THINGS TO DO: IN GRENADA

Winning over tourist hearts—and thereby, dollars—through their stomachs is a win-win. At Laluna, the Italian-Caribbean fare sticks to our ribs, the menu’s homemade ravioli, pastas and risotto propped up by deliciousness like lionfish smothered in butter and grilled barracuda with pineapple salsa. We drift into dessert watching the bats dive-bombing the pool to take sips.

Over at the bustling Coconut Beach Restaurant, dishes like curried conch and ginger lobster get the full French Creole treatment, right down to the pumpkin soup. And at Aquarium on Magazine Beach, a whirl of waiters swirl around with tray after tray of gorgeous seafood—roasted black cod, curried conch or “lambie,” tuna tartare, tandoori shrimp. We are in heaven, snapped out of the reverie by a steel drum band. How they manage to play so quietly I’ll never know.

WHERE TO STAY: IN GRENADA

The main reason Grenada’s menus hit the spot is thanks to the many spices the island is well-known for: nutmeg and mace, turmeric, cinnamon, pimento, bay leaves, cloves and ginger. As well, the tree-to-bar chocolate is beyond good. All of the above made it into my luggage, treats for everyone that pack flat. We actually stop into the House of Chocolate twice and hope they don’t remember us the second time. They do, but they don’t care.

GRENADAGRENADINES.COM

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Grand Anse Beach, just south of the main city of St. George’s, anchors a Kimpton resort, the tony Spice Island Beach Resort and the Silversands with its 100-metre pool, the longest in the Caribbean.

With few high rises and less development, Grenada still manages to possess the island charm that can seem slightly manufactured elsewhere. You enjoy the natural beauty simply because it is all around you. Nicknamed the Spice Island due to the plethora of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, turmeric and more, Grenada boasts white-sand beaches, multiple hiking trails and gorgeous waterfalls in its lush rainforests.

Get on the water. Cruise along Grenada’s southwestern coastline in a traditional, handmade wooden boat and cast your minds adrift, rum punch in hand. There’s nothing like gazing at paradise from the water while connecting with the island’s nautical heritage. The team at Savvy Sailing can sort you out.

Get in the water. Bottom-time spent with Aquanauts Scuba completely takes the cake with a swim through the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park. This protected area just off the coastline features more than 65 concrete works, the bulk of them by British sculptor James deCaires Taylor, set around natural gullies, creating an artificial reef that teems with marine life. The haunting “Vicissitudes” is the most noted work: 26 life-size children standing in a circle facing the current holding hands, symbolizing the cycle of life. “The Lost Correspondent” consists of a man at his desk and typewriter, like a relic from a simpler time.

WHERE TO STAY: ON GRANDE ANSE
WHERE TO STAY: IN THE NORTH

Get a massage. One of the more secluded and seductive spots on the island is also one of its most rejuvenating. Even if you’re not staying at Laluna Boutique Beach Hotel and Villas, stop in for a massage at their world-class Asian spa, with masseuses melting away cares with Eastern techniques.

Hike the hills. Find a guide to take you up forest-covered Mount Qua Qua in the Grand Etang National Park. When you reach the summit at 565 metres, pause to drink in the view of Grand Etang Lake below, a crater lake in an extinct volcano.

Trip up north. A few days at the very top of Grenada on the north coast reveals a completely different island vibe. Spend some hammock time at Petite Anse Hotel near the town of Sauteurs stretched out in front of one of the best views on the entire island. Hosts Philip and Annie Clift have developed the perfect romantic escape with their 11 cottage-style rooms. A muster of peacocks strut their stuff over at Mount Edgecombe Plantation on the northeast, where you and your pals can take over an actual Colonial-style plantation. There’s a self-contained restored historic home that sleeps eight and four rooms in what was the original spice storage house.

When you go. The best time to visit Grenada is the high-season months, from January to April when weather is the driest and 30-degree days are cooled by trade winds. May and June generally offer more affordable rates.

