I’ve just discovered a terrific new destination – Grenada – for a honeymoon or romantic getaway. The island has been around forever, of course, but I somehow managed to miss it on previous journeys through the Caribbean. Don’t know why I waited so long, because it was love at first sight. They call it the “Spice Island” because so many fabulous flavors – cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves – are grown there. But Grenada has a lot more going for it – fabulous white-sand beaches; rainforest national parks with waterfalls and jungle trails; gorgeous British colonial architecture; and surprising good food at both the beach resorts and in-town restaurants. It’s also got pop culture cache: Grenada is the tropical paradise where Lisbeth Salander hides out in the “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” blockbuster book and movie series.
I stayed at the Mount Cinnamon, British tycoon Peter de Savary’s chic retreat overlooking Grand Anse Beach (where a key scene in the second Salander book plays out). They have the kind of rooms that you are tempted never to leave. In my case a roomy Hacienda Suite with four-poster bed, living room, kitchen area, large and very private patio, and two different bathroom/shower options. As well as a view overlooking the pool, beach and bay all the way to St. George’s (the island’s quaint little capital). Everything decked out in bright Caribbean colors and the walls hung with unique local folk art pieces.
Grenada gives you the option of lounging around the pool or beach all day, or getting active in several different ways. I spent half a day hiking Grand Etang National Park with local guide Telfor Bedeau, who was a treasure of information on the local flora and fauna. Our destination was Seven Sisters Falls deep in the jungle, so-called because the river cascades down seven different drop-offs to a jade-colored pool at the very bottom. Anyone who craves an adrenalin rush can follow one of the local lads up the rock face and leap off the 30-foo-high lower cascade. Telfor has been hiking Grenada for 48 years and can take you anywhere you want to go in Grenada’s various parks and forest reserves. His telephone number is 473/442-6200.
Another day I went on a long around-the-island drive that includes stops at some of Grenada’s tastiest destinations. First stop was Veronica’s Visions at Concord Junction on the island’s west side. The brainchild of local fashion designer Jessie-Ann Jessamy, the restored nutmeg warehouse is both a shop and a small museum that tells the story of nutmeg in Grenada. In addition to clothing with nutmeg motifs, the shop sells nutmeg jam, soap, candles and syrup that locals use on pancakes or a roast chicken glaze.
On the island’s northeast coast I came across the small but delicious Grenada Chocolate Factory, where dark organic gourmet chocolate is produced from scratch using locally grown cocoa beans. A brief tour of the factory shows how the beans are magically transformed into finished bars for export. One of the few places on the island to purchase the chocolate is the shop at the Bel Air Plantation, where much of the cocoa that goes into the chocolate is cultivated.
Last stop of my island road trip was the Rivers Antoine Rum Factory. And good thing it was last, because after a round of free samples I was ready for a nap in the van taking me back to Mount Cinnamon. Founded in 1785, the estate is one of the oldest, continuously operated distilleries in the Caribbean. Although modernized in recent years, the distilling process remains much the same as it was two centuries ago, including the use of a giant waterwheel to crush the sugarcane and huge, dark molasses vats inside ancient buildings that reek of rich, old rum.
There are several cool places to dine in and around St George’s. My favorite was Patrick’s Home Style on Lagoon Road, opposite the yacht harbor. Located in an old waterfront house, the restaurant specializes in fabulous Grenada and Caribbean dishes like rice and peas, ginger pork, callaloo soup, baked fish in coconut sauce, curried chicken, and green bananas in cheese sauce. Eat on the open-air terrace and watch the world go by (Tel: 473/440-0364).
Couples looking for after-dinner action should check out a waterfront bar called the Dodgy Dock at True Blue Bay, the popular Fantasia dance hall (especially the old school soca and reggae on Friday nights), and Club Bananas down by the airport,where many of the American medical students going to school in Grenada party on weekends.
-- Joe Yogerst
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