Grenada, West Indies
For as long as I can remember, I have been aware of the existence of the West Indies and of an island called Grenada.
In my mind’s eye, I can still see the tropical flowers and birds of the Grenadian stamps affixed to the envelopes containing the letters which would arrive to my childhood home from my father’s brother, Colm.
Colm was a Presentation Brother and an educator – he spent over 50 years of his life living and working in Grenada.
He taught English literature and Geography at Presentation Brothers College (PBC), a boy’s secondary school located on a hill overlooking St. George’s, the capital of Grenada.
The school, which was set up by a small group of Irish Presentation Brothers in the 1950’s, is still in operation although it is no longer run by the Order.
Grenada did not become real for me until my first trip there in July 2000.
Myself and one of my sisters went for two weeks. We stayed with my Uncle, at the old college on the hill, with its wonderful views.
Every day we awoke to the sound of hundreds of Grenadian teenagers – the boys from PBC and the girls from the Convent secondary school which was located just below us!
The country of Grenada, with a population of approximately 112,000 people, is actually composed of three islands – Grenada, the largest island and two smaller islands – Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
The place is a tropical paradise – it has white sandy beaches, rainforests, waterfalls, lakes and most of all, very welcoming and friendly people.
Some of my favourite things about Grenada:
Beaches
The most beautiful beach that I have ever been to is Grande Anse beach, located about 7km outside St. George’s.
It’s a 3 km-long white sandy beach shaded by Mango trees and is surprisingly not at all crowded – I’m sharing this information hesitantly as I (very selfishly) do not want it to change!
Chocolate
The family-run Belmont Estate does a good lunch. They run a variety of tours (including a chocolate tour, which I have done and can recommend).
(Belmontestategrenada.com)
Ferries
There are regular ferries which depart from the Carenage to two of the smaller islands – Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
Lakes and Waterfalls
There are lakes and hiking possibilities at Grand Etang Lake and National Park – I have been there but haven’t actually hiked!
My most recent trip to Grenada was in January 2015.
The island had not really changed that much since 2000 despite the fact that huge devastation was caused by Hurricane Ivan when it struck in September 2004.
It has taken the islanders a long time to recover.
General Information
Accommodation
You can have a great stay in Grenada on a high or on a low budget.
There are beautiful high-end hotels/resorts or you can choose from a range of boutique hotels/villas or rent an apartment.
Flights
There are no direct commercial flights to the Caribbean from Ireland but there are flights from the UK.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways have regular flights from London Gatwick and depending on the time of year, it is possible to fly direct (to Maurice Bishop International Airport).
It is worth checking to see if it would be cheaper to travel to Barbados from the UK and then take a separate internal flight.
Hotel Recommendation
If there were one place where I would definitely like to stay, it would be La Sagesse (lasagesse.com). This is a small hotel on a beach in the parish of St. David’s.
Transport
Having access to a car would be a bonus – the island is small but the roads tend to be narrow, windy and hilly.
Useful Websites/Blogs
The official website of the Grenada Tourism Authority:
https://www.goatsontheroad.com/This is the website of two Canadian digital nomads called Nick and Dariece – they have written extensively about Grenada.