Grenada Suggestions?

[Goofyisme]

Doing our first visit to Grenada in November. Any recommendations for what to do while spending the day there?

Thanks for any help.

Keith

[denboy]

There are many things to do, what type of things are you interested in?

[Goofyisme]

Looking to see a bit of the island, maybe buy some spices, beach, snorkle, just fairly low key stuff taking it easy and enjoying the island.

[itsjb1]

We did a tour with Mandoo. Did a tour of the island, stopped for lunch and spent some time on the beach. It was a really nice day.

[BRDbabies]

We toured the island with a local driver, yes we hired OUTSIDE of the gates! Anyway, he was terrific, took four of us on a tour to the falls and then to grand etang, then back to Grand Anse BEach for 10 bucks a piece! He spent the entire morning with us, stopping whenever we asked him to for photo ops etc and took us to a great little spice shop (we think it was owned by his family, although he would not admit it!). He even took us to a school and let us out to meet with a preschool class. ( I am a teacher and I think i missed my kids!) ANyway, it was by far our most enjoyable island, even with the devestation of Hurricane Ivan ( we were the first ship back in Feb after they re-opened the port). FUlly plan on going back and staying for a couple weeks in the near future.

 

THE BEACH IS INCREDIBLE, BUT THE SAND IS VERY HOT!

[denboy]

Personally I would not recommend iring a driver as you leave the ship, you make strike lucky and get a good one but there are also some cowboy drivers who have not undergone the training required to give you the best insight into Grenadas history and of its flora and fauna.

My suggestion would be to contact a reputable operator such as Mandoo, contact at mandoo@grenadatours.com ,if you contact him please say denis passes on his regards.

He will be able to take you to a number of sights including waterfalls, nutmeg processing station, Grand Etang and spice plantations (cheaper to buy at one of these than in town).

Such a tour would still leave you time to relax on the beach.

[nitnyleo]

Sounds like you got a terrific deal....but who was this guy?

[winesfine]

Has anyone had any dealings with the company Adventure from Grenada. They offer full day 4x4 jeep tours. I've sent them an e-mail but did not receive a response (could be weather related). I'm hoping to get some feedback through this website before I commit. I've also contacted Mandoo in hopes of securing his services if the 4x4 does come thru.

 

Thanks for your help

[Mac Pete]

Save your time, book Mandoo. This gentleman should be the tourism ambassador for Grenada.

You will not be disappointed taking his tour, as many have posted.

Another very happy Mandoo customer here.

Pete

[winesfine]

I've just secured my booking with Mandoo. I could hardly resist since he came so highly recommended through CC. For others looking out there here is a copy of the e-mail he sent me .... the price .... a lowly $45 US (includes lunch and entrance fees)

 

Many thanks for your enquiries. The spice plantation route will be ideal for your stay,this tour gives you a great feel of the island.

 

Douglaston spice depot,there will be a presentation on all the spices,you can purchase fresh quality spices there.

 

a drive through the mountains to see the spices,cocoa and bananas plantations.great photo stop.

 

Grand etang lake.

 

Rain forest, a small walk on the nature trail if so desire.

 

Annandale waterfall.

 

Then to the beach for a swim before returning to the ship in time for sailing.

 

The tour is approx. 41/2 hours, the beach stop is 2 hours.

 

I do pick up at the pier.

 

My mouth is watering already <sigh> Anyone out there going on the Sun Feb 26/05???? No one is answering the roll call.

[pennstater]

Thought I would share with you my thoughts and suggestions for Grenada. My hubby and I spent a week on this lovely, natural island about 2 and a half years ago on our honeymoon. Keep this in mind, as my opinions may be biased accordingly! :D Also, our trip was prior to the hurricane damage so some of these spots may have changed or not exist anymore.

 

I LOVE this island and the residents will love you back. We chose this island because we wanted to see a relatively untouched island with fewer tourists. This was exactly what we got.

I know that many people have written about the peddlers that greet the ships - we personally didn't witness this because we didn't cruise and therefore weren't part of a massive 'target' group of tourists. Yes, we did have a few people try to sell us stuff on Grand Anse and in the Carenage, but a polite "no thanks" always did the trick.

If you have never been to Grenada, I highly recommend an island tour. We hired a very nice gentleman who drove us on one of your earlier cab rides - I will try to find his info at a later date, if anyone is interested - and had a tour including Grand Etang lake, the falls, lots of rainforest scenery, a spice plantation, and Clark's Court rum distillery (we brought back our customs limit!) It was a nice day and we were glad we had a chance to experience this island. If you want more flexibility, I suggest hiring a driver in St. George's rather than booking a group tour - you set the pace, you choose the spots (with your guide's input, of course) - and we found almost every driver we met (we stayed outside St. George's so we took a lot of cabs) was not only friendly but knowledgeable. This is their business and they know word-of-mouth is important, so they seem to make a point of being friendly and knowing the island well.

