Grenada is known as the Spice Island and they produce nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Why is this important to you? Just think food! The chef’s use all of the islands spices in their dishes making the culinary experience on Grenada fabulous.
Grenada is an independent nation made of 3 islands. The island has it all, rainforests, bays, and secluded beaches.
St. George is the capital and the harbor, shaped like a horseshoe it is known to be one of the prettiest harbors in the Caribbean. The city is split in two, with one region known as Carenage, which overlooks the inner harbor. This is the towns main thoroughfare with a walkway that follows the horseshoe shaped harbor with a few shops and cafes. But surprisingly the buildings in the harbor region are more for business than tourism.
The Esplanade is near the cruise port and offers the Esplanade Mall with plenty of shopping.
The city has forts and churches and are well worth visiting. The streets are cobblestone and the buildings very colorful.
The city has an afternoon fish market that is full of life when the days catch is brought to shore. The main produce market is also held in the same area. If you happen to be in town on a Saturday, you don’t want to miss the market when sellers are there selling spice packets.
Looking for great beaches? The most famous is Grand Anse ~ so if you have a minute, close your eyes and picture you are on this beach instead of sitting at your desk working. White sand beaches as fine and white as sugar, gently rolling surf, the smell of the ocean and palm trees lining the beach and lightly swaying with the breeze, it is truly picture perfect. Many of the hotels are located along Grand Anse, making it the perfect vacation destination. Sandals resorts recently purchased the LaSource resort and has done a complete renovation and will be opening Sandals LaSource in December of 2013. If you are looking for a beautiful all-inclusive resort on Grenada, this resort will not disappoint.
There are other activities on Grenada and one of them is hiking. You can enjoy a real adventure by walking and hiking in the rainforest and Grand Etang National Park where you can view some of the beautiful waterfalls on the island.
If you are into scuba diving, you may not think Grenada is a good option. However the serious diver will want to visit the mostly untouched waters around Carriacou, another small island which is part of the Grenadines. This island is the largest of the 3 islands. To get here you can go by 4 hour boat trip. If you get a little sea sick, you can opt for the hour and half hovercraft ride, or simply take the inter-island flight which takes about 12 minutes. There are reefs around Carriacou with some beautiful beaches.
The food on Grenada is delightful and very flavorful. The island specialties include callaloo soup which is a dish that is traditional to the Caribbean and each region has its own special ingredients. The base is dasheen and taro root. When in the Caribbean I can’t get enough of it, absolutely love it. Conch, great seafood, island fruits and veggies will be found on all menus. Ever heard of “oildown”? This dish is unique to the island and is a boiled stew made with coconut milk and cooked until the coconut is absorbed and some say leaves just the oil, hence the name. Avocado and nutmeg ice cream is also popular, the two ingredients just don’t sound good together, but it is yummy. Nutmeg will top most of the islands rum drinks.
Looking for great places to eat? Try Deyna’s in St. George for what the locals believe is the best “oildown” and also swear the stuffed crab is the best on the island. The Nutmeg can be found right on the harbor where they serve perfectly spiced creole seafood dishes and roti sandwiches. What is a roti sandwich? Think Caribbean taco, the best in town is at Nutmeg. Don’t be surprised though when you may have to share a table, the place is pretty popular and can get quite busy.