SEVEN INSTAGRAM-WORTHY SPOTS TO VISIT IN GRENADA
Caribbean island boasts panoramic views, vibrant food scenes and old-fashioned rum. By
Grenada has a ridiculous amount of photo opportunities at every turn, so many in fact that we dubbed it the most Instagramable of all Caribbean islands. The people are friendly, the island is safe after dark, the air is a delicious mix of salt and nutmeg and flowers, and the national flag’s bold green, red and gold is liberally applied to everything from garden rocks to park benches. Though it has 45 white-sand and seven black-sand beaches, Grenada is so much more than a pretty place to lie on a chaise longue in the sun. We left St. George at 9:30 a.m. on the Osprey ferry and by 11:30 a.m. we were eating lambi (conch) curry and rice at the Callaloo restaurant in Hillsborough, the main town on the larger of Grenada’s two sister isles (the other is Petit Martinique). Guide Lincoln (Linky) Bedeau took us to the hospital for a panoramic view of the west coast; Paradise Beach for a swim and a shop at Fidel Productions for local clothing and crafts; and the village of Windward, where many residents descended from Scottish shipwrights still make boats by hand (hence Linky’s licence plate, “HAG616).” After a whirlwind island tour by taxi, we made a quick stop at the museum in Hillsborough to see its fascinating mix of prehistoric Amerindian artifacts, colonial antiques and local art before catching the 3:30 p.m. boat back to St. George. The No. 1 export of Grenada, a.k.a. the Spice Island, is nutmeg and its lacy red covering, mace. At the co-op, you can join a guide who will tell you about the process of gathering, drying, sorting and shipping the brown seed, while the gift shop is a good place to stock up on spices, nutmeg syrup, jam and, of course, the island’s own Nut-Med, a topical spray or cream designed to soothe arthritic joints and sore muscles. The highways and byways of Grenada are lined with roadside stands, including many rum shops. One of the most entertaining by far is Charlie’s Bar on the West Main Road just outside of St. George, where Martin Oswell Nicholas, 59, hung out a shingle after a decade at sea tending bar on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Every square inch of Charlie’s place is covered with a riot of patriotic slogans, unsolicited advice and platitudes. “I just paint stuff and it comes out good,” he smiles. The grill is fired up every Wednesday night for the Street Food Festival at the Dodgy Dock, the waterside bar. Do not miss the fried breadfruit, which has a slightly sweet taste and the mouth-feel of potato. I had a whole red snapper, deep-fried with no adornments. Not to be missed: guava ribs and the frozen nutmeg margarita. The Trios band was incredibly fun, with a frontman who could segue from a jazz standard to the Sesame Street theme to “Walking on Sunshine” in minutes. This year’s inaugural edition was rowdy as hometown hero Kirani James, who won gold for Grenada at the 2012 Olympic Summer Games, was competing at home for the first time since 2009 and running his first race as a pro. Of course James, 24, won the 400-metre by a full second, and if the newly renamed Kirani James Stadium had a roof, it would have blown off. The after party, featuring soca star Machel Montano, began at midnight and went till dawn. The oldest old-fashioned rum factory in the western hemisphere, according to our guide. A water wheel powers the crusher, which is fed sugar cane by hand, the same way it has been done for 232 years. The distillery makes about 600 bottles a day of Rivers rum, “and it’s not enough to satisfy the nation,” the guide claims. Both of its two white rums — one 75-per-cent overproof and one 69per-cent underproof — are a shock to the palate. Stock up on rum punch and chocolate liqueur, because you won’t find it anywhere else on the island.
Kim Honey was a guest of the Grenada Tourism Authority, which did not review or approve this story.