Naturally everyone has different ideas about travelling and you may well want to simply sit in the sun and do as little as possible for a week or so. I can manage just about 20 minutes of that before I’m ready to do something else – so for those of you who also get the fidgets, here are some of things I recommend you try to see and do during your stay. And, by the way, do go to Carriacou.
Beaches
For many visitors to Grenada and Carriacou the highlights will be the beaches. Grand Anse Beach is one of the best known and is also where you will find some of Grenada’s most popular resorts. On Grenada, my favourite is Magazine Beach, closely followed by Bathway Beach in the northeast.
For families with small children, I think the best beach on Grenada is probably Morne Rouge Beach. Carriacou has gorgeous beaches too. Paradise Beach is the best known but you should try to get to Anse La Roche if you can. My favourite beach on Carriacou is Petite Carenage.
Culture and heritage
Don’t miss Belmont Estate. Follow the journey from tree to bar, enjoy lunch, and indulge yourself with some of the best organic chocolate in the world. You could easily combine a trip to Belmont with a visit to the River Antoine Rum Distillery.
This amazing place has been making rum with the same methods and machinery since the 1700s. Try to avoid large group tours if you can as the guides tend to go into ‘auto-pilot’ (you can’t blame them – they do several tours a day in the high season). Fewer people means you can discreetly let your guide know he/she can drop the script and just be him/herself; it makes all the difference.
Support and learn about Grenada’s nutmeg industry with a tour of the Gouyave Nutmeg Pool and the Grenville Station. If you are in the Gouyave area then take a look at the cocoa boucans at Dougaldston Estate and chocolate making at Diamond Estate and Crayfish Bay Organic Farm. When on Carriacou you should pass by the boatyards at Windward to see if there is a wooden sloop in progress. Don’t miss the Amerindian artefacts collected from the beautiful Grand Bay and Sabazan coastlines on display at the Carriacou Museum in Hillsborough, and try to catch a Big Drum Dance or the Maroon Festival.
Forests, lakes and waterfalls
Visit the Grand Etang National Park. The visitor centre is very informative and the views from the Mt Qua Qua trail (even if you don’t go all the way to the top) are worth the walk. Take the short hike to St Margaret’s Falls and the second waterfall at Concord (Au Coin).
The adventurous should try to find a guide to the top of Morne Fédon if the trail has been cleared sufficiently. It is both a historic and very scenic place. I also enjoy the serenity and the walk around the margins of Lake Antoine, which you can do by yourself.
Suggested itineraries
One week
Days 1–3 Accommodation in the north of Grenada. From there visit Belmont Estate, River Antoine Rum Distillery, Levera Archipelago, Bathway Beach, Gouyave Nutmeg Pool, Dougaldston Estate and Fish Friday.
Days 4–7 Accommodation in the south of Grenada. From there take a day trip to Carriacou, visit Concord Falls, the Grand Etang National Park and St Margaret’s Falls. Relax on Grand Anse Beach, Morne Rouge Beach and Magazine Beach.
Two weeks
Days 1–4 Accommodation in the north of Grenada. From there visit Belmont Estate, River Antoine Rum Distillery, Levera Archipelago, Bathway Beach, Gouyave or Grenville Nutmeg Pool, Dougaldston Estate and perhaps Fish Friday.
Days 5–9 Accommodation on Carriacou. Visit Paradise Beach, Anse La Roche Beach and Petit Carenage Beach. Seek out boatbuilding projects at Windward and Petite Martinique (take a day trip or overnight), call in at the Carriacou Museum, charter a water taxi to Sandy Island or perhaps the Tobago Cays, and enjoy a coastal walk from Mt Pleasant to Sabazan.
Days 10–14 Accommodation in the south of Grenada. Visit Concord Falls (all three), the Grand Etang National Park and St Margaret’s Falls. Relax on Grand Anse Beach, Morne Rouge Beach, and Magazine Beach. Indulge yourself with watersports, scuba-diving, mangrove kayaking, chartered sailing or some wellness therapy, and enjoy fine dining at a wide selection of restaurants.