Caribheart

Hello all!

It has been 6 months since I have been to Grenada...we are bouncing back from the St.Kitts dump as per Signature...and have decided to let go of our original concern of the 5 hour flight and go with the beautiful Grenada....

With this trip confirmed I am starting to get excited again - BUT - I knew St.Kitts so well with the newborn it was so easy....Grenada is almost like starting over except that it takes no convincing how fantastic it is....but can you help with some questions please?

1. Groceries? We are staying in a one bedroom at Flamboyant and will need a pretty easy access grocery store with a good selection - is the grocery store at Spice Land the best?

2. Car rentals or should I say Van rental? As we will have 6 living beings ranging in age from 2.5 months old to 55+ we need / want to rent a van for part of our vacation - who do we rent from who is reliable?

3. We remember several great restaurants that still seem to be up and running...but what are the recommendations for cheap and easy fun meals and more of the special spots? We have been to the Aquarium/ Red Lobster and La Sagesse and Boulangerie / Ricks - what else?

4. With a baby - we still want to see the island again as it has been some time - but we can't easily hike - what would you prioritize to see and do? Annadale Falls? Concord? Grand Etang? Fort?

Any other specific thoughts?

Thank you!!

OceanBreeze1

Caribheart, did you mean you had not been to Grenada in 6 years? (You said 6 months.)

Caribheart

heheheh oops yes - thank you - 6 years!!!

OceanBreeze1

Caribheart, We do confuse the months with the years especially when we are pregnant & thinking "in months"....probably feels like 9 years....not months to you!! How many more days? 8?

mymoosie

That's wonderful to hear that you'll be heading back to the isle of spice!

1. Yes, the Real Value IGA at Spiceland Mall is still one of the better supermarkets. Try to get there before the students descend upon it or it will be a hit or miss on finding things you want.

2. For car rental, we've used Azar's (www.azarsrentals.com) and have been pleased. We've only rented a jeep so not sure about the van. Have also rented from Reggie's car rental (www.reggierental.com) and we were also pleased with their service. David's car rental (www.davidscars.com) are also recommended by our friends.

3. Le Chateau is inexpensive and has good food. Boots Cuisine is a must for us, great local food and the owners Boots & Ruby are lovely people. The Beach House is nice for a special meal. There is a new restaurant called Charcoals in Lance Aux Epines that is getting quite a buzz. We love the ladies at the SGU campus on Grand Anse for a quick cafeteria style lunch. La Sagesse is a great place to spend the day...beautiful beach and the food at the restaurant is quite good.

Caribheart

thanks mymoosie!

Do you know if these car rental agency's have van's or am I too hopeful? With 6 of us in total we will have our own little island tour happening! I will send them emails now to inquire further thanks for the links too!

Le Chateau is where? We are glad the SGU campus on Grand Anse has reopened when we have been the GND in the past it was always a great place to eat but the more recent time we were there it was closed...is it still the University campus too? I have read up on Charcoals and look forward to this one as well and we have visited La Sagesse but have not eaten there...but I read somewhere they have a great Greek Salad - so that will guarantee a mutual agreement among our travellers!!

OceanBreeze1 - It really has felt like 9 years and although I am down only to 6 days it feels like 6 months....so close and yet amazingly it feels so far...that feeling you get when you wake up on a monday morning of a busy work week - it feels like that every morning!! I can't WAIT...and that Grenada is on the other side too - all that much better.

How are YOUR travel plans going OceanBreeze1?

mymoosie

Hi Caribheart!

I think all those car rental agencies I listed have at least 1 van (on their website they have it listed) available for rental. Probably best to reserve it ahead of time.

Le Chateau is at Le Marquis shopping centre, where La Boulangerie is located. I'm not sure if they actually hold classes at the Grand Anse campus, but the cafeteria is still very popular with the locals.

Wait, when are you coming to Grenada?? I am here now, reporting live, enjoying the views of Grand Anse. It is a little cloudy today but hot, hot, hot! We'll be here for 2 weeks.

Caribheart

Oh aren't you lucky mymoosie!!!! you must be so happy there NOW!! If you are from a climate similar to ours it is not Grenada weather at all!!!

We are not arriving to the island until January 24...I am glad you are enjoying yourself there now!! When will you be returning?

mymoosie

We are here thru the 14th then back to cold Virginia.

I found another good local place today to eat... it just opened at Le Marquis shopping centre. It's a fast food type of place that serves local food and it was very tasty. We had a snack there - chicken curry samosas, and doubles. Both were yummy!

Caribheart

Oh YUM!! Doubles - fantastic!! I love Samosa's but doubles are such a treat...Do you remember the name of the place?

