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Grenada and Carriacou map
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Carnival
Grenada’s carnival culminates with the street parades in the second week in August each year, but there is a whole month of events and feverish activity before it.
The preliminary rounds of the steel band and calypso competitions are held July as the dancers prepare their costumes for the parades. The semi-finals of the calypso competitions are held the week before carnival (in Grenville), and then the finals happen the weekend before the parades themselves, the Soca Monarch Finals (for dance tunes) on the Friday night and the Steel Band Finals on the Saturday. These are local affairs but are great fun to dip into if you are on island (it helps to take an interpreter along, partly for the West Indian accents, but also for a backgrounder on the politics, scandal and gossip which is essential to calypso). Kiddies Carnival is also on the Saturday a week before carnival.
The highlight of Dimanche Gras, the Sunday before the street parades, is the evening show, which sees the King and Queen of the Bands and the Calypso Monarch finals. Then, in the early hours of Monday morning, the crowds spill out onto the streets for J’Ouvert. Revellers wear old clothes or a t-shirt because at J’Ouvert everyone ends covered in paint and food dye, even chocolate sauce and engine oil. Later on the Monday and on Tuesday there is the regular Mas (from masquerade) or the street parade, in which the bands dress up and dance. In between there is Monday Night Mas, which is very popular. The bands are sponsored by the drinks companies and night clubs and are very lively indeed. Everyone goes along and dances in the T-shirt Bands.
As with a lot of British Caribbean carnivals it is possible for visitors to do more than join a Night Band. If you want you can also become a member of a costumed band in the main parades. Several of the bands have websites, so it is possible to choose a costume from the section of your preference on line. You simply buy a costume and join in the dancing. The popular carnival bands include Summer Crew, Commancheros, Andre Garvey and Associates and Coco Cola.
CARRIACOU
Unlike the main island of Grenada, Carriacou holds its carnival early in the year at the traditional pre-Lenten carnival time. Over the weekend before Mardi Gras (which is usually between mid-February and early March), they have small scale but very lively parades and masquerades, calypso competitions and plenty of jump-ups (parties). Carriacou carnival is small and intimate and you will have the chance to mix with locals. PETITE MARTINIQUE holds its carnival at the same time. |
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Casinos
There are no casinos on Grenada, Carriacou or Petite Martinique. |
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Charity Support
The Definitive Caribbean Charity Support Scheme is proud to support the Queen Elizabeth Home for Children, a Grenada charity which is located in Tempe just inland from St George’s. This valuable charity provides shelter and support for poor, orphaned or abused children, giving them access to schooling and further education to integrate them with the wider Grenadian community.
For more information or to give an online donation to charity, please see our review of the Queen Elizabeth Home for Children.
Please quote DCCSS-GND in all communications. Thank you. |
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Check In/Check Out
As a general rule check-out is at twelve noon and check-in is rarely before two or three in the afternoon, while the rooms are made ready for new arrivals. This is not usually an issue as most people arriving from both Europe and the States do not get there until the mid to late afternoon anyway. If you are arriving earlier than that, for instance from another Caribbean island, then let your hotel know in advance they may be able to help out. If you are leaving late some properties may provide hospitality day rooms/shower facilities subject to availability, or they may be flexible on check-in or check-out times by prior arrangement.
Checking in early at a villa may be more problematic. If nobody has been staying in your villa in the previous week then the villa agent may be happy to let you in before the official check-in time, but if someone is leaving on the same day as your arrival then there will be no chance for you to get in early. Similarly, if another group is arriving on the day you depart you must leave by the appointed time. |
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Children
In general children are well received on Grenada. It is a safe and unthreatening environment with plenty of simple activities in which they can be involved. There are not that many playgrounds (in Grenada the word tends to mean a sports pitch, where youngsters train, as you will see in Grand Anse on Saturday mornings), but there are beach bars at which you can base yourself for bucket and spade moments and there is soft adventure in the mountains. Some of the hotels are set up with facilities and equipment such as high chairs. Just a couple of the smarter hotels have an age restriction policy at certain times of year, during February and March. There are no facilities for children in Carriacou or Petite Martinique.
Môr-Gân School, L'Anse aux Epines, t 444 5166
Pat Hughes, wife of the Grenada villa rental specialist Nick, runs a summer programme over July and August for children aged 3-9. Mainly a play group to help out her friends in the area, Pat is a fully qualified teacher and would be pleased to look after your little ones on request.
A family villa holiday on Grenada is as good as anywhere and many villas are well geared up for children. It is easy to find babysitters, and they cost EC$20–25 per hour, plus transport home.
