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Hotel Laurena is a large, yet rather quiet hotel in Hillsborough, Carriacou’s only town. It is set in a series of four blocks that are modern but have a certain colonial feel with a shallow pitched tin roof, balconies and winding balustrades. There are 50 air-conditioned rooms in all, ranging from singles and twins with en suite bathrooms to two bedroom suites with kitchenettes and they are decorated neatly with tile floors with modern furniture and deep, colourful soft furnishings. Hotel Laurena can feel lively and busy at times around its Ochra Restaurant and bar as it sees many business travellers and gatherings (it has conference facilities and there is Wi-Fi throughout). The hotel holds island events such as weddings, but it is not far from the beach and the activity of the town, so it can be a good stopover too.
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KEY FEATURES
| 50 room hotel in Carriacou Grenada, some self contained with kitchens, all rooms have A/C and cable TV, executive suites have DVD/VCR player and Jacuzzi in bathroom, Ochra restaurant, internet access/WiFi and conference facilities, banquet services, fitness centre. |
STYLE
| Modern buildings with some colonial style including a pitched green tin roof, private balconies and courtyard fountains. Rooms are large and cool, whilst the atmosphere like most of the island is quiet and unhurried. The staff are efficient and informal |
CLIENT PROFILE
| Popular with Caricom travellers and incentive travel, sees weddings and events |
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Beach & Swimming
200 metres down a side road takes you to Hillsborough Beach. The closest of the island’s excellent beaches is at Paradise Bay on the other side of Hillsborough, where there is a beach bar. Alternatively you can head up to Anse la Roche, just north of Bogles. Although development is possibly on the cards there, the beach has no facilities at present and so you will have to take all you need in the way of water and food. |
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Sports & Recreation
Watersports are limited on Carriacou. The scuba diving, however, is pretty good and there are several companies. Try Carriacou Silver Diving just down the road in Hillsborough. They will also rent you snorkelling gear.
There are several excellent day sails based in the island (people come from as far afield as Grenada and Barbados for them), which visit the islands off Carriacou and also the Tobago Cays a few miles to the north. If you would prefer to travel independently, you can get one of the water-taxi men to run you out to Sandy Island off Paradise Beach. |
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Staff
Ms Jones is a new and enthusiastic manager, with Matthias helping her in Reception. Kerah, Stanford and Marken are in charge of food and beverages, whilst Ms Gabriel runs the kitchen. Ms Duncan and Ms Alexander look after the Housekeeping and Laundry between them every other day, and laundry facility (at small extra cost). |
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The Rooms
One and two bedroom suites, some self contained with kitchenettes. |
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Dining
The Ochra Restaurant can be quite active, with Graduation ceremonies, wedding receptions and corporate events, but usually you’ll find the bar welcoming and a cool breeze. It is a good idea to let the staff know if you are going to be eating each evening as meals are individually prepared and not readily available. |
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Children
Welcome. |
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Rates
| | 01 Nov-28 Feb 2008-09 | 01 Mar-31 May & 01 Sep-31 Oct 2009 | 01 Jun-30 Aug 2009 | | Deluxe Room Single Double | 75 85 | 65 75 | 75 85 | | 1-Bedroom Apartment | 125 | 115 | 125 | | 2-Bedroom Apartment | 175 | 155 | 175 | | Deluxe Suite | 150 | 125 | 150 | Rates are in US$ per night on a room only basis, and are subject to 8% Government Tax and 10% Service Charge. Please check with Hotel Laurena directly for rates over Christmas/New Year. All rates are subject to change without notice. |
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How to Book
If you wish to make further enquiries or a reservation, please use the WEB LINK or DIRECT EMAIL ENQUIRIES facility at the top of this page to make contact with Hotel Laurena in Carriacou, or if you wish to telephone them, their telephone number will be revealed if you click on the CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER link. |
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Locality
Hotel Laurena sits slightly back off the main street in Hillsborough, the island’s capital town (more of a village, really) just a few minutes away. Here you will find supermarkets, a couple of ‘sights’, including the small museum, and a handful of restaurants, including Callaloo and the Garden Restaurant. Close by, towards Bogles, is the Round House, a very nice restaurant set in a private house.
Beyond Hillsborough along the coast is Paradise Beach (though you have to go inland to get around the airport), the liveliest beach on the island. And not far beyond here is Tyrell Bay, where there are several restaurants and bars to go with a fantastic view of the sunset through the yachts and local trading boats. Try Turtle Dove and Lambi Queen, or the bar on the pontoon in the bay.
There are also a number of islands off Carriacou, which make for excellent day trips. It is also possible to go there independently - the easiest to reach is Sandy Island, a ribbon of coral and sand just off Paradise Bay. You can arrange for a boatman to take you out there – and collect you again later in the day. |
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UK Tour Operators
Getting to Carriacou can be a little complicated. The easiest access is probably via Grenada, from where there are usually three daily flights on SVG Air. However the latest flight is at about 4pm, so (depending on your international connections) you may not be able to make the island on the same day. You might consider a two-centre holiday with a villa or hotel in Grenada. Another option is the fast ferry, the Osprey, which runs twice daily both ways between the islands. The last sailing to Carriacou is at about 5.30pm.
Barbados is better served with international flights than Grenada and so it may be easier to route your journey via there. Inter-island flights are not ideal, but you can take a share charter flight to Union Island. From here there are two different options, a short hop by plane (be aware that the last flight usually leaves by about 4pm) or a water taxi ride from Union Island to Carriacou. Another option to consider from Barbados, the most direct of all, is to take a private charter in a small plane. This is obviously convenient and, if there are enough of you, prices will be comparable. The option of a private charter probably gives you the best chance of getting to Carriacou on the same day. Contact SVG Air.
A couple of days a week there are also services from Carriacou via Canouan, which is not far away in the Grenadines. Canouan can be reached from San Juan in Puerto Rico.
For more details on flight times, please see Getting to Carriacou. |
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Getting Around
It is well worth exploring Carriacou island during your time there and so a car is a useful addition to a visit. You can visit the beaches for the day, collect your groceries and eat out when you do not want to cater for yourself. We recommend a rental car with every self-catering Caribbean vacation and suggest that you make a reservation in advance through our recommended Carriacou car hire company, Martin and Wayne Jeep Rentals. Or you can do so through your travel organiser.
Be aware that at the height of the season between December and April, as well as during August and Thanksgiving (November), cars on island can be booked up, so it is a good idea to reserve one in advance.
Buses do run around the island, from Hillsborough past Snow Hill to Bogles and across to Windward. Services are unpredictable. Taxis are available. |
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