Looking for a “summer” getaway even if it is past the season already? There is no need to worry because you can experience summer on the island of Grenada, where the weather is warm all year round.
Grenada has exciting attractions such as its national parks, underwater park, and many more. You can also try their unique traditional dish made of the spices commonly produced in the country.
Check out below how you can go to Grenada and enjoy all the beauty it has to offer. Learn more about the culture, dishes, and places to go on the island.
- Grenada In The Caribbean
- Beaches In Grenada
- Underwater Sculpture Park In Grenada
- Grenada: The Spice Island Of The Caribbean
- Food In Grenada
Grenada In The Caribbean
There is no better place to have your summer escapade than in an island country that feels like it has summer all the time. Grenada is an excellent place for you to explore as it is an island in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. It is also located at the southern portion of the Grenadine island chains.
Grenada spreads 348.5 square kilometers into the Caribbean Sea. The island country has two smaller islands aside from the mainland, and they are called Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Other much smaller islands can be found on the Grenadines.
You can find Grenada in the northeast of Venezuela, northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. You might need a little help from a magnifier as the island of Grenada is relatively small.
Even though small, the country boasts itself with an abundance of crops and products, making them the “Spice Island of the Caribbean.” Grenada is known for its nutmeg, mace crops, cocoa, and others.
How To Get To Grenada
Once you decide to visit Grenada, you can easily book a ticket on JetBlue Airways to the country and head out to JFK Airport. There are direct flights that can give you more time to enjoy Grenada via various airways in Miami, Atlanta, and Toronto.
Connecting flights are also available from the UK and Germany. But, if you are coming from nearby countries, you can take Caribbean Airlines, LIAT, or SVG Air. These flights are available in Antigua, Barbados, St. Lucia, and Trinidad.
If you do not want to travel by air? Then, you can reach Grenada via water. Several cruise lines harbor in St. George, the capital of Grenada. You can enjoy the trip to the country before the main trip to Grenada. Only a great time awaits you in the country, which is apparent from the moment you reach the island.
Beaches In Grenada
You will not have a hard time finding places to visit in Grenada. But, the top of the list must be the beaches as Grenada is an island blessed with beautiful sandy beaches. There will be enough room for you because the coastline spans 121 kilometers or 75 miles long.
One of the most popular beaches in the country is Grand Anse Beach, with its long scenic curve of soft white sand. Palms, almond trees, sea grapes, and other seaside plants complete the exquisite scenery of the place. You can also enjoy the view of St. George along the coastline.
The low-rise hotels spread out along the coastline serve as temporary homes for those who are visiting Grenada. There is a wide variety of hotels, from fancy to simple ones. To fully enjoy the beaches it is advisable to avoid the rainy season in the country during the last quarter of the year.
November records the heaviest rainfall, so it’s best not to book a trip when you wish to visit the beach. You can enjoy the sun most of the time along the shores of Grenada, but remember that nudity and wearing of swimwear outside the beach area are prohibited. The country has a strict protocol in dress codes. Respect their rules for a hassle-free stay.
Scuba Diving In Grenada
You will not have a complete experience of the beaches of Grenada without trying to do scuba diving. The Caribbean is known for fantastic diving spots, so is Grenada. There are around 30 famous diving sites for tourists.
You can explore the coasts of Grenada, and you can find places where you can dive. The experience of scuba diving in the country is eclectic. You will see magnificent coral reefs, various fish, and other sea creatures.
There are other diving options for you, such as the coasts of the Grenadines, which you can reach through a boat. Tourists recommend visiting Flamingo Bay and Bianca C Shipwreck near Carriacou.
Underwater Sculpture Park In Grenada
Expect nothing less from the beauty of the waters of Grenada. But, the people attracted more tourists by developing a water attraction. In the capital city, St. George, you can find the first underwater sculpture park in the world.
The park is the first one of its kind to be open to the public, and it is called the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park. You can find the park on the west coast of the city, which welcomes thousands of tourists since its opening in May 2006.
