Charming Adventures: What To Do In Grenada, West Indies

It seems like years ago I was drinking rum punch on the beautiful beaches of Grenada, and honestly, I could use a big rum punch right about now 😉

When I first heard my boyfriend’s brother wanted to have a wedding ceremony and open honeymoon in Grenada, I thought were were all packing our bags and heading to Spain – because I assumed Greneda and Grenada were the same thing. Luckily I hadn’t booked my flight before realizing my mistake! And it was an incredible trip in the West Indies, and a small country that totally stole my heart. I would go back in a heartbeat if I could, but in the meantime I wanted to share some of the places and things that make Greneda so magical, and an incredible place for your next vacation.

First things first, Greneda is a beautiful Caribbean country that’s less than 130 miles long but rich with so much history, spices and so much to do. From visiting rum plantations, sprinkling fresh nutmeg (the most popular spice on the island!) to exploring the beaches and drinking rum punches – here’s what to do in Greneda, West Indies on your next vacation!

Where to Stay in Greneda:

If you’re thinking about going to Greneda the first thing you have to figure out is where to stay. A few locals we spent our time with told us that Greneda only has 1200 hotel rooms on the whole island, so make sure to book up in advance!

We stayed at a few places when in Greneda – a few days at a the Radisson in St. George, a few nights at a B&B and another night at a local boutique hotel. I wouldn’t recommend moving around every few days, but it was fun getting to stay at a few different hotels and check out different parts of the island.

The Raddison: The Raddison is pretty standard, and definitely nothing to write home about – but if you’re looking for an affordable nights stay with beautiful beaches, it’s definitely a fine place to stay. The rooms are pretty clean and the hotel is full of lots of families vacationing and spending time on the beach. Truly, it wasn’t a bad experience – but nothing very exciting. Breakfast isn’t included, the staff are truly on island time (no one’s rushing here!), and it could get a little noisy at night. If you’re looking for a cheap option, it’s not bad! Just be prepared that you won’t be totally wowed.

Mount Edgecomb: On another note, Mount Edgecomb was truly an adorable place to stay far from the hustle and bustle of St. George. We ended up taking a taxi from St. George to the city of Victoria (about an hour away from St. George) and spent a night at the bed and breakfast that was truly charming. It used to be a plantation that’s been transformed into a hotel (still under construction in some places!) with the cutest rooms, beautiful infinity pool of the ocean. breakfast and dinner that’s so delicious, and the best place to sit and relax in a new part of the island. The hotel managers recently moved from Ireland and are so sweet, amazing cooks, and are always down to hand over a rum punch when needed. I’d definitely recommend this place to stay! One word of warning, make sure to bring ear plugs (the peacocks wake up early!) and be prepared that the rooms aren’t air conditioned.

Mount Cinnamon: One of the most beautiful places we stayed was Mount Cinnamon (which was my favorite hotel of the trip!). It was a beautiful hotel full of the kindest, sweetest locals with the prettiest beaches and most delicious food. The hotel rooms were gorgeous, and it’s the perfect place to spend the day at the beach, drinking cocktails poolside or enjoying a delicious meal. I loved most of all the amazing breakfasts every morning and the cocoa tea they made (which is created from cocoa nibs balled up, made with water, milk and sugar). If I was to go back to Greneda right now, I’d reserve a room in Mount Cinnamon in the heartbeat.

Things to do in Greneda:

There’s so much to explore in Grenada, even though it’s a pretty small island! We spent a few days on the beach, and then a few days going on some tours, and hiring our own drivers to take us around to their favorite places too.

in terms of beaches, St. George was our favorite place to spend a sunny afternoon by the beach. We loved Grand Anse beach where Mt. Cinnamon and the Raddison were, but no matter where you’re staying, you can easily get to the beach at Grand Anse Bay through lots of public entrances. What’s great is you can walk from one end to the other easily, stopping by the beach restaurants and drinking rum punches by the ocean.

Besides the beaches, there are a few other things you have to see when you’re in Grenada. The island is known for their spices (specifically nutmeg), so make sure to stop by the St. George’s spice market to stock up, as well as the Gouyave processing nutmeg cooperative, which is an active nutmeg factory where you can see the process from beginning to end. Plus they have tons of tours, all of which are super affordable too!

We also did a few tours of chocolate factories, including Jouvay (my personal favorite! Make sure to stock up on chocolate and try the banana chocolate shake!), and Belmont Estate and chocolate company. Belmont Estates was beautiful, and they had the most delicious Grenedian lunch that’s worth going for. If you head to Belmont, definitely make sure to swing by Rivers Rum company, which is close by, too! Rivers was one of the highlights of my trip because they’ve been using the same process to make their famous rum for over 100 years, and they even have the original water wheel that you get to explore too. The tours were awesome, and it was so cool seeing them harvest and process all the sugar canes to make the rum right in front of you. Plus, the tasting at the end wasn’t a bad thing either 😉 There were also so many amazing restaurants on the island, so it’s pretty tough to pick my favorites (and I’m sure there are a few I’ve missed), but below are a few of my favorites while we were on the island, from the cheapest food stands to some of the nicer restaurants on the island.

La Playwood: Probably the place we went to the most – for the amazing fish tacos on the beach and the best rum punches on the island. We would sit out there to watch the sunset, play gin and drink wayyyy too much rum punches that were so delicious. I’d go back to Grenada just to spend our nights at La Plywood again!
Jasmin’s Doubles and Roti Stand: This was a teeny tiny food cart on Wall Street in St. George, which had the best roti’s and doubles on the island. Basically, Roti’s are what you’d expect (a nan burrito filled with curried potatoes, veggies and meat that are too good), and doubles (my fave!), which are lightly fried dough and chickpea dal that you eat with the dough. It was so good, and it was less than $2 for lunch!
Rhode’s Restaurant: This was by far the fanciest dinner we had on the island, but it was amazing and perfect for a nice date night! The fresh fish was incredible and it was so pretty sitting on the beach with twinkle lights and orchids coming from the ceiling (it was soooo pretty, check out the website for some unreal photos). If you’re looking for a romantic dinner while on the island, definitely check out Rhodes. It’s a splurge, but worth it!
Calabash: Another pretty spot for date night, we went here with my boyfriends family and it was beautiful and delicious. Make sure to come early to watch sunset and have a few drinks by the beachside bar.
Mount Cinnamon: Besides being a beautiful hotel, there’s also a beachside restaurant that’s delicious too. We usually got their fish of the day or a salad to balance out the doubles and curry chicken we had most days 😉

I could go on and on about Grenada, but it’s probably best if you just go and check it out for yourself. It was such a fun trip, and I’d go back in a heartbeat again (we might want to make it a yearly thing!)