After much agonizing on a location to visit,(I've now eliminated Mexico and Brazil from the list) I have finally whittled it down to GRENADA.

We are looking for something different and unique. We will also be traveling with a todler who will be 20 months at the time. Will will fly from NYC in April.

Can someone provide me the traveling logistics from NYC to Grenada...such as travel time, connection points, etc. From my research, I see that there are no non-stop flights from NYC, yes? We need something that's as painless as possible for the little one (travelwise, that is).

The last I knew (maybe it's changed), Air Jamaica flew nonstop from JFK to Grenada two days a week, and connected via Montego Bay the other days.

You can also reach Grenada via US Airways (with one connection) on Saturdays, or via American Airlines, connecting in San Juan, seven days per week.

Another option is taking a non-stop to Barbados or Trinidad and a puddle-jumper from either of those islands to Grenada.

I don't like the American Airlines connection because it involves a relatively long turboprop flight (San Juan to GND) with arrival after dark and return departures early in the AM.

Thanks, CDT. I'll go to Air Jamaica's site and see what I can dig up there. It would be great if there were a non-stop. I'm not interested in stopping over in PR. The early AM departures are a no-no. Stopping over in Trini or B'dos, Hmmmmm. I would still prefer a non-stop though.

Again, many thanks!

Sorry, I don't have any information about flights to Grenada - it has been 5 years since we were there. I just wanted to tell you that you have made a great choice in Grenada. We visited Grenada as our last vacation before our kids were born. It was awesome. And we look forward to going back again when time and circumstances allow. I think you will have a great time with a toddler. The people are super friendly and we felt very safe. I hope you have a great time.

McSmith,
Thanks for the feedback/reassurance. Funny how we decided on Grenada. I picked it after considering practically every single place that was reasonable, child-friendly and most important has lush vegetation and varied landscape. Time and time again, Grenada came up as the best choice in all categories.

Can you provide any further detail about lodging? i don't do high-rise resorts. Looking for something tasteful, but affordable. We would spend 1 week there and wouldn't mind splitting the time between Grenada and 1 other of the smaller islands such as Carriacou, Spice Island, etc.

Hi andreaac, I wish I could remember the name of the hotel where we stayed because I would highly recommend it. It is located at the south?? (to the far right if looking at the beach from the ocean) of Grand Anse Beach. The 'maid' cooked breakfast for us in our room, which actually was more like an apartment, every morning for $5. She made scrambled eggs, coffee and toast and we ate sitting on our porch over looking the beach and St. Georges??. I think the resort is Blue Horizons. I just checked out their web site and it looks like it is either the wrong place or they really expanded.

But anyway, at the time we were on a tight budget and thought that it was not worth the money to stay at the luxury resorts right on the beach. After exploring the island, I think we were right. The whole island is beautiful and safe and the food at every local place we ate at was great. Grand Anse Beach is great for an almost 2 year old, the sand is soft, the water calm and there are many shade trees. We toured the island with a 'guide' and saw some beautiful places which still are vivid in my mind. Have a great time. And please post your discoveries after your visit. More people should go to Grenada. - Kathy

Cathy, thanks for the information! I will look into Blue Horizon. I don't have to be directly on the beach. Actually, I don't mind being on a hill overlooking a beach that's within a few minutes hike...hills provide great vistas also .

To both CDT and Kathy,
What's frustrating about Grenada is the act of getting there I've done some research on various travel dates and it takes appx. 8.5 hrs on either leg of the journey. Air Jamaica does have Non-stop svcs, but only on 1 or 2 days and not on both legs of the journey. Their non-stops are generally on the return portion. What floors me is that it only takes 4.5hrs non-stop! I mean, why on earth would I want to go to Trinidad or San Juan just to get there?

Also, the prices I'm currently coming up with for late April and May are almost $700pp RT. That's a bit steep! Should I definately wait until next year before considering reserving anything?

Many thanks and keep the ideas coming!

