Hello,

We will be spending two weeks on Carriacou in October/November, and I am having a hard time choosing where to stay.

One week will be in a villa, but DH likes to be near town for limin' purposes, so I had been looking at Silver Beach and Paradise Inn for the second week. I can rough it to a certain degree, but I think I read Paradise does not have hot water and I'm pretty sure they don't have A/C either. (I need A/C or a strong fan for sleeping only.)

I can't seem to find much info on Silver Beach, but I think it does have A/C and kitchenettes. Doesn't seem to have as much personality or as nice a beach as Paradise, but the A/C and hot water may be the deciding factors for me.

Are they both far enough from town to avoid noise but close enough to walk?

Any other ideas or suggestions?

Thanks!

curious... need your expertise!

Hi Diana - sorry I missed this message previously - hope it is not too late to be of some use.

Unless Silver Beach has been refurbished, I really can't recommend it and I thought the beach was too close to Hillsborough to be free from urban contamination.

Paradise Inn certainly had hotwater when I was there. No AC but the sleeping fans were fine. An ideal spot for limin'

Look at www.grenadines.net for ideas of what is available in terms of villas and other accommodation. I would not recommend places in Tyrell Bay as the beach is muddy, owing to the nearby mangrove swamp which doubles duty as a hurricane hole. On the flip side, Tyrell Bay has some great little restos - Scrapers being one and, at the other end of the village, a Rum Shop with great local food.

I know Carriacou got a good hit from Hurricane Emily so suggest you doublecheck everything to make sure it is back in operation.

Hi and thanks so much! Your info comes at the perfect time. I have spent so much time on grenadines.net that I think I have all of the text memorized.

The ironic thing is that last year we had plans to go to Grenada in October, and then Ivan hit, and Carriacou was left virtually unscathed.

I had already paid for our plane tickets last week when I read on another forum that C had been hit hard. We do want to help on Grenada with some rebuilding efforts, so I can check to see what they need on Carriacou too. We don't mind pitching in to help, and staying away would just make things harder for them, I guess.

I asked at the villa rental agency on C if things on Carriacou were back to normal and she said yes. (Of course.)

I did e-mail Elin at Paradise last week to see how they fared and ask about the island and about the hot water rumor, but I haven't heard back. (I'll check in again with her if I don't hear back soon. Hope they're OK.)

Here is where I read about the hot water issue - glad to read you did not experience that. I was really hoping to stay at PI since it seems like a pretty irie place and easy to get to Sandy from there.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...u_Grenada.html

I don't have to have air as long as there are good fans, and I don't require long hot showers, but a few minutes' rinse in less-than-frigid temps would be good! Is PI relatively close to town?

Your comments confirmed my impression of SB. The pics had me a bit worried. The beach there did look kind of grubby, although we would most likely be taking a rental car around and not be spending much time there.

Do you know anything about either one of these two villas? Ginger Lily or Peponi? Ginger Lily is ocean front, and set on the end of Craigston Point. Peponi is situated on the crest of Snow Hill.

Any other helpful hints you could give would be great. We're looking forward to day trips to some of the Grenadines. Are there any day-tripping cats or sailboats that go to Union or any of the other islands?

I thought about a few days at Big Sand on Union. It looks very cool. We like to pick a place (did this with the BVIs/USVI's in 2003) and island-hop. We are staying for 16 nights, so we can break it up.

Any input, thoughts or ideas would be most appreciated and thanks again!

Sorry - I really can't help answer questions on the villas as i was only looking at hotels and guesthouses.

I think Big Sand looks great as well - had a booking there this past year but had to cancel. St. Josephs guest house, run by th local parish is also a place to try.

Noise was not a problem at Paradise Inn

Thank you. I know you have spent a lot of time in the region.

We enjoy staying at local-owned or run places, so I will look into St Joseph's too.

If you think of any "don't miss" stuff to do or see, please do let me know.

I wasn't worried about noise at PI. I was just wondering how close it is to town. DH likes to go trampoosing about and find local watering holes and places to eat.

Paradise Inn is quite close to (but not in) the village of L'Esterre. Tyreell Bay, with its yachitie hub and nice restos, is a pleasant evening traipse away.

Cuthbert Snagg (located near the Hillsborough docks), runs a good daytrip to Tobago Cays and Mayreau. Not a sailboat, sadly

I have seen others recommend Cuthbert. He must be the "go-to man." That sounds like fun.

