Travel Specialist Su’s Grenada Trip Diary! Last month Travel Specialist Su visited Grenada to view a number of our beautiful resorts, signed up to a number of excursions and explored the surrounding landscape to be able to offer you the best first hand knowledge and advice when booking your holiday with us!
DAY 1
To get to GRENADA I flew from Gatwick touching down in ST LUCIA with British Airways in Premium Economy. This was a great start to the trip, with great food and very good service – it is well worth the upgrade if you can factor this in to your holiday budget. We stayed on the plane on the ground for around an hour while they changed the crew and offloaded the passengers for St Lucia. It gave us an opportunity to stretch our legs and have a walk around the cabin. The flight to Grenada was a mere 30 minutes and the transfers to most hotels from here is only a further 10 to 15 minutes.
DAY 2
On my first day in GRENADA, we did the island tour with our taxi driver, Kerri, who was a very proud Grenadian. He shared all his knowledge of the island with us. I highly recommend this trip for any new visitors to GRENADA. Our first stop was at Concord Falls – one of the many waterfalls in the interior of GRENADA.
We then headed north to PETITE ANSE HOTEL. If you want to escape and get away from it all, this rural hotel could be for you. It is 3 stars with simple old English decor. For lunch I chose the tuna which was prepared especially for me, then I added items from the hot buffet – I have to say it was extremely tasty! The beach here is stunning but wild. Due to this, it is not recommended for swimming, but the views across to the Grenadines Islands are stunning. They do however have a small pool open to all guests. The most memorable thing here for me was the roar of the sea down below crashing in on the beach.
After lunch we visited the Belmont Estate – a unique and authentic 17th century working plantation. We did the chocolate tour which involved learning and viewing the process of making chocolate as well as tasting it. Then we had the opportunity to visit the small shop where you can find lots of cocoa products. To finish off our visit, it was time do some rum tasting where some dared to sample the 169 proof rum! It’s so strong in fact that you cannot bring it back to UK.
Our final stop, was the beautiful CALABASH LUXURY BOUTIQUE HOTEL AND SPA. This is a family owned 5-star hotel on the L’Anse Aux Epines beach. The owner has his 2 daughters helping him run the hotel which is superb. It is a member of the Relais & Chateau group. On arrival we were met by a group of smiling friendly staff with an iced face towel before being shown to our beautiful accommodation. I was lucky enough to be allocated to a deluxe garden suite and then enjoyed a glass of champagne at the beach bar before having a dip in the warm Caribbean Sea – a truly perfect way to end a busy day. As I settled into my room, I heard a knock at the door and there to my surprise was a waiter offering me a small platter of canapés to enjoy whilst getting ready for dinner, which was a really nice touch.
Another highlight to our first full day was dinner at The Rhodes Restaurant. Wow! The food was fantastic, and was followed by a champagne reception with the hotel manger.
DAY 3
Breakfast at Calabash was a la carte and I had the option of having it either on my balcony in private or down at the beach club restaurant. After a few hours enjoying the hotel facilities, I also had the opportunity to enjoy lunch at the beach restaurant. We had a tapas lunch – but not tapas as we know it! I had grilled fish skewer, ginger chili chicken and mini roti (curried chicken and potato wrapped in a thin chapati) – all of which was absolutely delicious.
After lunch we visited LALUNA and MOUNT CINNAMON and had a sneak preview of the new Kimpton Hotel which is being constructed.
LALUNA is an ethnic hotel which would suit those guests wishing to be close to nature. It is owned by an Italian family and has quite a Tuscan feel to it. There is a stunning beachfront suite, which is very private and gets booked up very quickly. The other cottages are dotted around the property. They offer daily yoga in the yoga pavilion which doubles up as a cinema on Wednesdays for movie night. We were led into the enchanted forest where we were given a ribbon, then made a wish on the wishing tree. Above the property they also have a stunning 5 bedroom villa available for families with free use of a golf buggy for the duration of their stay, plus 4 hours of housekeeping.