 

If you are a beach bum, Grand Anse is very nice and large enough that it shouldn't be too crowded (there were only a few other people there when we were, but again, we weren't on a cruise.)

 

Food - lots to recommend here. Nutmeg Restaurant, in the Carenage, is a good casual place with nice harbor views - the conch salad was great! Coconut Beach is off Grand Anse and has great French Creole food and a fun vibe. True Blue Bay (part of a small resort) has a pretty marina restaurant with the most amazing coconut ginger lobster! My favorite place for drinks is a short cab ride past Grand Anse to Brown Sugar Restaurant - it is on the side of a hill, not on the water - and they have this fabulous banana drink (wish I could remember the name, but I had lots of them :rolleyes:.)

And, of course, I must mention Secret Harbor. We stayed at this marina "resort" (how can a resort only have 30 little cottages and no huge hotel-like buildings?) and practically had the place to ourselves. The marina is picture-perfect and the food and drinks were very good. We made a great friend of Cyonne, who works there as a waiter - we hired him on his day off to take us for a boat ride to some of the local island spots including a bar (tiny shack with a cooler and picnic tables) build on top of a pile of conch shells, and a beach barbecue in a secluded bay where all of the international boaters hang out - met many Europeans and other Americans that were sailing. Cyonne is great and we may look him up again for our stop on the X Constellation 12.3 sailing. That day was the absolute best of our honeymoon. If you want Cyonne's contact info, let me know and I will do my best to locate it for you. Great, honest, family man!

 

I hope this information is useful to someone. If anyone wants more info, post a note here. I can't wait to see Grenada again (can you tell?)

 

Counting the days....

[Goofyisme]

Pennstater,

Thanks for your many ideas. Will definitely help as we explore.

Keith

[denboy]

For the purpose of updating information following the post by Pennstater Brown Sugar restaurant has yet to reopen following damage caused by Hurricane Ivan.

Secret Harbour Resort has closed down. Its chef Boots has now opened his own restaurant in Grand Anse Valley.

[pennstater]

Thanks for the updated info, denboy - and sorry folks, for my misinformation.

 

My heart is breaking a bit but I'm glad to hear that the chef of Secret Harbour has opened his own restaurant.

 

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy your visits to this naturally spectacular island! Thanks for your understanding.

[nitnyleo]

sounds AWESOME!

 

Thanks to pennstater, for suggestions, and denboy, for updates.

 

I just want to get to Etang and Grande Anse; and buy about 100 lbs of nutmeg.:D I'm sailing solo, so I hesitate to book a tour....who knows what my new sailing mates might want to do....but, at least, I'll be able to offer some suggestions.

 

PS: pennstater, I would appreciate the contact info for Cyonne.

[pennstater]

Nitnyleo - Cyonne had told me to reach him at Secret Harbour, so now that it is closed, I am doing my best to find him. I have a few ideas for hunting him up, but I may not be able to. Sorry if this doesn't work out, but I truly want to find out his contact info for you - and also for any future trips I make to Grenada (my itinerary just changed on the X Constellation and they eliminated Grenada :().

 

I'll be sure to let you know once I have the info. Thanks for your understanding!

[T_Bird]

There are many things to do, what type of things are you interested in?

 

Hello Denboy,

You seem to be very knowledgeable about the island. Is there a beach on Grenada that has good snorkeling that you would recommend?

Thanks,

T-Bird

[denboy]

Hello Denboy,

 

You seem to be very knowledgeable about the island. Is there a beach on Grenada that has good snorkeling that you would recommend?

 

Thanks,

T-Bird

 

My recommendation would be Magazine Beach by the Aquarium Restaurant. This is a 15/20 minute drive from St. George up past the airport.

[iancal]

If you want to tour...there is only one person to select-Mandoo. We had an outstanding tour with Mandoo in Feb. It was the highlight of our trip. He is a true gentleman. We toured the island, then had a two hour stop at the beach. I would not bother with the ship tours. They are more expensive, not as good, and the money does not stay on the island.

[Bobnjoyce]

We were there last week and toured with Mandoo. Everything said about Mandoo on this thread was exactly what we experienced. A fantastic, informative time.

