Grenada Is Ready For Visitors

[Jim]

Hi Folks,

The following account is a report of spending 5 weeks in Grenada this year.

Grenada still doesn't have casinos and high rise hotel chains, or neon-signed night clubs, but it does have so very much to do and see.

An island of exotic and exquisite beauty, Grenada has some of the most beautiful views and sights in the entire Caribbean. This year in January I went on a fact-finding trip to Grenada. It was over 4 months after hurricane Ivan had done its worst. I found many damaged houses that were in various stages of repair, but I also found the Grenadian spirits to be high, and the island had already greened up.

The point is though that it was a five week visit in which I thought I had plenty of time. Well, I was so wrong. After 3 weeks, I hadn't been to see half of the places that I had planned to see. In fact after five weeks, I was nowhere near to seeing what I had planned, and it hit me how very much Grenada offers to the visitor in the way of sightseeing attractions. I have another fact-finding tour coming up soon and I intend to hire a tour operator or taxi driver to take me around to see as much as possible. I will have to try and visit all the places I missed the last time, and a few I should re-check too.

There are beautiful old estates where you can go to have lunch, working spice plantations to observe the processes that are centuries old, new visual vistas that pop up every time you round a curve in the road -- every one a spectacular work of art. Always take a camera when you tour the island; you won't regret it, and your friends at home will have to see your pictures to believe your stories of the fantastic scenery you'll find in Grenada.

There are approximately 45 beaches around the island; some are white sand, some are black sand, some are beige sand, and some are slightly pink sand, but all have a different beauty of their own. Take a swim suit along with your camera, and enjoy the beaches and the several waterfalls that you will encounter along the way. Check out the unique shops and vegetable stalls along the roadside, visit a rum shop where you can get a beer or a large shot of rum and mix for about $3.00 EC or $1.10 US or $1.35 CDN. Enjoy the conversations with the wonderful local people you encounter on your trip. Say good day, and ask about their island, but be prepared for a friendly and long conversation as soon as they realize you like their homeland.

Go to Belmont Estate and Plantation for a tour and lunch, or stop at Morne Fendue Plantation for lunch where the views and sights are very different from each other. When in the most northern part of the island near the town of Sauteurs, ask your driver to take you to Helvellyn Estate where you can have a wonderful lunch while overlooking the pretty view of the Grenadine Islands and the Caribbean Sea to the north. You can't go any further north in Grenada than this spot unless you want to get your feet wet.

If you are the hiking type, you have come to the right place. Grenada boasts some of the best views anywhere from areas only a hiker will be able to enjoy (take a camera). Use a guide for the hikes through the rainforest and up through the mountains. This is a smart move because you can get lost in the rainforest if you don't know the lay of the land, and the guide can point out things along the way you are sure to miss alone. Ask about Grenada's famous hiking guide, Telfor Bedeau and if you get the chance go on a hike with this amazing man, you will have your eyes opened to things you never would have seen alone.

Don't forget to take a rum distillery tour and sample the finished product at the end. Watch out! Some of the rums are super strong, although others have won world class gold and silver medals for their smooth, aged, amber and dark rums. See the sugar cane being crushed and boiled and watch the processes of preparing and ageing, and do enjoy the tasting. Grenada rums are some of the best rums available in the entire world.

Take a day trip on a yacht to one or more of the tiny offshore islands off the south and north-east coasts. Snorkel, swim, have lunch prepared by the crew, and relax to the sound of the waves lapping at the boat sitting on the beach shoreline, or anchored slightly off the beach. Enjoy the thrill of a sail in both the smooth waters on the lee side, and the rougher waters on the Atlantic side of Grenada. Go on a dolphin and whale watching trip with First Impressions Tours leaving from Grand Anse Beach near the Allamanda Hotel for a half day, or try deep sea fishing from a sportsfisherman. The fishing in Grenada is excellent all year but especially good in the winter months. What a way to spend a week or two.

I guarantee you will want to stay longer in most cases, and most will return for a second visit and perhaps a longer one. There are many more sights that I have omitted, so ask your driver for some places that you are interested in seeing. He will design a custom tour for you and your friends or family. Make sure you get out and enjoy the country and the friendly people you will meet there. You will most likely return to our beautiful Isle of Spice again, and again, and again...

Jim

[Rik Brown]

Jim:

Thanks for the detailed information. If you get some free time, could you upload a few pictures typical of Grenada?

Thanks and regards. -- Rik

[Jim]

Thanks Rik. Here are a few photos that I hope will give your viewers an idea of what Grenada has to offer.

http://www.pbase.com/sandcrab/image/40365266/large.jpg
View of Grenada's Grand Anse Beach Looking South, & Sightseeing Catamaran Disembarking Passengers


http://www.pbase.com/sandcrab/image/40355143/large.jpg
Taken From St. David's Point on Grenada's South Coast Inland to the Mountains Showing Villages & Terrain


http://www.pbase.com/sandcrab/image/40357566/large.jpg
The Carenage with Ft. George in the Background at the Mouth of St. George's Harbour, Grenada, West Indies


http://www.pbase.com/sandcrab/image/40358637/large.jpg
More of The Carenage in St. George's Harbour, Grenada. Note Roofless Cathedral From "Ivan" at Top Right

[Jim]

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http://www.pbase.com/sandcrab/image/40361891/large.jpg
Cannons Protecting the St. George's, Grenada Harbour from Pirates & French War Ships of the 17th Century, but Never Fired In Anger


http://www.pbase.com/sandcrab/image/44141383/large.jpg
Annandale Falls - One of 9 Waterfalls to visit in Grenada, West Indies


http://www.pbase.com/sandcrab/image/40370482/large.jpg
Grand Anse Beach Looking North, Getting Its Daily Cleaning


http://www.pbase.com/sandcrab/image/40377110/large.jpg
Looking Inland From One of 3 Forts - Fort Frederick, Grenada. The builders of Fort Frederick expected an attack from inland instead of the sea, and so the Reason For 2 Inland Facing forts.

More information can be had at my web site: Grenada Visitor Forum

[Rik Brown]

Jim:

They look great. Thanks. -- Rik

ps: I've copied them over to the Photos section as well for more exposure.

[yerman]

I completely agree.
I've been there some years ago, before Ivan hurricane, and I was not only attracted by the beautiful beaches and sea (I still remember the sunset on Grande Anse, or the snorkeling on Sandy Island) but also by the nature of the internal jungle (the Annandale falls, for example), or the nutmeg smell in Grenville, on the Ocean. If you go in august-september you'll find their crazy carnival with steelpan competitions.
The people is easy and friendly.
By the way, I think I'll come back...