Andreaac...my wife and I vacationed in Grenada this past February/March. We stayed at the Blue Horizons (it is not on the beach) and would not hesitate to stay there again. I posted a trip report here..sort under Grenada. We flew from Toronto direct with Air Canada. To get good advice about Grenada go to grenadaexplorer.com. The 'experts' here were a great aid to me. Best of luck with flight arrangements. You will thoroughly enjoy Grenada..it is truly wonderful, safe and has a myriad of outings for the curious traveler.

Thanks JJDave!

Could you describe the accomodations at Blue Horizons? We will be traveling with our toddler who will be appx. 20 mth old at the time. I will see if I can find out more about the property at Grenadaexplorer also.

Andreaac...the Blue Horizons are a short 5 minute walk from the Grande Anse...it is not on the beach. The BH is a 'sister' with the Spice Island Resort so your allowed to use their lounge chairs at the beach. The BH and SI are run by the Hopkins brothers. The BH is comprised of approximately 20 cottages. Each cottage has 2 units. The cottage we were in had a one bedroom with a kitchenette, TV and sitting area. You also had a patio where you could enjoy sunrise. The grounds are well kept. The pool was nice and seldom crowded. You are not allowed to use the pool before 10:00 a.m. We assumed this was to allow for a tranquil wake-up while planning your daily outing. There is a kids play area off to the side of the pool area. There is also a little 'library' where you can take any book you wish. We left our books from home to augment the variety of reading materials. BH has a website (http://grenadabluehorizons.com/)including a map of the grounds. While our cottage was located at the top of the hill, the walk up didn't cause any hardship. The Spice Island Mall is a 10 minute walk down the way. You can get all your groceries and liquor here. There are also a number of interesting little shops with local crafts, etc. I posted a full trip report upon my return both on this site (sort under Grenada, titled Blue Horizons, date mid-March)and at grenadaexplorer.com. We would not hesitate to return to BH.

JJDave, Thank you! Now, that's what I call informative information. Yes, after posting I did look at the site and the floor plans of Blue Horizon..I am sold on the place. It's seems rather nice. I'm not looking for luxury...just somewhere that's nice enough where my baby will be comfortable.

Your feedback has been most helpful...good to know about the play area for the kids. Good to know about the shopping, etc. Okay, Okay, I will go search for your past trip report Many thanks. Hmmmmm, now all I need is a a decent air fare.

Your welcome Andreaac. This morning at grenadaexplorer.com Sandcrab (one of the main posters at that site) provided some information on flight costs from Toronto on BWIA...one stop in Barbados. Of course you would have to take into account flying (or getting to) Toronto from NYC. I encourage you to visit that website for some very knowledgable and current input to Grenada. You will truly enjoy this island. My wife and I have been to many islands and rank Grenada in the top 3 (Tortola in the British Virgins and Provo in the Turks and Caicos being the other 2). Grande Anse beach in Grenada is wonderful, not crowded. The island itelf has a good variety of outings. The island is safe and the people amazing. They can be shy at first but quite engaging when they realize that you are authentically interesting in them. If you do stay at BH...to get to downtown St. Georges you simply walk down to the main road (10 minutes)and wait for the bus (actually small vans) which come by frequently. We enjoyed getting in with the locals early mornings and watching the day unfold 'downtown'.

JJDave,
Thanks again. Happy holidays to you and your family.

What JJDave describes sounds just like the place we stayed in 5 years ago. Like JJDave said, the location is great and except fot the steep hill you must walk up and down to get to/from the beach and road it would be great for a toddler. We had a kitchen in our room which would be great for traveling with a young child.

A couple of comments on air schedules:

The Air Jamaica timetable definitely works best if you can fit your schedule to the days they fly non-stop.

Also, the USAir connection is quite efficient, but I believe it's only on Saturdays in both directions.

Rather than booking air separately, you can probably do better if you book a package that includes air and hotel. I recently found a good deal to Provo through Orbitz, flying on USAir. I believe Air Jamaica stopped selling its packages directly and you now need to go through a travel agent.