Accommodation that we recommend for family travel includes:
| Las Tortugas
Las Tortugas (The Turtles) is a lovely two bedroom villa in Carriacou that hugs the hillside above the mile long stretch of Paradise Beach, with views stretching up through the southern Grenadines. Perfect for a honeymoon, an older family, or a two centre Grenada villa holiday. | Coral Cove Cottages
A small group of well-priced cottages and apartments tucked away above a very pretty beach in a quiet corner of L’Anse aux Epines, the popular area on the southern coast of Grenada. Very quiet, good for independent couples and young families. | Yellow Bird
A pretty two-bedroom villa set just above the sea on the delightfully dozy island of Carriacou, Grenada's smaller sister island in the Grenadines. Painted in bright Caribbean colours, Yellow Bird is small and quite simple, a classic holiday hideaway with lovely sea and sunset views | Driftwood
Stylish and very low-key, two-bedroom villa hidden in tropical greenery in Carriacou, Grenada's slumberstruck sister island in the Grenadines. Driftwood sets dark hardwoods on terra cotta tiles and light walls to create a natural Caribbean feel, with lots of outdoor space. A short walk to the beach. | Tivigny House
A very stylish three-bedroom villa set on a hillside overlooking Clarke’s Court Bay on Grenada’s southern shore. Built in modern style with ‘adobe’ plaster and tropical hardwoods, Tivigny House is very comfortable and excellent for indoor/outdoor tropical living. | Beachcomber
Three bedroom Carriacou house rental in the Grenadines, with private gardens and wheelchair access. This comfortable property has some traditional Caribbean style, good outside space and pretty gardens. Perfect for older couples or a family. | True Blue Bay Resort & Marina
A collection of colourful cottages set on a hillside above a calm bay on the south coast of Grenada. There are 39 rooms in apartments and villas, and two swimming pools, but the lively heart of True Blue is the restaurant and bar, which sit on a deck down on the waterfront. | Spice Island Beach Resort
An elegant beach hotel, among the Caribbean’s finest, set on Grenada’s most famous beach, Grand Anse. Spice Island has a stylish but relaxed atmosphere, with contemporary beachfront suites and secluded pool suites standing in a sandy garden, top-notch dining, a purpose-built spa, a children’s centre and watersports. A classic Caribbean beach wedding venue. | Nutmeg Bay
A grand modern villa set in L’Anse aux Epines in the south of Grenada. Five air-conditioned bedrooms en suite looking over an infinity pool to a lagoon beach close by. Self-contained one-bedroom guest cottage. Good for large families and groups, also for weddings and small corporate retreats. | Môr-Gân Villa
Môr-Gân Villa is a delightful two bedroom house tucked away in colourful gardens in L’Anse aux Epines in the south of Grenada. A very popular, unpretentious rental villa with a swimming pool and large veranda looking down to a wooden sun deck and jetty on the sea. | Villa Ixora
Very private, smartly furnished and well decorated 3 bed/2 bathroom villa on the waterfront in L’Anse aux Epines in the south of Grenada. Tranquillity in pretty tropical gardens, yet close to the action of the restaurants and shops with a view over the calm bay, where the yachts lie at anchor. Good for families and a small villa wedding. | Swallow Villa
Luxurious and stunning three-bedroom villa with views over L’Anse aux Epines beach and bay. Walking distance from the beach, Scuba-Tech diving and fine dining at the Calabash Hotel. Excellent choice for a wedding, good for elegant entertaining. | The Flamboyant Hotel
A friendly independent hotel set above the excellent Grand Anse beach in the South of Grenada. Flamboyant has both hotel rooms and self-catering accommodation in an attractive hillside setting with lovely views of the island. Easy-going atmosphere with excellent service and value. | Petit Bacaye Cottage Hotel
Petit Bacaye is simple but it is a Caribbean classic. Well-presented rooms are set in palm thatched cottages in a charming secluded fishing bay hidden away on Grenada’s southern shore, well off the beaten path. Lovely, dozy atmosphere under the palms. A slice of barefoot paradise. Romantic, hinting at holistic atmosphere. Good for solo travellers, couples as well as occasional families. |
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Complementary Health
Grenada is not particularly developed in terms of complementary health but there are some individuals who can offer a good service within certain fields. Mitchells Health and Wellness Store, a chemist and health food shop in Excel Plaza, offers good advice and can match anything by way of supplements in the metropolitan countries.
Judi Goodchild, t 407 3255, goodchilds@141.com
Reflexologist and massage therapist works from Woburn, but travels to clients homes, hotels and villas by appointment.
Sonia Miller, t 444 4334 or 435 1801
Massage therapist and reflexologist works at The Calabash Hotel.
