By far, Grenada is my favorite cruise ship port city to date. I simply can't quite put into words how much I now love this little island. When life in ol' NW Ohio gets a little rough, I dream of selling all I have and becoming a spice farmer in Grenada. Our guide was extremely down to earth (as are we) so we hit it off immediately. I just wish more than anything his card hadn't gotten ruined so I could give you more contact info. When striking up a conversation with a few ladies about how they use spices in their cooking, they were more than happy to share recipes, tips, and even invite me back so we could cook meals for each other. I didn't want my day to end. I would go back to Grenada in a heartbeat. 5 PROS: 1. FRIENDLY people willing to help and share the history and culture of their island. 2. AMAZING sights. Hiking to the Seven Sisters waterfalls and spending time swimming in the natural pools changed my life. 3. STRONG rum. *hic* The strongest I've had in the Carribean. I didn't think ANYTHING would top Jamaica's JB Trelawny blend (overproof) but this sure did. 4. YUMMY spices packaged in a variety of ways for gifts or personal consumption. 5. REASONABLE prices. Taxi rides were reasonable as were the spices. 3 CONS: 1. Extremely touristy shopping plaza right outside cruise ship port with very typical tacky Caribbean stuff. 2. Cruise ship port is not walking distance to much of anything. Taxi is needed to see the best of this town. 3. Morning after drinking strong rum mentioned above.

Land in St. George's on Caribbean Star 792, leaving 6:00 am, arriving 6:40 am.

Where do I start? Words simply can’t describe how much I fell in love with this island.  At first, I really thought my favorite stop was Margarita Island, but now that I’m reflecting on the trip, I realize that when I grow up, I want to be an expatriate living in Grenada. (ha ha)

Dan and I took an early morning ship trip that was advertised for “serious hikers only”.  There were only 6 people on our trip, which was an EXCELLENT number.  My one regret is that I can’t remember our tour guides name. UGH! I’m working with RCI to get his name and post it on here because he was just incredible. He was down to earth, helpful, friendly, and fun.  At first I was worried that we’d run into the ship trips like yesterday and I’d really regret booking through the cruise line, but I’m glad we did because we never would have found this on our own.  Even if we had, we would have hiked on our own and missed out on a great deal of learning from our guide.  I have an herb and spice garden here in Ohio, so I’m interested in that sort of thing, so I obviously LOVED the “Spice Island”.  Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the plants we saw and many uses for each one.  We took a path through a spice plantation before heading into the forest. 

When they advertised this trip as a “hike”, they weren’t kidding.  If you don’t like scaling rocks, muddy paths, slippery steps, and crossing streams, avoid this trip.  However, if you enjoy or don’t mind that sort of thing, this trip was a life changing experience.  The end of the hike (I can’t even give you a good guess how long it took because I was enjoying myself so much) was the 7 sisters waterfalls.  We climbed down for a swim for an hour or so. The word that comes closest was “magical”.  There were a few random locals and vacationers playing there as well, and it was just one of those times where everything in the world was right, everyone was friends, and you just wished time would stop at that very moment.  If heaven is getting to choose a time in your life to re-live forever, I think this was it for me.

After hiking back through the forest and to the plantation, there were two friendly local farmers who cleaned our shoes for $2.  Money well spent for clean trainers. J

We stopped at a little shopping area with local women who charged $2 for a picture J and saw some wild monkeys.  I’d never been that close to a monkey before.  Oh yeah, I saw a wild mongoose, too.  That was also a first.

After we were delivered back to the ship, we met up with the parents and hailed a taxi to the rum distillery. It was interesting and the rum was potent.  We had just enough time to go through the shops near the ship to pick up spices, handmade crafts, beads, and a Christmas ornament.

I WILL go back to Grenada.

This hotel was really nice. Our room had a fully equipped kitchenette for cooking, if needed.Room was clean and looked like pictures listed on the site. Make sure you get an Ocean View! The facility was clean and the staff was friendly and very helpful. A restaurant and the bar (the Owl) on the beach is open 24 hours! If you are traveling alone you will meet a variety of people there to make friends. It is best to use local transportation (cheap) or a taxi to get to town but it is walking distance to a grocery store and a small shopping plaza.

This hotel was really nice. Our room had a fully equipped kitchenette for cooking, if needed.Room was clean and looked like pictures listed on the site. Make sure you get an Ocean View! The facility was clean and the staff was friendly and very helpful. A restaurant and the bar (the Owl) on the beach is open 24 hours! If you are traveling alone you will meet a variety of people there to make friends. It is best to use local transportation (cheap) or a taxi to get to town but it is walking distance to a grocery store and a small shopping plaza.

