TORONTO — There’s a reason why you won’t find very many all-inclusive resorts in Grenada. It’s because the good people of the island want you to venture off property and actually experience what it is that makes Grenada, well, Grenada.
They’ll tell you that if you don’t leave your resort, you’ll miss out on the Cow Heel Soup at VIP Soups, a hearty, delicious concoction made with – you guessed it – cow heel and vegetables that’s guaranteed to give you the “sleepies.” You’ll also regret not checking out Street Food Wednesdays at Dodgy Dock where you can order a bowl of ‘Oil Down,’ Grenada’s national dish made with chicken, dumplings and coconut milk. And if you don’t go past your resort gates, you’ll never get to meet 83-year-old Telfor Bedeau, a local guide and cartographer who draws up maps from memory and takes visitors on incredible hikes around Grand Etang Lake.
Simply put, Grenada is just too dazzling not to explore in its entirety, which is why Petra Roach, CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA), thinks a more boutique experience will better serve the island and its visitors.
“There are so many discussions around the benefits of all-inclusives, but what you’ll find is that most of the properties in Grenada are actually owned by Grenadians. That sort of entrepreneurial spirit ensures that the travel experience is spread across the island,” says Roach. “We just have so much to offer that that I think people will miss out if they don’t leave their all-inclusive resort.”
Roach is quick to point out, however, that Grenada can still cater to those who prefer to pay upfront for everything, with a handful of all-inclusive properties like Sandals Grenada, Royalton Grenada Resort, and Spice Island Beach Resort. The point is, she says, Grenada accommodates all preferences and budgets, with a portfolio that includes everything from luxury all-inclusive resorts, to boutique properties, to a growing number of upscale, privately-owned villas available for rent.
“Our hotel sector offers very good choice . You’ve got Laluna, which is very whimsical and flirty. You’ve got Silversands, which is very ultra-modern, sleek and green. There’s the grand dame, Spice Island, for traditional Caribbean luxury, and Calabash, the quintessential English country hotel, and smaller properties like 473, which gives you independent villa-style living within a small complex. And for the lower end of the market, for people looking for more affordable accommodation, we’ve got some wonderful properties like the Coyaba and Blue Horizon. Our hotel offering is so broad,” says Roach.
As far as new hotels go, there’s the Beach House, sister hotel to the Silversands, and Six Senses La Sagesse, the first Six Senses in the Americas, opening at the end of April 2024. The InterContinental Grenada is also in the works, set for completion in 2025.
Belmond Estate
MORE LIFT OUT OF CANADA
Grenada is being teed up for a stellar year, thanks to the return of year-round service with Air Canada. The carrier currently offers four seasonal flights a week out of Toronto Pearson (YYZ) on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, which will once again resume in November. During the summer season, Air Canada will offer one flight a week, marking the first time since 2019 that Grenada will offer year-round service from Canada. Sunwing also currently offers Sunday flights out of YYZ.
Noting how Canada represents about 12% of Grenada’s overall business, Roach says: “The Canadian market is holding its own. Obviously, a lot of airlines consolidated their capacity with the advent of COVID-19, so we’re very pleased that everything is coming back on stream and that routes are profitable, which makes the argument for keeping year-round service.”
THREE DESTINATIONS IN ONE
Grenada offers incredible value – why? Because it’s really three islands in one, comprising the island of Grenada itself, plus two smaller islands – Carriacou and Petite Martinique. And each one, says Roach, offers a completely different visitor experience.
“In Grenada, you’ll find the waterfalls, the flowing rivers, the sulphur springs and crater lakes. And then in Carriacou, you’ve got the island of reefs, with beautiful reefs surrounding the island and very white sands and transparent, turquoise waters. And Petite Martinique is the smallest of the three with a population of about 1,000 people, where visitors can go to recalibrate and go fishing, which is a big thing on the island,” says Roach.
Concord Waterfalls
She adds that though there aren’t any traditional hotels yet on the two smaller islands, “island hopping” is a new focus for the GTA moving forward. Visitors can reserve their own boat or hop on a ferry that sails 3x/week between all three islands. They can also fly between the two islands with SVG Air, which takes 15-20 minutes.
“A lot of people will go on a day trip to Carriacou from Grenada, and a few will go over to Petite Martinique. But what we’re doing in terms of our marketing outreach is making sure people are aware of the different personalities of the islands so that they know they can get something a big different from each of them,” says Roach.
River tubing
TOP REASONS TO GO
Born and raised in Grenada and currently living in Canada, Sekou Stroude, Director of Sales-Canada for the Grenada Tourism Authority, wants nothing more than for Canadians to see and experience his homeland for themselves. Once there, he’d tell them to hit up three of his favourite attractions: the Grenada Underwater Sculpture Park, the first of its kind in the world; Grand Anse Beach, ranked among the world’s best beaches; and the third?
“Our waterfalls! You can visit waterfalls that take 45 minutes to get to via hiking trails, but we also have waterfalls where you can step out of your car and instantly be at,” says Stroude.
Adding onto Stroude’s top recommendations, Roach suggests a visit to Belmont Estate, a 300-year-old working plantation where guests can “dance the cocoa,” a traditional method of polishing cocoa beans by dancing over them in large pots. She also says River Antoine Estate Rum Distillery is worth a visit for its waterwheel, the oldest in the world, while the more adventurous can enjoy snorkelling, yachting and hiking.
Grenada Underwater Sculpture Park – Credit Orlando K Romain
“Grenada is a very wholesome destination in the sense that it’s very safe and there’s a strong sense of community and heritage,” says Roach. “It really is a destination with lots of integrity, with very warm and welcoming people. Nothing is contrived, everything is real.”
AGENT RESOURCES & REWARDS
Travel agents can sign up for Grenada’s Travel Agent Expert Program, available at www.expert.puregrenada.com. By registering, agents can log all their bookings for a chance to win a grand prize of an all-expense paid trip for two to Grenada at the end of the year. There are also incremental prizes for various booking milestones.
Roach also notes that the entire month of May will be dedicated to travel agents on the island, during which they’ll be able to enjoy discounts and free activities. Plus, in November of each year, Grenada hosts a tour operator symposium during which “travel agents can get to have one-on-ones with the various hotel partners and other stakeholders on the island.”
For more information on travel to Grenada go to www.puregrenada.com.