Tash Mitch, t 533 8556/440 7975, tash@chi-philosophy.com, www.chi-philosophy.com
Tasha practises Reiki with massage including Thai massage at Petit Bacaye Cottage Hotel, Westerhall, on Fridays and Sundays but also has a practice on Pandy Beach Road, Belmont, St George's and is available for private bookings. She also runs courses.
Michael French, t 406 6813, michaelfrench461@hotmail.com
Michael is a Reiki Master. Book directly for Reiki healing and classes where you can learn how to treat yourself. Call for further details. Michael will come to your home, hotel or villa to give Reiki.
CARRIACOU
Beverly Penny, Carriacou, t 415 1388
Massage therapist and reflexologist who also offers a range of beauty treatments either at your hotel or in her salon on Main Street in Hillsborough.
Genevieve – Massage Therapy, t 403 2039
Specialising in Shiatsu, Californian massage and reflexology, Genevieve is a well known and respected massage therapist on Grenada. She also visits other islands in the Grenadines on request. |
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Conservation
The Willie Redhead Foundation brings together a group of concerned Grenadians including architects and historians with the purpose of creating awareness of the importance of preserving the old buildings of St George’s. They can be contacted through Norris Mitchell, t 444 4667 or Ray Smith. The President of the foundation can be reached at his home on t 440 4022. Post will reach them at Willie Redhead Foundation, St George's, Grenada.
Grenada has instituted a number of National Parks, covering the various different environments that are found on the island. The Grand Etang area is protected for its rainforest (though the damage from Hurricane Ivan in 2004 is still clearly visible here), as is Levera in the north-east, for its coastal ecology, both onshore and offshore. Lake Antoine just south of it is also a reserve. La Sagesse, in its own cove on the south shore is an excellent place for bird-watching. There is closed season on hunting at certain times of year for certain species including lobster, turtle, sea urchin, possum (known locally as manicou) and on some birds including the ramier pigeon.
There are also some underwater parks, for instance the reef at Molinière north of St George’s, which is good for snorkelling.
CARRIACOU
A number of parks and reserves exist in Carriacou but for the offshore islands particularly it is a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. Sandy Island, a classic Caribbean cay in the bay off Hillsborough, has seen terrible destruction over the years there has been so much destruction to the reef from stamping feet and anchors.
There are also parks and proposed parks on land. A project that is seeing some success is the replanting of mangroves at Petit Carenage in the north of the island near Windward. There is also a proposed park nearby, the Park of the High North, which will cover 1500 acres of deciduous forest, Anse la Roche and a mangrove swamp. It is backed by the Kido Project which seeks to conserve the natural vegetation and put in place sustainable development in the north of the island. There are trails with guides who will escort walks and there has been a programme of education about the importance of the protection of the environment. |
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Corporate/Incentives
Grenada is not the obvious choice for a conference. It is relatively far away and the flight connections are not as good as some other islands in the region. That said, the island sees quite a bit of conference business from organisations within the Caribbean, so if you are set on the island then it is possible to make it work.
The largest conference facilities are at the Grand Beach, which can handle up to 600 people in theatre style and has six break out rooms (holding 125 in theatre style, 75, 30, 30, 20 and 20). The Flamboyant Hotel has recently built fully equipped conference rooms for 200 and for 60 people. In St George's the Tropicana also has some basic conference facilities. Some of the smaller hotels, such as the Calabash, would also make an ideal hideaway for a small group that needs to get away to brainstorm. |
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Cricket in Grenada
Recreational cricket is very popular in Grenada, despite the prominent rise of two sporting stars with roots in Grenada - Jason Roberts, who plays football for Blackburn Rovers in England’s Premiership and Lewis Hamilton, driver for McLaren in the Formula 1 – snatching most of the limelight.
Cricket matches are played at Queen’s Park, the National Stadium, just north of the capital St George’s. The Queen’s Park stadium was severely damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and so has had to be completely rebuilt (under contract with the Chinese Government). The new stadium seats approximately 20,000 spectators (13,000 permanent seats plus temporary stands for 7000). The Chinese construction team is also developing a stadium next to Lauriston Airport in Carriacou that also caters for soccer and basketball.
Queen’s Park will play host to matches in the Carib Beer Series, Digicel Home Series and the Grenada Cricket Classics, a week of parties, events and of course matches, centred around the ‘legends’ of West Indian and English cricket, featuring the likes of Sir Viv Richards, Curtley Ambrose, Alan Lamb and Derek Randall.
For more information about dates and fixtures please see our Grenada Calendar of Events. |
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Cruises
Grenada sees plenty of cruise ships, the largest of which tie up to the pier that sticks straight out into the Caribbean from the Esplanade side of St George’s. Some of the smaller and smarter cruise ships that put in to the island, mostly during the winter months include Silversea Cruises, Sea Dream Yacht Club and Seabourn Cruises, the tall ships from Star Clippers and Windstar, and the incredibly sleek Le Levant motor cruiser.