Hallo ihr lieben,

jetzt bin ich seid 43 tagen auf see und wir verlassen gerade das Suedamerikanische Festland (wenn man das im weistesten sinne so nennen kann) direkt in die karibik, den Aequator schon ueberquert.
Das ist nun auch der letzte wirklich ruhige tag fuer die naechsten 7 wochen, also nutzte ich das mal.

Wir sind ja einmal bis in den mittleren teil von chile hoch gefahren und wieder zurueck. Eigentlich sollten wir Cape Horn umrunden, aber da die see so stuermisch sind, haben wir lieber den weg durch die fjorde (Magelian Strait) genommen. Dann ein halt in uruguay und zwei in argentinien, was mir beides auch sehr gut gefallen hat. Es ist immer waermer geworden und machnmal frage ich mich ersthaft, wie die gaeste das mitmachen. Ich habe noch von keinem collaps gehoert aber wetterfuehlig darf man hier echt nicht sein. Ich finde ja, die frage ist bedeutender als ob man seekrank wird. Da wir auch recht viele seetage hatten und nur ein schoener strand in puerto madryn war, wird das sonnendeck nun auch immer oefter bevoelkert. Ich hatte meinen sonnenbrand im besagten hafen schon und bin nun bestens vorbereitet auf die karibik.
Zwei weltstaedte haben wir auch besucht, sogar mit Overnight: buenos aires und rio de janeiro. Da ist vielleicht was los. Ein totaler kontrast zu den anderen kleinem haefchen, die wir auch anfahren. Das standard overnight programm: mittags raus zum shoppen oder lunch, abends dinner und club, oder je nach gelegenheit ein strandspaziergang. Ja, das war schoen in rio. Wir waren in ipanema essen und sind dann an diesem bilderbuchstrand ei stueck des weges wieder zurueck. Am ende sind wir dann auf einem platz am hafen ein abschieds bierchen trinken gewesen und haben dort die halbe crew getroffen.
Um ehrlich zu sein, habe ich von brasilien nicht allzu viel gesehen. Die armut dort ist ueberall sichtbar und dementsprechend gefaerhlich ist es auch. Vom typischen flair habe ich nicht viel gespuert, eher huren, bettler und kleine kinder nachts allein auf der strasse schlafend. Echt krass. Das macht einem das herz bluten und wieder einmal gewahr wie gut man es hat. Genauso wie die beiden staedte sollte man auch mal salvador gesehen haben  ). Das erinnerte mich ein ganz kleinJ(wenn man schon mal in der gegend ist  wenig an freiburg, wegen den kleinen gaesschen und dem kopfsteinpflaster. Ein paar junge leute haben am markt eine buehne fuer ihr capo’eira und ueberall verkaufen sie bilder regionaler maler. Sehr bunt, sehr schick. Das war auch der einzige ort in brasilien, an dem man richtig merkte, dass man sich um die touristen sorgt. Viel sicherheitspersonal und auch nicht ganz so baufaellig.
Gestern haben wir den vormittag halt auf devil’s islands gemacht. Ich habe den abend vorher alles schon fuer den vormittag vorbereitet gehabt und konnte so bi 11 raus und auf die Isle de Royal. Das war vieleicht schoen. Innerhalb von einer halben stunde konnte man die insel umrunden, vielerlei getier und ein wunderschoene flora & fauna sehen. Im mittleren teil haben sie die alten gefangnisgebaeude zu museen umgebaut, was sehr sehr interssant war. Da das ja zu franzoesisch guinea gehoert war natuerlich auch alles franzoesisch, aber ich hab totzdem viel von dem verstanden. Also am meinen geburtstag 18undirgendwas haben sie begonnen die gefangenen dort auf eine der anderen zu bringen. Das sind naemlich 3 stueck. Nett was?! :O) Paolo und ich haben dann noch ein zigarettenpaeuschen auf den klippen gemacht und sind dann wieder zurueck und an die arbeit. Das war echt erholung, nachdem wir doch recht viele groesse staedte oder seetage in den letzten woche hatten.

