St George’s, Grenada

Why go?

Sprinkled over a promontory on the island’s south-west coast, the colourfully painted buildings of St George’s make a striking tableau as they circle around a well-protected harbour. Exploring inevitably means hiking up and down hills – the view from Fort George, built by the French in 1705, is worth the effort, along with a look at St George’s Anglican Church, dating from 1825, which has bravely defied numerous hurricanes. The Grenada National Museum, on the corner of Young and Monckton Streets, is a modest affair so combine it with a visit to Market Square – Saturday morning is the prime time to appreciate the island’s riches including the fruits and spices for which Grenada is famed.

Don’t miss: Love chocolate? Grenada now has five artisan producers and you can learn all about this moreish confection at House of Chocolate, which combines a small exhibition with a yummy café and shop (houseofchocolategnd.com).

Local flavours: St George’s is the sort of place where you should sit back and watch Grenadan life go by – preferably with a cold local beer and some freshly grilled fish in front of you. A top spot for this is the Carenage waterfront promenade, where Sails Restaurant has harbour views and a menu that glides confidently from tuna salad to goat roti and homemade ice cream (facebook. com/sailsgrenada).

Our tip: Grenada regularly wins medals at the Chelsea Flower Show and several gardens that send blooms, such as Hyde Park and Smithy’s, are in the hills close to St George’s. Visits are by appointment and can be arranged via Caribbean Horizons (caribbeanhorizons.com).

Unique Grenada (clockwise from bottom left) African, Carib, French and English influences blend in Grenada’s traditional dress; downtown St George’s is arranged around the inner harbour called the Carenage; 36,000 people – around a third of the island’s population – lives in the capital; steelpan music may have originated in Trinidad but has spread across the Caribbean; the colours of Grenada’s flag symbolise sunshine and friendliness (yellow), lushness and agriculture (green) and the people’s courage and vitality (red)