mnag

We generally prefer off the beaten track type islands (generally less populated, not commercialized) with clear water and light sand beaches. Our favorites todate are Virgin Gorda, and several of the bahama out islands (Eleuthera, Long island). We also loved Anguilla back when we first visited the island 15 years ago. Would appreciate any/all feedback. Thanks.

Callaloo

I doubt you'll be disappointed; you may just find yourself a new favorite instead!

It's been a while since I've been to Grenada (since I've discovered Nevis since, and also keep going back to the Out Islands), but it mostly meets your criteria. I will note that Grenada is far more lush, and geologically active, than Virgin Gorda, so the number of white sand beaches is limited. They are there -- see Grand Anse and Morne Rouge -- but other beaches are greyish/volcanic. My personal favorite is La Sagesse, which is a light greyish beach lined with palms that feels like it belongs in the South Pacific.

Cruise ships do call on the island, so avoid Grand Anse beach when they do that. Their impact is not as obvious as, say, Tortola.

You'll find on Grenada low-key resorts and inns; vibrant local cuisine; lots of nature-oriented activies; and, above all, some of the friendliest islanders in the entire Caribbean.

doug_stallings

Grenada also has one of the Caribbean's best small luxury resorts, Spice Island, if you are looking for that kind of experience.

islebethere

I think this Flickr site offers a great introduction to Grenada and might help you get a better feel for the island. (My husband and I have visited three times and want to go back.) The photographer is a U.S. guy (from Minnesota, if I recall correctly) whose wife is attending medical school in Grenada. Seemingly, he's developed a photography career on Grenada and beyond. I love his photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshy55013/sets/

BellaClaire

Where are you staying? The people of Grenada are very friendly. The island is beautiful.....

blamona

I hate to go against Grenada lovers, but based on your existing favorites, I highly recommend:

Barbuda

Grenadines (especially Palm Island or Canouan)

Exumas

islebethere

It would be helpful to know what in particular about Grenada is causing the OP to be hesitant about visiting. If white sand and that crystal blue water are must-haves, then Grenada might not be the right choice. As mentioned previously, Grenada does have white sand/crystal water beaches, but not all of Grenada's beaches do. (La Sagesse beach is my favorite, too.)

diann24

We have visited quite a few islands some just day trips on a cruise and some islands we have stayed for a week.Grenada was only for a few days here and there. However I must say it made an impact on me. I thought the people were lovely the island lush, and I loved the beaches. I also liked the fact it is the "spice Island". As I recall there are many interesting tours to be had including the spice factory. It is a lush island, and very pretty. I would not be hesitant to visit for a week.

DaveJJ

My wife and I have vacationed on most of the more well known island and few lesser known.

Grenada has become our home away from home. We will be returning to the Blue Horizon hotel for the 5th time this February.

We have done organized tours of the island as well as outings on our own. We have never experienced any difficulties while in Grenada.

We love the island especially the people.

mnag

Thank you all for your insightful responses. Some more informaion about us and our plans...we will likely be traveling with another family with similar interests. We will be travelling during the high season. At the moment a villa seems to be the best option for us (and I have my eye on a gorgeous new villa that is reasonably priced). Also just recently discovered that there are direct flights to Grenada from JFK and the pricing is cheaper than if we were to go to for example to St Thomas, Nevis etc during the same week (spring break week).
Grenada is one of the islands that has intrigued me (based on what I've read previously on this and other forums) but I don't know much about the island. I do agree w/your assessment Blamona that we generally prefer islands w/white sand beaches (and I will take a look at your suggestions but my guess is it will require multiple connections ... difficult w/kids). So bottom line is that the factors mentioned above do make Grenada quite appealing especially given the timeframe we'd like to travel.

sharona

We just returned this weekend from 10 days at the Spice Island Beach Resort. We didn't do a lot but I did promise a trip report; it'll have to wait until after Thanksgiving. Bottom line is we loved the island and will most definitely be returning. Spice Island is on Grand Anse Beach and the sand and water there are beautiful. It's a great swimming beach, at least in November. We spent a lot of time in the water. We also took a private all-day island tour, which we loved. We got to see a lot of the island, which is lovely and lush.