In zwei tagen sind wir in barbados und ein weitere crew member verlaesst uns. (Man hat hier so seine paar leutchen mit denen man mehr macht und sich unterhaelt als mit anderen) Ich bin ja immernoch traurig, weil einer schon in rio ausgestiegen ist. Dann in 17 tagen die naechste. Hm, wir lassen und einen gebuertigen abschied aber nicht nehmen und gehen in einem resort (auf ner klippe) zu lunch. Soviel zum thema erfahrungen :O)

Ja, ansonsten laeuft der job (ja, ich tu hier auch was) ganz gut. Ich hatte zwischenzeitlich ein bisl trouble, war aber nicht fahrlaessig verschuldet. Ich musste leider feststellen, dass ich nicht alle infos zur hand habe, die ich eigentlich braeuchte (zumindest fuer irgendwelche extra-events) aber hinterher wissen es dann ja sowieso alle besser. Ich war schon ganz schoen sauer fuer ein paar tage, aber wenn man sich mit den koechen gut versteht, dann ist man schnell wieder aufgemuntert :O)

So, dann schicke ich euch mal ein paar sonnenstrahlen rueber...zzzimmmm...bis bald...
Liebe Gruesse...Katarina

This day's port was St. George's, Grenada.  This is the Spice Island known for their nutmeg and other spices.  With no planned tour, a friend, my husband and I decided to hire a taxi and let the driver show us his island.  How hard is it to find someone reliable?  It is a process!

From where the ship is docked, passengers must pass through a building with a security check point (for returning passengers) and a small shopping mall.  Inside this mall, there are "taxi/tour brokers."  These gentlemen listen to what you would like to see, then work with a driver on price.  Once a deal is made, you meet the guide who you should review details of what you want to do and see.  We had approximately 3 1/2 hours before meeting our daughter and son-in-law. 

Our driver began by telling us a little about Grenada.  He showed us parts of the city, both modern and historic, before leaving the metro area for the sights of the island.  The first thing I noticed was the devastation Hurricane Ivan brought to the island in 2004.  There are homes without roofs that are uninhabited, churches with no roofs, blue tarps covering some buildings, and a lack of tall trees.  The storm stayed over the area for a long time with high winds and lots of rain.  Once the storm moved on, nearly all building sustained heavy damage.  A few have been rebuilt, others are still in the process, and there are many yet to have the first bit of renovation done.  Most all of the nutmeg trees were destroyed leaving many without a livelihood.  We were told that new trees are hard to come by, and take awhile to establish.  Some farmers are just now working to replace their cash crop, but won't be able to reap benefits for a few years to come. 

On our travels away from the city into the center of the island, we were given our guide's prospective of the area.  He pointed out trees, fruits, and vegetables unique to this area.  We saw a very old banyan tree not damaged by the hurricane, several small shops selling spices, local animals, and beautiful flowers growing in the wild.  Our destination was the Grand Etang National Park.  Our stop was at the visitor's center and museum and Crater Lake.  The best view of the lake is just outside the visitor's center.  There is an admission charge of $2.50 USD per person.  The center has a pictorial history of the area, and views all around one of the highest points in the park.  There are modern restrooms, a place to eat, local women dressed in brightly colored costumes (they will pose for pictures for a small fee), a local band playing tropical tunes, lots of beautiful flowers and vegetation, and several monkeys unique to the area.  These monkeys look for bananas brought by the tour guides.  Food will entice the creatures closer to the visitors.  Once a banana is scored, they peel, eat, and scamper off! 

During the drive back to the city, our guide stopped by one of the spice vendors.  There we were shown about the nutmeg.  Locals use all of the nutmeg.  The hard shell is used for packaging, but once was used for bowls.  Other parts are used, but the very inner "nut" is grated for the spice.  We also were shown and got to taste the chocolate "nut" and saffron.  For $25 USD, I purchased a basket full of spices grown and packaged by locals.  We were also treated to several pull off spots where there were beautiful views of the city of St. George and surrounding areas. 

One stop was in the Annadale area for a view of a waterfall.  Several women were dressed in colorful costumes with head gear made of fruits, vegetables, and flowers just waiting for visitors to pose with them for a picture and a small tip.  A short walk to the falls had several locals selling nutmeg strands to freshen your closets, spices packaged for cooking, and local jewelry and crafts from their tables.  Once in the area of the falls, we experienced the famous (?) Annadale Jumpers!  For just you (and everyone else around), the jumpers will climb to a spot high above the falls and jump into the pool below the falls.  They will ask your name before heading to the high point, and when they are ready, will call out to you to get your camera ready where they will perform the jump just for you.  When they come back to the viewing platform, they will pose for pictures with you - of course, all for a small tip.  This process goes on and on as long as there are visitors. 

