Safety on Grenada is comparable (or better) than the other islands you mentioned. Petty theft was rampant on Vieques when we visited a few years ago and we got warnings about it from everyone we encountered, but that's' the only place that's ever happened to me.

There's a short and easy hike to a waterfall whose name eludes me, but it's well south of Grenville on the windward coast and there's a sign marking it off the main road. You will find guides willing to take you there but they're not necessary--it's just a well-worn path to follow. If you decide you want to pay a guide to support the local economy, decide on a price FIRST, not afterwards.

I love the Fish Fry at Gouyave and I really liked Belmont Plantation. If you do Belmont, continue north to see Bathway Beach and the wild coast, and not far from there is the River Antoine rum distillery which you can tour. On the way back you can stop at the waterfall I mentioned above and it would be a full day.

One of my favorite ways to spend the day is at La Sagesse nature center/hotel. They rent beach chairs and they have a beach restaurant the serves a good lunch. It's like visiting Eden, as a previous visitor once said.

We have never been concerned about our safety in Grenada. That doesn't mean leave common sense at home just that we have never had any reason or sitation present itself where we felt unsure. In 3 vacations in Grenada we have only met one individual (abviously under the influence of something or other) bumming money. Even the higglers on the beach are non-aggressive if not even polite. Certainly not like higglers in say Jamaica.

If you felt comfortable on Tortola, Curacao and Aruba then you will be equally at ease in Grenada.

There are various island tours you can take that are well worthwhile. We thoroughly enjoyed both tours we have taken especially the River St. Antoine rum factory. While we haven't yet toured the chocolate factory we have eaten many a bar and brought home 20 bars this time. We have also taken snorkelling excursions with the underwater sculpture park being our favourite. www.youtube.com/watch?v=X33698McQ7g

Here are some links to help.

http://grenadasunsation.com/index.htm

http://www.aquanautsgrenada.com/

Ejcrowe:

We are now leaning towards booking Turtleback for 5 nights, but would need other accomodations for the next two. Can you recommend a few good hotels?

I of course asked the wife to look at LaLuna, but at $400 a night its just a tad too rich for our blood.

She looked up True Blue Bay resort....any experience?

Cheers

True Blue is, I think, a pleasant resort in a pleasant location, but the beach there is practically non-existent. I've visited there for dinner a couple of times but I've never stayed there, but I admire the way their rooms look online. Then again, you'd be driving to other beaches while staying at a villa, so it wouldn't be that big of a deal to drive to other beaches while staying at True Blue.

If LaLuna is really what you're looking for, follow it on SkyAuction.com, where it's frequently offered and where I've seen winning auctions go for around $200/night, including taxes & fees. It's a wonderful, romantic resort with a feeling of rustic luxury.

If you're only on the island for one week, I might recommend just staying put in one place, despite my repeat stays at Turtleback. (And as for Turtleback: the interior is pleasant but on the small side, but there is a/c that works for the whole studio except the bathroom. But it's the outdoor living spaces that really shine there.) I think when you only have a week that it's hard to pack up and move for only two remaining nights. I've done it, and it's fine, but it does feel like you're spending a lot of time in transit.

You might also want to look at rooms at Mount Cinammon on their website as well as places like SkyAuction. I've never stayed there, but they have great views up on the hill overlooking Grande Anse. For that matter, if you don't mind basic, you might want to look at the Flamboyant Hotel, which is next to Mount Cinnamon. Both places have pools and a beach area on Grand Anse, but it's a LONG, STEEP walk back up, for sure!

ejcrowe:

Yes there are deals on Skyauctions.com for LaLuna. Since you can't specify dates does that mean they may not have the exact dates that we are looking for?

Thanks.

ejcrowe:

Thanks for the tip. Just won a bid for LaLuna for $150 a night! Add on the tax and tip $49 a night, its still less than $200.

We are thinking about doing 4 days at Turtleback and 4 at LaLuna. You think that would be a good balance? The problem with Turtleback is that they only have availability of five out of the 7/8 nights we plan to stay on the island.

We are pretty organized when we travel, so moving from one place to another should not be much trouble for us.

Thanks for all the tips my friend. This one is going to be special.

Congrats on your winning bid! Both places are special, I think. When we split our stay back in 2006, we stayed 6 nights at Turtleback and 3 nights at LaLuna because Turtleback wasn't available for our whole visit and it was a really great split. At LaLuna we pretty much stayed put, so I'm glad we ended the vacation on the romantic/rustic/relaxing note. At Turtleback we were pretty driven to get out and explore, but we LOVED coming home in the late afternoon to our lovely pool and rooftop deck there. In fact our days were bookended with drinks outside: coffee and a swim in the mornings, cocktails and a swim in the afternoons.

I certainly hope that you enjoy your time on Grenada as much as my husband and I have!

Thanks all for your advice!

Wife and I will be staying at Turtleback for the first 4 nights, followed by 3 nights at LaLuna (via Skyauction). Anthon at Turtleback was super nice as he was able to make available the villa in the morning of our arrival (our flight lands at 7am!), which really makes things so much more convenient.

Last question - I've heard some horror stories about driving at night in Grenada....is is anymore hazardous than the other islands?