The collection of artwork which is ecological underwater contemporary art, is made by Jason deCaires Taylor. His original aim was to involve the local people in the natural setting, including the environment and its interconnection.
The contemporary art pieces include various human forms, children forming a circle, solitary individuals, etc. At present, there are over 65 concretes weighing over a total of 15 tons were placed on the seafloor of Malinere Bay.
National Park In Grenada
Once you are tired of lying on the beaches or plunging on the sea, it is high time to embark on an adventure. You can stretch your body by hiking in the Grand Etang National Park & Forest Reserve while sight-seeing various wildlife.
This national park is the natural home of armadillos, tropical mockingbirds, and mona monkeys. Reaching the peak of Mount Qua Qua might be challenging due to steep slopes and rough trails, so make sure that you have water and a tremendous amount of stamina.
The challenge is worth it once you reach the top, as the entire national park and forest reserve will unfurl into view. In some sense, you can say that you are on top of the country because Grand Etang National Park & Forest Reserve occupies a large portion of the mainland.
Grenada: The Spice Island Of The Caribbean
As mentioned above, people call Grenada the “Spice Island of the Caribbean” because of the crops they produce. Grenada has a great agriculture industry in which they export some products.
Grenada is known as one of the top producers of nutmeg and mace crops in the world. Mace and nutmeg come from the same nutmeg tree. Nutmeg comes from the mature fruit of the tree; when split open, it has a brown shell with the nutmeg inside.
Mace is a spice that comes from the dried red, lacy membrane covering the fruit’s shell. This spice is a household must-have for the locale who eventually share them with the word through exportation. They say that you cannot miss out on a nutmeg tree when you visit Grenada.
The other products that Grenada has an abundance of are bananas, cocoa, chocolate, and fish. Ginger, cloves, allspice, orange/citrus peels, and cinnamon are the other spices that Grenada produces. With years of consistent exportation of quality products such as crops, fruits, and spices, Grenada received its title as the “Spice Island.”
Chocolates In Grenada
The country can also satisfy your sweet tooth as it houses one of the most famous chocolate products in the world. Cacao is another export product of Grenada, and fascinatingly, the cacaos found on the island have a fine flavor which means they are of high quality.
Grenada has no low-quality variety of cacao, so all of the products made from cacao are of quality as well. The famous organic dark chocolate of Grenada is made from carefully proceed fresh cacao beans.
All of the ingredients used to make the dark chocolate are organic, so the company that produces the chocolate is recognized internationally. You need to experience the flavor of the dark chocolate when it is at best fresh.
Food In Grenada
Grenada is a melting pot of culture from their ancestors and neighboring countries, so they have unique traditional dishes. Travelers require food, so it is necessary to try the best food that Grenada offers when you visit.
First on the list is Grenada’s national dish called “Oil Down,” which represents the unique culture and tradition of the country when preparing food. The dish is made using the common ingredients and spices in the country.
Oil Down is cooked by combining salted meat (saltfish, salted beef, or smoked herring), coconut milk, turmeric, breadfruit, dumpling, and taro leaves. It has a unique taste that you should not miss out on.
Rum In Grenada
To complete your dining experience, you have to try the best beverage that Grenada has. The famous alcoholic drink that locals want the tourists to try is rum. You have to try the renowned mix in the Caribbean – the rum punch.
Aside from the rum punch, the locals of Grenada tried to make a homemade version of rum mix, and they called it “Under the counter,” which you can buy in small or local stores.
The locals prefer rum as a beverage, and you can indeed find the oldest functioning water-propelled distillery in the Caribbean in Grenada.
Conclusion
Grenada may be a small island, but it has a lot of things to offer. Primarily, it has great beaches that you can enjoy almost the entire year. Aside from that, you can try water activities such as scuba diving to explore the reefs and shipwrecks or even the famous Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park.
The country is also called the “Spice Island of the Caribbean” because it produces several spices such as mace, cinnamon, etc. You can also enjoy their food like the national dish, or their dark chocolate.