From there we traveled to a high point overlooking the city.  A newer stadium has been built commissioned for the government by the Chinese.  This has been built to encourage growth since the hurricane, and in turn the Chinese have been given fishing rights surrounding the island.  There are so many still devastated by the hurricane and recovery seems to be happening very slowly.  Even government buildings are yet to be repaired.  Coming down from the high point, we were shown many of those buildings.  We also passed through St. George's tunnel.  This very narrow tunnel has stood the test of time and is a major street within the city. 

Our tour cost $60 for the three of us.  Our guide/driver was very knowledgable having lived his whole life on the island.  He had a nutmeg farm before the hurricane, and now acts as a tour guide and taxi driver. 

To meet the others for the afternoon, we had to go back to the ship.  The security check point was very busy, but was able to keep up with the number of people passing through.  That morning, we had arranged for an afternoon trip to the rum distillery for the five of us.  We met a driver/guide and loaded his van for our trip to the distillery.  We passed through several different parts of the city, again listening to the guide relate interesting facts about the island.

The distillery is a short distance from town about 20 minutes.  Upon arrival, I thought the place had closed.  Instead, we were given a short tour from a long time worker of the plant.  To my knowledge he never did tell us his association with the company, but I have a feeling he was more than just a casual worker.  We received a private tour for our group of five.  Starting with the old equipment behind the main building, we were shown the old water wheel, the area where the sugar cane was boiled and separated, the old still and newer equipment used in the rum making process.  Inside, a small museum displays items previously used in making rum and other old artifacts unique to the island.  Our tour concluded with a rum tasting and a chance to purchase our favorites.  A short, but very informative tour.

On our way back to the pier, our driver showed us the local fire department (my husband is a firefighter), and gave us some more information about Grenada and St. George's.  The fee was very reasonable at $10 per person, and we were back in plenty of time to board the ship.

A reflection of Grenada - definitely devastated from hurricane Ivan and another that closely followed.  An island in need of industry and tourism to return to the area to help the economy get back on their feet.  A very unique island with spices galore!  Worth a visit?  Oh my, YES!!!!!

We spent today in port at Grenada. We docked at the capital St George, where it was announced that no people wearing camoflague print would be allowed on the island. I am guessing this was either due to an enlightened sense of fashion on Grenada, or a legacy of the 1984 US invasion. We walked up to the old French built fortress (Fort George, built between 1706 and 1710) and looked down onto St George, which is a gorgeous harbour city. Most of the town is built up of low 19th century French and British colonial buildings, with a few tall churches standing out above the low skyline. Most of the churches are still roof-less after Hurricane Ivan damaged 90% of houses in Grenada in 2004. The largest structure we saw was the stadium built for the 2007 World Cup. It was built by the Chinese government as a gift, but now the locals are complaining that the Chinese are getting concessions from the government for local contact work, which they are doing at half the price in half the time of local contractors. The Grenadan economy is still doing quite well so it is only grumbling, but it is interesting at how much influence China is building in the small countries around the world with soft power, while avoiding confrontation with the US.

We then drove inland into the rainforest of Grenada. We visited the Grand Etang Lake (a volcanic crater lak) and went on a walk to the Seven Sisters waterfalls, where several a few locals made a dangerous living by getting tips for jumping down the waterfalls. The hike was really nice after a sedentary week, and Lydia went for a swim at the base of the waterfall. After the hike a little boy came up to Lydia and I and wanted us to take his photo, then he said it was his turn and he took my camera and went around saying "cheese" and clicking. He wasn't quite up to aiming the camera, so he ended up taking around a hundred photos of people's feet, it was very cute.

After our hike we walked around St George and had a roti for lunch (which was fantastic). We visited the spice stands by the harbour and just enjoyed the walk around the town. We also watched the ferry unload both cars and cows.

After we had to reboard we tried watching a movie under the stars (Transformers) but it was terrible. We saw the milk and cookies brigade (they wander around with a backpack full of milk and a basket of freshly-baked cookies then they use a squirt gun to fill up your glass with milk and give you a cookie to dunk it in). We then had a formal dinner and Lydia went to the onboard musical and champaigne fountain, while I am having a quiet night.

Spent a couple of weeks at the Rex with my wife and son, 3 years old at the time. The hotel claims to be child friendly but we found it extremely hard for the staff to cater for a kids type club throughout the day. They maintained that it was because there was not enough staff and therefore not cost effective to open up the kids club. So advice is to either go deep into the tourist season or don't rely on the Rex to provide the services advertised.