After Laluna we headed to MOUNT CINNAMON, another lovely hotel situated just behind the Grand Anse beach. A hilly property with a lovely Caribbean feel set in 25 acres of gardens. There are 6 new Cinnamon suites being built with lovely ocean views which are due to open in December 2019. There are 6 Hacienda suites and 7 one bed villas. Most guests stay on B&B basis or Half Board although All-inclusive is available. You can self-cater in any of the suites with kitchens and there is a supermarket close by. There are also 2 restaurants on site. Grand Anse beach is a mere 5 minute walk away from the hotel. MOUNT CINNAMON has 3 golf buggies to transport guests round and they are very excited with the brand new one which is going to get to work this season.
Our next and final stop for the day was to SPICE ISLAND RESORT. I was lucky enough to be given a Sea Grape Suite right on the beach, which I highly recommend. After a quick swim in the beautiful Caribbean Sea we got ready to go out on the Jambalaya (Savvy’s) sunset cruise which was a lovely treat. This was followed by dinner at Sails Restaurant in St Georges which was very nice, especially with the views looking out to sea.
DAY 4
The weather wasn’t in our favour for the planned snorkelling trip, so instead we took the opportunity to visit the well known BB’s Crabback restaurant in St Georges, and I’m so glad we did. This was a great place! The rum here is also of such a high proof that you can’t bring it back on the plane. It’s got to be tried albeit in moderation.
After lunch we headed back to the resort, where I was greeted by Alexa in my room who played any tune I requested. I had a lovely deep bath in my gorgeous suite and got ready for the managers drinks party. The owner, Sir Royston, sent buses down to collect all the guests and take them to his home. Talk about canapes! Wow – lobster on cocktail sticks were to die for! After one or two glasses of champagne we headed back in the coach down to the hotel where we were treated to a 7 course meal with Sir Royston himself. What a feast it was. I could not fault the food at all, it was absolutely delicious and the service really was superb.
DAY 5
After another fantastic breakfast (apple pancake served with fresh fruit – very good!) we set off for our day visiting another three great resorts.
Our first stop was at TRUE BLUE BAY. This is a lovely quirky hotel. It is not on a beach but they do run a shuttle twice a day to the Grand Anse beach for its guests. There are 4 swimming pools, and 69 rooms in total with the Tower Suite (Room 37) the best by far. The indigo suites have been recently refurbished and are really lovely. The highlight of this hotel has got to be the Dodgy Dock restaurant which sits on the edge of the water and is a great place to party in the evening.
Next stop was BLUE HORIZON GARDEN RESORT. This is located behind SPICE ISLAND, owned by Sir Royston’s brother. BLUE HORIZON guests are allowed to use part of the Grand Anse Beach and can access it through SPICE ISLAND’s lobby. There are 2 restaurants here. All rooms are set up for self-catering and there are several shops and supermarkets are close by. Although only officially a 3* property, I have to say it is immaculate, and the gardens are stunning. All the bathrooms have been refurbished.
Our final hotel visit was to COYABA. This is again situated next to SPICE ISLAND on Grand Anse Beach. I was impressed by this hotel. It has it all. The rooms are located in a horseshoe around the gardens looking out over the gardens in the direction of the sea. It has been owned by a local family for the last 32 years. There are 80 rooms, 20 of which have king size beds. We really did experience friendly and attentive service throughout our stay as well as great value for money.
After this final visit, we enjoyed one last meal in Grenada before returning to the airport for the UK. This trip really has reminded me what a fabulous country Grenada is, there is so much to do and see, and a great choice of hotels to suit both families and couples. I cannot wait to go back!
Tropic Breeze specialise in creating holidays to resorts we know and love. We maintain a close relationship with each hotel, allowing us to offer you the very best deals. If you would like further information on any of our properties or a quote call us on 01752 880 880 or email info@tropicbreeze.co.uk
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Author KatieCategories Best places to go on holiday, Caribbean, Reviews