[tamlyn63]

Which beach on Mandoo's tour, or does it alternate? And where does lunch take place or does that change as well? Thnx in advance

 

Tammy;)

[Celebritynewbie]

Hi, we were on the Celebrity Constellation last year and had a great time in Grenada. My recommendation-- when you get off the ship follow the signs to the water taxi. It was $4 round trip and in addition to a beautiful boat ride around the island, we were taken to a fantastic beach that was virtually empty. We rented an umbrella and chairs and brought our own snorkel gear. It was a great day.

[FASTEDDYS]

:) Just read your review of Granada and will be there on Dec 6th. Hope you can suggest some points of interest. We're leaning toward a 1/2 day tour with Mundoo. Any other suggestions?

Thought I would share with you my thoughts and suggestions for Grenada. My hubby and I spent a week on this lovely, natural island about 2 and a half years ago on our honeymoon. Keep this in mind, as my opinions may be biased accordingly! :D Also, our trip was prior to the hurricane damage so some of these spots may have changed or not exist anymore.

 

I LOVE this island and the residents will love you back. We chose this island because we wanted to see a relatively untouched island with fewer tourists. This was exactly what we got.

I know that many people have written about the peddlers that greet the ships - we personally didn't witness this because we didn't cruise and therefore weren't part of a massive 'target' group of tourists. Yes, we did have a few people try to sell us stuff on Grand Anse and in the Carenage, but a polite "no thanks" always did the trick.

If you have never been to Grenada, I highly recommend an island tour. We hired a very nice gentleman who drove us on one of your earlier cab rides - I will try to find his info at a later date, if anyone is interested - and had a tour including Grand Etang lake, the falls, lots of rainforest scenery, a spice plantation, and Clark's Court rum distillery (we brought back our customs limit!) It was a nice day and we were glad we had a chance to experience this island. If you want more flexibility, I suggest hiring a driver in St. George's rather than booking a group tour - you set the pace, you choose the spots (with your guide's input, of course) - and we found almost every driver we met (we stayed outside St. George's so we took a lot of cabs) was not only friendly but knowledgeable. This is their business and they know word-of-mouth is important, so they seem to make a point of being friendly and knowing the island well.

 

If you are a beach bum, Grand Anse is very nice and large enough that it shouldn't be too crowded (there were only a few other people there when we were, but again, we weren't on a cruise.)

 

Food - lots to recommend here. Nutmeg Restaurant, in the Carenage, is a good casual place with nice harbor views - the conch salad was great! Coconut Beach is off Grand Anse and has great French Creole food and a fun vibe. True Blue Bay (part of a small resort) has a pretty marina restaurant with the most amazing coconut ginger lobster! My favorite place for drinks is a short cab ride past Grand Anse to Brown Sugar Restaurant - it is on the side of a hill, not on the water - and they have this fabulous banana drink (wish I could remember the name, but I had lots of them :rolleyes:.)

And, of course, I must mention Secret Harbor. We stayed at this marina "resort" (how can a resort only have 30 little cottages and no huge hotel-like buildings?) and practically had the place to ourselves. The marina is picture-perfect and the food and drinks were very good. We made a great friend of Cyonne, who works there as a waiter - we hired him on his day off to take us for a boat ride to some of the local island spots including a bar (tiny shack with a cooler and picnic tables) build on top of a pile of conch shells, and a beach barbecue in a secluded bay where all of the international boaters hang out - met many Europeans and other Americans that were sailing. Cyonne is great and we may look him up again for our stop on the X Constellation 12.3 sailing. That day was the absolute best of our honeymoon. If you want Cyonne's contact info, let me know and I will do my best to locate it for you. Great, honest, family man!

 

I hope this information is useful to someone. If anyone wants more info, post a note here. I can't wait to see Grenada again (can you tell?)

 

Counting the days....

[tadjr]

:) Just read your review of Granada and will be there on Dec 6th. Hope you can suggest some points of interest. We're leaning toward a 1/2 day tour with Mundoo. Any other suggestions?

 

Hey there Fasteddys,

Here is the link to the roll call thread for this trip. Some of the guys there have a tour booked with Mandoo and can let you know what they have planned and if they have more room if you're interested. Come on over and register for the cruise critic party onboard. Looking forward to seeing you there.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=120543&page=12&pp=25

[Doug0]

Hate to sound like a broken record, but I thought Mandoo gave the finest tour I've ever had off a cruise ship. (OK, that's only about a dozen, but still.)

 

On another tour on a different island, the guide pointed out their deisel fuel power generating plant. Mandoo pointed out how much it costs to create electric power that way, what new kind of plant Grenada is hoping to build, and the effect it will have on pollution and the economy.

 

If you really want to understand the island, take this tour.