Grenada
They call it the Spice Isle and you can smell it from the airport
Population
0.12m people
Currency
East Caribbean Dollar
Main Language
English
best time to visit
December – April
Climate
Tropical, warm year round, hurricane season June-November
Visa
Visa free for up to 3 months for UK, EU, US and most Western visitors
Country overview
Grenada produces a substantial share of the world nutmeg and mace, along with cinnamon, cloves and ginger, and the nickname Spice Isle is not marketing. The smell is genuinely noticeable, the nutmeg processing stations are open to visitors, and the island produces chocolate from bean to bar in a way very few places do.
St George is arguably the prettiest harbour town in the Caribbean, a horseshoe of pastel warehouses around a deep bay with a fort above it. Grand Anse is the main beach and is properly good, two miles of it. The island is small enough to circle in a day but mountainous enough that the drive takes far longer than the map suggests.
The Underwater Sculpture Park off Molinere Bay is the distinctive one. Dozens of concrete figures placed on the seabed in 2006 to relieve pressure on damaged reefs, now colonised by coral and visible to snorkellers as well as divers. Grenada also has Carriacou and Petite Martinique, two much smaller islands that are part of the country and see almost no visitors.
Annual events and festivals
- Spicemas (Aug) — the national carnival, culminating in Monday night mas and Tuesday parade of the bands.
- Jab Jab and J’ouvert (Aug) — devil characters covered in used engine oil, chains and horns. Genuinely striking.
- Carriacou Maroon and String Band Festival (Apr) — a celebration of African-descended traditions and local string music.
- Carriacou Regatta (Aug) — traditional wooden sloop racing, running since 1965.
- Independence Day (7 Feb) — marks the 1974 end of British rule.
- Thanksgiving Day (25 Oct) — commemorates the 1983 US-led intervention. A uniquely Grenadian holiday.
- Grenada Chocolate Fest (May) — tastings and plantation tours celebrating the bean to bar industry.
- Fisherman Birthday, Gouyave (Jun) — boat blessings and races for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul.
- Grenada Sailing Festival (Jan-Feb) — yacht racing plus traditional workboat regattas.
- Emancipation Day (1 Aug) — marked at the start of the Spicemas period.
Grenada Travel Guides
Grenada guides are coming soon.