TASTE TO TRY: GRENADA GASTRONOMY
GRENADAGRENADINES.COM

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Vibe: Visitors to the Petite Anse are after peace and quiet. Guests really fit in with the locals, who drop in for a chat, a drink or a meal. This is a good honeymoon spot, and a great place to escape to after you’ve spent some touristy time around the southern peninsula and in the fancier resorts of St. George’s.

Rooms: Eleven stand-alone, air-conditioned bungalows feature decks or terraces and hammocks to fall asleep in. Wooden flooring and simple colonial-style wooden furniture is unfussy and functional. Canopied beds have netting to swirl around you, though a steady ocean breeze here keeps the bugs away. Spacious ensuite bathrooms are more open to the elements and to the front deck. Two rooms in the main part of the hotel are also well-equipped and comfortable.

THINGS TO DO: IN GRENADA
TASTE TO TRY: GRENADA GASTRONOMY

F&B: The European-inspired dining room is a destination restaurant, with many locals stopping in, elevating the insider experience. Fruit and vegetables come from the owners’ gardens or are carefully sourced from regional farmers. Fish is sourced from local anglers. The menus change daily and also include steaks, chops, chicken and fresh salads—and homemade ice cream. A traditional breakfast of fried bread and salted fish will stick to your ribs. A lounge area is equipped with a library and stacks of board games to while away rainy afternoons.

Extras: Annie is famous for her love of animals, which roam the complex and become fast friends. She sometimes rides down from her nearby plantation house atop Darius the donkey. I played with a mischievous teenaged cat for a half-hour in my room each night at turndown until he got bored and wandered off.

Off-Site: This little retreat is miles away from the neighbours and that’s exactly how you want it. The hotel looks out to Ronde Island and Carriacou, and their surrounding little Lower Grenadine islands. The resort is a six-minute walk from the beaches of Sauteurs Bay. In the car, you’re six kilometres from Levera National Park, 11 kilometres from Belmont Estate with its plantation tours and museum, and 45 kilometres from Maurice Bishop International Airport.

Rate: $$

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Vibe: Designed by French firm AW2 with the international jet-set circuit in mind, the minimalist 43-suite, nine-villa Silversands is a sea of tranquility, its blond wood, neutral tones and pale marble buoyed by exquisite furniture from Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola.

Rooms: The Silversands rooms are done in neutral-toned glam—oatmeal is the new oatmeal—and lots of vertical wooden slats shooting up walls and camouflaging the cupboards and closets. The seating areas are so inviting you may actually spend time sitting in them. I fell asleep on a giant chaise longue on the balcony (with earplugs to mute all the birds), which is something I never do.

THINGS TO DO: IN GRENADA
TASTE TO TRY: GRENADA GASTRONOMY

F&B: There’s a wine cellar with 1,000 bottles in it. Is this big? I don’t know, but it sounds like I want to drink all of it. Breakfast at Asiatique is stellar—do not skip this. In the evening, it pumps out Modern Thai underneath huge, curlicued wooden ceiling installations. At the beachside Grenadian Grill, we sipped rosé and lunched on salmon tartare and French fries—it was two hours of heaven. Having rum nightcaps under the canopies of the beachfront lounge, we miraculously blended in with the jet-set crowd grooving to the DJ, but really, anyone can fit in here and have a good time and not feel intimidated by the rather posh peeps.

Extras: The Silversands Spa offers locally inspired treatments, sauna, hammam and private pool, plus a tricked-out fitness centre. With a rum and cigar lounge (which seems kinda ’90s to me), the resort is destined for the society pages.

Off-Site: With few high rises and less development, Grenada still manages to possess the kind of charm that appears slightly manufactured elsewhere. Do the hikes up rainforest mountains and find time to book an afternoon on a wooden boat sailing. Make sure you eat the chocolate; it will be the freshest you will ever taste. Prime scuba diving at the Underwater Sculpture Park is well worth it, even if you’re snorkelling.

Word Googled While Writing This: Curlicue

Rate: $$$$

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