Thanks.

I should also add that we found the 'regular' taxi driver at the Silver Sands hotel gave us a super tour of the island at reasonable rates...sorry I forget his name. The north end is spectacular and you can also observe traditional boatbuilding.

Finally - Paradise Inn is quite a way from the main town of Hillsborough - you would want to take the local bus or taxi. That, in my opinion, is a good thing becasue Hillsborough is not at all an attractive town.

Thanks again for all your help!

It's tough to find someone with much knowledge of the island since it is not much-visited (a GOOD thing imho).

You've been great!

Glad to be of help

One must do - visit Canute Caliste at his workshop/atelier in L'Esterre. Buy one of his primitive paintings. Here's a webpage to learn more about Canute as well as other must do's on carriacou: http://www.usual-suspects-sailing.co...iacou-tour.htm

What is the correct pronunciation of this island ?

And while I'm at it....do you say CAR-ibbean or Car-RIBBean ?

I find myself saying it both ways

I'm still working on being "on island". But that goes back to my days in NYC where everyone stood "ON line". I always thought I was "IN a line"

Marion

Thanks curious! Mr Caliste is definitely in the plans. I come from a family of artists, and we informally collect art from most of our travels, so that was one of the first things I had planned for our rental car!

Marion, I have seen it both Carry-koo and Carry-uh-koo, but I'll let you know when I get back! I usually say Cuh-RIB-ee-un, but I have heard locals say it both ways depending on where you are, so go figure.

I'm sure curious can tell us how Carriacou is pronounced. (Help me out with Mayreau, Becquia and Canouan while you're at it - is it My-row, Beck-way and Can-oo-un?)

I'm sure I'll butcher all of them, but people will be too polite to say so.

I have always pronounced it as Carry-a- coo.

It's my New England *broad a* that gets in the way with Caribbean. Where you say "Cuh", I'd be saying "Cah"...clear as mud ;-) ?

Will you be having tomato salad for lunch..accompanied by a little pasta

Marion

Mr. Caliste makes copy after copy of his most well known paintings and sells them for $50 US a pop but often there's a twofordeal if you get on well. See if you can't get a peek at some of his gallery work - better quality and higher prices (deservedly)

Carriacou = Cary (as in Grant)+ a (short flat 'a' as in hat) + coo...accents on the Ca and the coo - some locals say Carycoo to make it all the more difficult !)

Mayreau = My + row (as in 'your boat')

Canouan = Ca (as in cat) + noo + on. accent on the first syllable...it's not canoe + an

Bequia = beck+way although some locals also say beck+wee. It is not beck + waya.

I can't figure out how to map the two acceptable pronunciations of Caribbean other than to say they're both OK - one is British and the other is not.

I'm glad y'all cleared that up. I've been saying those pronunciations more or less in my head, but I've never had the occasion to speak them. I'm never quite trusting of guidebook suggestions for pronunciation. Many guidebooks still suggest An-TEE-gwah for Antigua, and New Or-LEENS for New Orleans, for example.

I had always rather smugly pronounced emphasized the second syllable of Caribbean, but then I paid attention to the way various Caricom nationals pronounced it and heard Care-uh-bee-un, with emphasis on first and third syllables. Now I play fast and loose with the pronunciation and say it whichever way comes to mind first.

Is it Doh-mi-nee-ka (which is how I say it) or Dom-i-nee-ka (as in Dom DeLuis)?

Is it Say-ba (which is how I think it is supposed to be) or Sah-ba (the way I think it looks)?

Oh EJ,

I'm not sure there's any hope for you ;-) What with your Southern roots and now your New England exposure...Just *wing it* and smile !

Marion

My Vincention friends pronounce Bequia beck way, Carriacou is care coo never heard them pronounce it as carry a coo, Canouan kan a wahn, Mayreau may row or my row. When I hear a pronounciation seems my friends tend to shorten the long vowels or almost leave them out completely. Have been talking to them 14 yras and srill need to often request a repeat. By the time I'm finally learning and able to interpret it's time to go home.

I have a sweet CCF child on Dahm-in-EE-kah. (Like in Dom Deluise.) Would love to go visit soon.

But it is Doh-MIN-ee-kahn Republic.