, they are happy and warm people. The climate is fantastic with anything between 24 and 30C being the norm. It's about a 9 hour flight from London. The spice and sugar trade used to provide most of it's income. That's now changing, and tourism is the growing industry - but get there before they build too many more hotels.....

We stayed at the popular Rex Grenadian hotel, on an all inclusive basis, although this didn't stop us from getting out and exploring the island, mixing with the locals and seeing this beautiful island. During our stay in May, the hotel was almost empty, meaning with got to know everyone really well. If you go for this hotel, it's worth the extra to get a beach front room - literally steps to the beach and the ocean. The hotel is very close to the airport, but the infrequency of planes means that they never bother you. It's not a five star, but the service we got was second to none.

The nickname "Spice Isle" comes from it's abundance of locally grown spices, and you can smell them all around. No trip to Grenada should end without visiting one of the local markets, the best is in St. Georges, the capital. Bustling with stalls and people selling fruit, spices and crafts at really low prices. Your best bet is to pick up a basket with a selection of local spice - nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, vanilla etc which you can take back home to use in the kitchen and in cocktails too. Perhaps the music and dancing also contributes to it's nickname - conjuring up images of "the spice of life". It's certainly vibrant in that respect with the sound of soca, calypso and reggae every where you go.

Take a driver for the day, negotiate a price and get him to take you where ever your hearts desire. You'll get great value for your EC$ or US$, and can take things at your own pace rather than follow the normal tourist routes. Amongst the places we went to were Caribs Leap, a sheer drop which has a very interesting story behind it, the Grand Etang National park, where you'll see monkeys and one of the local rum factories. For a great night out, or perhaps just for an hour go along to the town of Gouyave on a Friday for the famous "Fish Friday", a mix of locals and visitors gather for an evening of music and eating. The locally caught fish are sold by numerous vendors, and can be washed down with a local beer or better still a glass of rum and something. Our driver stayed with us and we even met some of his kids who were enjoying the music. There's also a nutmeg factory in the same town.

If waterfalls are your thing, there's a choice of the Seven sisters, Concord, Mt. Carmel or Annandale. We opted for the later, which also had a tour of a spice garden, where we were the only visitors. Beaches of course are fantastic, with Grande Anse being perhaps the busiest and most popular. You'll find many where your footsteps are the only ones on them - beats Benedorm anyday. The water temp is to die for.

Another fantastic trip to do is an evening one to see the turtes on Levera Beach. Book up with Mandoo tours early during your trip to make sure there is availability - they are strict on the numbers that can be on the beach at any one time. The turtle watching season is between April and June. You'll drive along the coastal roads, wandering why there aren't more fatalities from the sheer drops, lack of street lighting, rally driving and people and animals wandering the roads. When you finally get to the beach, you will walk along a pitch black beach with just the light of the infra red torches to guide you. We were lucky to very quickly see a leatherback dig out a pit, then slowly lay more than a hundred eggs. A video camera with night vision is essential here! You can touch the turtle briefly, but are not allowed to look directly at it's face, not until it makes it's return to the sea after covering it's eggs. The research team measure and monitor the turtles and are full of knowledge. Children are allowed, but they must behave.

Finally, one trip worth doing is to the neighbouring islands of the Grenadines. By taking a small plane (think it was 6 seats), you'll land on Union Island. From here you can hop onto the Scaramouche pirate ship, used during the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean. It's a beautiful schooner, and the crew are fantastic. A free flowing bar and proper lunch is included. You'll do some snorkelling and visit the fantastic islands of Mayreau (with just a population of 200 people!), Tobago Keys and Palm Island. This is one of the most expensive trips I've done in the Caribbean, at around $300 per person, but it does include the return flight. Book through Sunsation Tours.

There's a lot more to be discovered about Grenada, it's customs, culture, food, the people, the music.....and I'll leave you to dream yourself away...

Summary: Go there before it gets spoilt.