Both Sea Dream Yacht Club and Star Clippers currently put in at Carriacou on selected winter itineraries. |
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Currency/Credit Cards
The currency of Grenada is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$), which is fixed to the US Dollar at US$1.00 = EC$2.67. All prices on island are quoted in EC dollars, with the exception of hotel rates which are in US only, and duty free items where both the local price in EC dollars is shown alongside the duty free price in US dollars. The US dollar is accepted (apart from coins) throughout the island. However you will find that the rate of exchange in hotels, supermarkets and large stores will not be as favourable (usually US$1 = EC$2.50) as exchanging funds at the bank.
Credit cards are widely accepted anywhere that deals regularly with tourists. Do not expect all local bars or small local restaurants to accept them. Most of the major credit cards are accepted in restaurants, duty free shops, large stores and supermarkets, however it might be best to double check which cards are accepted when making reservations at restaurants, as some credit cards are not so readily accepted. |
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Day Sails/Boat Trips
The coves along the south coast of Grenada make for a lovely day sail – some brisk wind and lively water offshore and then the sheltered suntrap of an isolated beach, where you can snorkel and stop for lunch. There are several day and half day tours offering this. Also sunset cruises.
Another more adventurous option is to take a day sail in Carriacou or to one of the other Grenadines, say the Tobago Cays. This means either taking the hydrofoil (just over an hour) or flying to Carriacou or to Union Island. From there you take a catamaran or sailing yacht out to the small islands which are set in their own fantastic sea. Tours include picnic lunch and drinks. See below.
On Grenada
Carib Cats, St George’s, t 444 3222
Full and half day snorkelling and sunset cruises on board a catamaran.
First Impressions, t 440 3678, starwindsailing@caribsurf.com, www.catamaranchartering.com
Day and sunset catamaran trips as well as fishing tours and evening karaoke tours. To Sandy Island Grenada there is a minimum fifteen people. You can also book a dolphin and whale watching trip, minimum six people. And they do an Ecotour & Sea Safari (minimum 6 persons/7hrs) exploring the mangrove habitats on the east coast, which allows birdwatching and kayaking into the mangroves, snorkelling at Hog Island.
Footloose, t 440 7949, footloose@caribsurf.com
Grenada catamaran day sails to Isle de Ronde or Sandy Island or Hog Island Island as well as dive/day sails in association with ScubaTech. Prices from US$75-100 per person including rum punch, beer, soft drinks, full lunch and snorkelling equipment.
Best of Grenada, t 440 4386
Rhum Runner party cruises.
CARRIACOU
Day sails from Carriacou are quite popular. People fly in from the neighbouring islands (mainly from Grenada, but sometimes from as far afield as Barbados) and then take a day sail to one of the offshore islands. Some of the trips are based in Union Island and pick up from Carriacou.
Contact Cinderella Charters, t 443 7277, which has a sailing boat, Captain Kim at Out Break, t 404 0279 and Cuthbert Snagg, t 443 8293, who runs water taxis and will drop you off and pick you up on one of the islands in the bay.
Caribbean Horizons offer a number of sailing tours to Carriacou. Petit St Vincent, the Tobago Cays and the other Grenadines, with transfers by boat or plane. See the Caribbean Horizons review page. |
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Departure Tax & Taxes
An EC$50 departure tax is payable when you leave Grenada. If you are leaving via Maurice Bishop, you pay it at the booth just before Passport Control and Security on Departure. Children between five and twelve pay EC$25. Less than five and they are exempt.
If you are leaving Carriacou by air there is a departure tax of EC$10.
Hotel and villa accommodation incurs an 8% government room tax (and then there is usually a 10% service charge on top). These are normally added to your bill (unless you have paid in advance) and they can make quite a difference to the eventual price of your holiday, so if you are booking direct make sure you calculate it in when pricing up your trip. |
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Driving & Parking
Driving is on the left in Grenada, generally speaking, though there are recognised chicanes around pot holes and errant cattle. To drive a car in Grenada you will need to buy a Grenadian driving licence. These can be supplied by the car hire company (or the main Police Station on the Carenage) on presentation of your licence from home, price EC$30. Don’t forget your driving licence!
Parking in St George’s is a nightmare. Be prepared to walk a good distance. If you can, avoid the days when the larger cruise ships are in port because there is total gridlock with taxi drivers and buses hoping for business.
Petrol costs around EC$11 a gallon. |
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Electricity
Domestic current will operate appliances designated for 220 volts AC, 50 Cycles (3-pin sockets US style). Some places offer dual voltage or transformers, but it is advisable to bring adapters. |
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