One thing that struck us immediately was how well-kept people kept their homes. The houses are all freshly painted in bright Caribbean colors and we rarely saw junk in the yards (unlike Anguilla). The people very obviously took pride in their homes. And the people are very nice and friendly.

You could do a lot worse.

CurlyLoo

How is the snorkeling on Grenada?

ishkribbl

mnag- what did you decide? I am curious and have been interested in the island as well. I also wonder about the snorkeling but there has not been a response. anyone?

Odin

It's not that great.

sharona

<It's not that great.>

Agreed. The underwater sculpture park is a neat idea but in reality it is in a fairly deep area so the sculptures are hard to see unless the water is very clear and it's a bright, sunny day, and according to about everyone we talked to the water is almost always rough there. That makes the water rather murky and the sculptures almost impossible to see. We only saw 3 sculptures on the day we went. It's probably better for divers. And there was nothing exciting in the limited reefs we saw.

There may be better snorkeling spots in different parts of the island but we were staying on Grand Anse and there was not any good snorkeling close to us.

foodiechan

We've been to Grenada, VG, and Eleuthera.

By comparison Grenada is for sure bigger and more commercialized than the smaller islands. If you prefer slower pace and the relative quiet, then Grenada would not fit the bill.

The best beach there we like Morne Rouge the best, and you will not have the same kind of solitude than VG or the out islands. The sand is nice but not the best.

We split time between a villa (with a private pool) - Turtleback, which I highly recommend, and at the spa resort LaLuna, which we got a good rate through Sky Auction. Both the villa and the resort were top notch, and although the beaches under-delivered, we still enjoyed the trip quite a bit.

Also agreed with all the folks here, as Grenadans are some of the friendliest bunch in the Caribbean.

If you go, do make sure you track down a street vendor and buy a bottle of fresh cane juice to sweeten your rum drinks they are awesome.

josiesxm

Go to Grenada, stay at Petite Anse Hotel they've got a snorkeling trip to Sandy Island. Sandy Island is paradise and you could even go there every day if you wanted to. Otherwise, there is a white sand beach at the hotel and plenty of other local beaches within easy reach.

ghutch

I took my family last year, and it's in my soul now. I long to go back. Sounds corny, but it's true. What an amazing place. Have been to 7 islands, but this was by far the best trip I ever took. Grenada is an ADVENTURE. From the food, to the people, to the beautiful beaches to the lush rain forests. I only scratched the surface in a week.

But it's not for everybody. It's by no means "primitive", but it's not commercialized either.

My advice would be to do your research and make a decision based on your gut. Sure any of the choices here would be wonderful.

mnag

Since this post came back up I'll share my thoughts from our April trip. Sorry have been very busy and didnt get a chance to post a true trip report.
We stayed at Grenada grand beach resort. No complaints. The water view was fantastic. The pool was nice. The resort gardens are nice. Several beach bars to enjoy a nice drink. Sometimes it took too long to get lunch by the pool but no big deal. We didnt do any buffets (they did not look appealing). The ala carte breakfast choices were really good. Service was consistently pleasant. We rented a car and ate out most nights. Enjoyed our meals at the Cave restaurant, Rodhes restaurant (our fav) and the Beach house restaurant. Doddy Dock was ok.
Grand Anse beach is beautiful. Comprable to 7 mile beach on Grand Cayman. Vendors do come and ask you to buy stuff, hair braids, tours etc but a no thank you worked well. I did get my beach shoes stolen so wasn't happy about that. You do need to keep an eye on your stuff.
We drove to Morne Rouge beach and it was nice. Water quality is better on Grand Anse but Mourne Rouge has its own charm. We took an island tour that took us to La Sagesse and we loved that beach. Its a picture postcard perfect dark sand beach. We enjoyed playing in the waves.
We did another tour to explore the rainforest/national park, botanical garden, monkeys, and the waterfalls, forts as well as Bellmont estate cocoa plantation etc. There is lots of exploring to do on Grenada. I thought this was a very educational trip for our 9 yr old. Not a typical itinerary for us but nonetheless enjoyable. We were comfortable driving around in the southern part of the island and up to St Georges but we didn't venture out on our own beyond that ... the roads in the northern part of the island are extremely steep and narrow. There is no way we could have driven by ourselves to the Grand Etang national park for example...best way to explore the north is to do a tour.