Step into luxury with Charitable Travel's Luxury expert, Lizzi Trimble. Curating the ultimate luxury must-do's, this week Lizzi is jetting off to Grenada...
Grenada is one of my favourite Caribbean islands and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I have visited all the best hotels and I DO have a favourite. You’ll have to ask!
I visited Grenada in May and being in the Caribbean again after Covid was a real tonic. There were lots of smiles and gasps as I and the other travel professionals in the group experienced the feeling of walking on sand and swimming and snorkelling in the Ocean after a two-year hiatus. We appreciated the sunsets, the food, the reggae music, and the warmth of the sun with new eyes, as if we were being reborn. It is so easy to take things for granted until they are gone and being on holiday is one of the things most people say they missed the most during the pandemic.
Currently, Grenada does not have a direct flight, so you fly from Gatwick to St Lucia or Barbados (about an 8-and-a-half-hour flight), and then you take a short 30-minute connection to Grenada. However, do not let this put you off! Firstly, every hotel is within a 15-minute transfer from the airport, so you are in your hotel room quicker than you might have been in St Lucia or Barbados! Grenada is pushing airlines for a direct flight, and we hope this might happen later this year.
The island is lush, with flowers and greenery everywhere. The interior is forest, waterfalls, and the occasional tranquil lake. Grenada is famous for its exceptional bird life, attracting bird watchers from around the world. Grand Etang National Park is one of the best known of Grenada’s national parks and features numerous walking trails, lush vegetation, and the famous Mona monkey!
Grenada has recently launched a voluntourism program, whereby visitors can contribute to the sustainable development of the destination and get involved in local conservation efforts. We planted a tree, for example.
The island is lush, with flowers and greenery everywhere. The interior is forest, waterfalls, and the occasional tranquil lake. Grenada is famous for its exceptional bird life, attracting bird watchers from around the world. Grand Etang National Park is one of the best known of Grenada’s national parks and features numerous walking trails, lush vegetation, and the famous Mona monkey!
Grenada has recently launched a voluntourism program, whereby visitors can contribute to the sustainable development of the destination and get involved in local conservation efforts. We planted a tree, for example.
Getting around is easy and people drive slowly. There are rum distilleries and chocolate factories to visit all over the island. Grenada is known as The Spice Island and the food is amazing, due to the abundance of fresh vegetables, fruit, and fish expertly flavoured with local spices.
For the more adventurous, there are boat trips to the outlying islands, swimming in the pools of tranquil waterfalls, river tubing, hiking, and snorkelling to enjoy. Grenada has an incredible underwater sculpture park, where you can snorkel or dive down to view the sculptures. Or you could just laze around on the beautiful white sand beaches!
There is a hotel to suit every budget including couples, families, multi-generational parties and more. Although I would say it does not have the overt glitz and glamour of the likes of Barbados, there are world-class hotels, very much 5* plus, but the atmosphere is more laid back and arguably more authentically Caribbean.
Hotel wise, there is a great choice. Silversands is new and modern and boasts a huge swimming pool, twice the length of an Olympic pool! The rooms are enormous and high tech, and the resort also has a fabulous spa. Spice Island is an old favourite and its Sea Grape suites, right on the beach, are eternally popular.
Calabash oozes class and sophistication, with a guaranteed warm welcome from the owners. The suites are bright and cool, some with plunge pools and the beachfront restaurant and the Gary Rhodes restaurant are outstanding.
For me, these three are the luxury hotels, but there are also Sandals and Royalton if you like big all-inclusive hotels with everything going on. There are also boutique hotels, such as 473 Boutique Resort and Laluna. Small, intimate and in glorious settings, they are great honeymoon options. For families, the quirky Mount Cinnamon is a hotel with amazing views and is competitively priced.
In my opinion, Grenada has it all and if you want a true Caribbean vibe, this is a perfect choice.
Feeling inspired? See beautiful Grenada for yourself. Get in touch with Lizzi by emailing [email protected] to book your dream trip!
by net effect