You must be having such fun there discovering new places! Virginia? Is it very cold there I always imagine that because you are that little bit further south ( I say further like I am anywhere near south....!) that you would not be so cold...I do hope that you get back to Gnd before the winter settles in...do you stay in a hotel or do you have a place?

mymoosie

Oops! Sorry, I missed posting the name. Too much sun and fruity cocktails have affected my brain cells. LOL! The name of the place is Gibson's.

I also forgot, another great local place in Lower Woburn is Little Dipper. It's a very small local place but the food is yummy.

It does get cold in Virginia, but I'm sure nowhere as cold up north as you are. I know, we are wimps when it comes to cold! LOL.

We usually stay in a cottage/apartment when we come down. This time we are splitting our stay between Spice Island and our usual home base - LAE Cottages.

Caribheart

No no - not wimps - once you have had a taste of the Caribbean sun and fun it hard to adjust to anything else....Virginia is supposed to be also beautiful and more temperate makes you sensible!!

I have put Little Dipper on the list and now will add Gibsons! I wonder how you think a less broad minded traveller who can be somewhat intimidated by the full "local" experience might enjoy these places? She loves loves loves the Caribbean but can get a bit anxious about a more down to earth feel - will these places still be good or shall I try to break away for a quick bite to eat without one of my fabulous travel companions?!

Keep enjoying and Why splitting stay? Trying something new or is Spice Island the beautiful place on Grand Anse and you are enjoying some decadence with some fun cottage joy?

mymoosie

I would say the less broad minded traveller would be ok dining at the Little Dipper and Gibson's as their establishments do not look intimidating, unlike say, the ladies at the outdoor cafeteria at the old SGU campus on Grand Anse. I have some photos of the Little Dipper from my May trip that you can look at: http://imageevent.com/kajugo/may2009grenadadining

I also started uploading the dining photos from this trip that you can look at:
http://imageevent.com/kajugo/grenada...hoppingnov2009

We are splitting our stay because when I came in May, I stayed at Spice Island and LOVED it and raved about it to my hubby who couldn't come, so I promised we would stay there next time we came. I have to say, we really do love Spice. But the staff and owner of LAE Cottages have adopted us like family from our previous visits and they so look forward to having us back every time, and we too, very much look forward to visiting with them and catching up.

Caribheart

Spice island does look totally decadent!!

Thanks for all the pics I love them and want to be there NOW....

I love the pictures of the food and other great spots - it does seem like the "ladies at SGU" has changed a bit from when we were there so many years ago - is it still also sit down seating available? The food looks super tasty!! Have I mentioned I want to be there now - are you still there?

mymoosie

Hi Caribheart! There are still some tables and benches available where you can dine watching the beautiful beach and waters of Grand Anse. You will love it! You might have to leave your less adventuresome traveling partners at home for this one. LOL. I remember the first time we saw it, we too, were afraid to try the food. But now we know better. ;-)

I am still here, we leave next Saturday. Today is Sunday Beach Lime day with our friends. I'm so excited!

You'll be here soon!

Caribheart

Hi mymoosie - I hope your trip was fantastic and that the return was not too sad an adjustment....

I will add some rum to my Mums drink and bring her to the ladies at SGU...otherwise I will spike my OWN drink and enjoy!!

thanks for the advice!

ejcrowe

Mymoosie, I'm so envious that you've so recently returned to Grenada! I enjoyed looking at your photos and it looks like you had fun with the GTF meetups. I've been meaning and meaning to get to Little Dipper, so I'm glad to read that your experience of it was good. Maybe next time we'll get around to it. Our last trip with only 6 days we hardly did anything, but real life demanded that we slow down and enjoy that downtime without beating ourselves up too much about it.

Caribheart, I hope you have a fabulous return trip to Grenada. Much has changed (including moderately improved signage!), but everything you first loved about Grenada I'm sure is still there, so your group will have a wonderful time.

Boots for dinner, La Sagesse for the day, and Spice Island for lunch are the three must-dos on my list for dining. I also love the market downtown, but if there are folks in your group who are faint of heart, they might want to skip it. But go early in your stay to get much better produce and spices than what is available in the supermarkets so that you can enjoy your purchases throughout your stay.

Fish Friday is a lot of fun, especially if your group hires somebody to do all of the driving. It's basically a huge street party with booth after booth of mouth watering food that is about 3/4 locals and 1/4 expats and tourists. Great fun, great food--but again, if your travel companions are VERY faint of heart they might feel a little out of it. Then again, on my first Fish Friday I met a wonderful couple in their 80s who were visiting Grenada for the first time and they were having a blast. To this day they are one of my inspirations for travel. My guess is that after a few days on Grenada, soaking up the sun and the wonderful West Indian vibes that your travel companions might be more adventurous than you're giving them credit for.

Hope you have a wonderful time, and please come back here to post a trip report upon your return.