we are considering going to grenada for the first time and staying at coyaba beach resort. i've heard good things about it but that the food is pricey and mediocre, at best. any hotels of similar price range right on the beach with good food?

Check out grenadaexplorer.com for good information. I will point out that there are a number of good restaurants on Grenada so there is no need to eat at your hotel - in fact, lots of reasons not to.

the fact that the rooms at coyaba have no mini-bars or safes are not what i'm used to. is this typical of grenada?

anybody who has stayed at the coyaba, if we want a room with a great view of the water do you have any specific recommendations? any good snorkeling sights to try from shore? any great dining places that aren't very, very expensive? again, anybody who has stayed at the coyaba recently i'd love to hear from.

I will be at the Coyoba on Saturday, so I'll let you know when I get back! We have previously stayed at the Mariposa.

RAB is correct in saying that the hotel restaurant shouldn't matter...there are many great places to eat in Grenada, both around the Coyoba and a cab ride away. If you check out grenadaexplorer.com, someone recently posted a list of all the menus and prices of the more popular restaurants in Grenada. Just be sure to get by the Nutmeg for a rum punch and nutmeg ice cream!

As for mini-bars, the hotels I have stayed in thru out the Caribbean are about 50/50 on whether or not they have them. I refuse to pay the prices of minibars to have a drink in my room when I can go to the bar, meet new people and pay more reasonable prices for drinks.

someone recommended the Aquarium for sunday night barbeque. have you been there? i contacted coyaba and they offered to put a fridge in the room for the week for $50. i thought that was very expensive so we declined the offer.
any info. you can give me about what room to request would be great. thanks!

caribqueen,
have you returned from the coyaba yet? if so, i look forward to hearing your experiences there.
putch

Got back last night....hmmm, my experience there......

The hotel was OK...all of the rooms are NOT ocean view in the least...we had a view of the back of a tree next to the road. So, if the view is important, be sure to ask them up front for a ocean view room. If we had stayed there longer, I would have asked to be moved. None of the rooms are particularly close to the beach, as the whole resort is fenced off from the beach with about a 4 foot high wooden fence, and the gate to the fence locked after a certain hour. If stepping out of your door onto the beach is what you are looking for, this isn't it.

The grounds were beautiful, the pool nice. Didn't eat at the restaurant so can't help you there. Rum punch is good at the bar. The rooms were so-so, just an average hotel room. We paid $115 for our night here, then stayed at the Mariposa for a night and paid $95. Our room at the Mariposa was a deluxe superior, overlooking Mourne Rouge beach with 4 large picture windows, room was 2x the size. I just feel like we got a better value for the Mariposa. And, Mariposa has fridges and safety deposit boxes in every room.

I hate to tell people to stay at one place over another, because everyone has a different idea of what they like to stay in. Don't get me wrong, Coyoba was an ok place to stay, I just felt like for the money, Mariposa was preferable for me.

wow! now i feel like canceling my plans
to go to coyaba! we are considering grenada grand beach. is that any better? the fenced off beach part sounds like a drag. what time do they lock the beach up? what about the blue horizons cottages next to spice island?
i look forward to your opinion.

Putch, can't comment on the Coyaba, but we were at the Grand Beach earlier this year. I wrote a review regarding our trip: http://www.epinions.com/content_102821695108
In a nutshell, the hotel is located on a fantastic stretch of beach - we didn't experience being 'locked out' at all - and has a great pool area. Our room was mediocre, but with a fantastic view that made up for some of the shabbiness. Service at the poolside bar was atrocious. We paid $129 for an oceanview room - steps from the beach - and considered it a good value despite the hotels shortcomings.

We loved Grenada and can definitely recommend the island!

My wife and I stayed at the Blue Horizon Cottages in Feb/March 2003. Wonderful place. Would not hesitate to return. I posted a trip report upon my return in March.