VISIT GRENADA
Why did I return to Grenada? Because after the first time I was immediately hooked, because it's where my husband is originally from which immediately made it feel even more like home. But here's a few more reasons why I think Grenada is one of the Caribbean's best kept secrets. My reasons and a few things to do in Grenada after the pics.
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So often when I bring up Grenada, I realize people confuse it for Granada in Spain. Also I realize most people don't know much about it. A few cool things that you oughtta know:
CONVENIENCE: Like most of the Caribbean, it's super convenient to get to. Over the past few yearsthere's more direct flights than ever from many major cities. From NYC, it's on average a 4hr flight with Jetblue.
STAY: There's hotels for every budget and style and many of them are new or recently updated. When I first met my husband, 10+ years ago, there weren't direct flights from NYC and it seemed that the hotels available were either too expensive or not updated enough. That's all changed with new hotels like Silversands opening and with older hotels like Mount Cinnamon updating their rooms. Additionally, Airbnb offers many worthwhile options. During our last trip, which was a family trip, my in-laws rented a big house.
SPICES & CHOCOLATE: Known as the spice island for it's spices especially nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, allspice and more. Also known for it's rich cocoa which they export the world over, I'd recommend spending an afternoon at Belmont estate, getting lunch, touring the beautiful 400 acre grounds, but more importantly going behind the scenes to see chocolate production- start to finish.
GRAND ANSE BEACH: A lovely stretch of white sand, this is the best beach in Grenada and there's always a private corner even when it gets packed- which it doesn't really. Since there are less cruise ships here than on some other islands, it never gets too crowded. The water is clear, clean and turquoise. You could find yourself staying here the entire trip and not regretting a minute. There's also lots of little restaurants, bars, markets etc along the beach, so there's many ways to stay entertained.
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WATER ACTIVITIES: You can go sailing, sunset sailing is especially beautiful with a charter company like Savvy Sailing. Besides sailing, there's snorkeling, diving and visiting the worlds first underwater sculpture park at Moliniere Bay. or you can try to hitch a ride on one of the local fishermen's boats.
EAT OIL DOWN: Don't be turned off by the name, Grenada's national dish has to be one of the most authentic displays of a One Pot Dish- almost every single local fave is part of this one pot dish. It often includes salted meat, chicken, dumplings, breadfruit, callaloo - made from young dasheen leaves and other vegetables. The whole thing is stewed in coconut milk, herbs and spices to add even more flavor. This is often made Sundays only. I remember asking for it on the Thursday I landed and everyone assured me it would be everywhere Sunday- and it definitely was.
TAKE COLORFUL PHOTOS: Not adding much here, as pictures are worth a thousand words. Nuff said.
