Currently, Granada is one of the most interesting tourist countries in the small Antilles. And, although it is sometimes better known as one of the Caribbean tax havens, it has powerful reasons to visit it. Volcanic landscapes, fascinating trekkings, postcard beaches, Amerindian and Creole cultures, good opportunities for snorkeling or diving ... and a long etcetera. Hence, it is an essential stop on the cruises that are made by the Caribbean islands. I had the opportunity to meet her in this way, through a cruise through the Lesser Antilles by Pullmantur, which originated in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and took us to islands such as Martinique, Barbados, Saint Vincent, and the Grenadines, as to Granada itself.
What to see and do in Granada? Tips for a full trip or stopover during a cruise
Granada is an island to which you can take a lot of advantage, either during a trip focused on this country or, what is more common, during a stopover during a cruise. If you want to know this island and take advantage of your stay do not miss this dozen of tips that I have compiled after my passage through one of the great bastions of the Caribbean.1. Pay close attention to the colorful and interesting Saint George, capital of Granada
In the capital of Grenada, Saint George, where around 35,000 people live, there is much of the colonial essence left on the island by both French and British. Unlike other Caribbean capitals that are completely anodyne, Saint George has rhythm and color as soon as you step foot in its main port. It is a city full of sympathy and Creole traditions insight with the gift of photogenicity that, from Fort Saint George, built by the French at the beginning of the 18th century on a promontory, makes it a captivating one. The old fort, despite its more than worrying state of preservation (awaits some police facilities), is a must, even if it is to aim with your eyes (and the camera) at the sights of the many canyons that point to the city, to the mountains and to some privileged beaches hidden in the bay.
If you can, in addition to climbing the fort, get lost in a street market (those of fruits, vegetables, and spices can get a lot of juice) and take a walk around Carenage, an inlet used as a port since the beginning of the colonization of the island and, particularly, the most adorable and picturesque area of Saint George. Around this mini-bay of turquoise waters, there are houses in the Georgian style and you can see fishing boats, in addition to sailboats, large yachts, and boats that go to Carriacou, one of the Grenadines of the south and another of those small paradises that They wait on this side of the Martinique channel.
All this you can do on foot from the port, although steep slopes await you. In this city, as on the whole island, the plains do not seem to exist.
2. Take a bath in a paradisiacal beach with transparent waters
It is not necessary to dig too much to find on the island of Granada a good sample of postcard beaches of those that give to take a bath in its crystal clear waters and lie down in the shade of a coconut tree. Less than half an hour from the port is the famous Grand Anse Beach, a long beach of fine white sand with at least three kilometers in length. On the other side of the inlet is Morne Rouge Beach, declared by some global media as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. And it is only five minutes away from Grand Anse and well connected by road!
In the southwest of the island, La Sagesse Beach hides its curvature next to a landscape of mangroves. When you are three-quarters of an hour by car from Saint George, not many tourists arrive. If there is paradise, it has to be similar to La Sagesse.
3. Practice snorkeling in the park of the submerged statues
The coral bottoms that remain on the western and southern coasts of Granada are a must for diving and snorkeling enthusiasts. But this island also has an attraction that draws attention to visitors, regardless of their expertise at the time of diving to see what is under water. In Moliniere Bay, north of Saint George, is The Underwater Sculpture Park, the first park with underwater sculptures from around the world. In 2006 more than sixty figures created by the British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor was deposited in the background with two objectives, to help the recovery of damaged corals after Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and to show the art from another point of view, which exists and it is observed under the sea.
4. Visit one of the plantations of the island of spices
In the middle of the colonial period, the French and British landowners realized that it was necessary to diversify the business and go beyond sugarcane. The land and climate of Granada were ideal to grow spices and thus be able to introduce them to a profitable commercial wheel. The number one was (and is) nutmeg but also paprika, clove, cinnamon, ginger or turmeric, which are important ingredients in Creole cuisine in this part of the Caribbean. Also, the cultivation of cocoa or banana became an economic pillar of what would then be known as the island of spices.
Fortunately, large and historic haciendas of the colonial era are preserved in which today you can feel, smell and taste what comes from the plantations. So a fantastic way to live with the five senses of the island of spices is to visit some of these immense plantations, also prepared for tourism. The best known and recommended are Belmont Estate (in the north of the island, with more than three centuries of history and headquarters of the Grenada Chocolate Company, that is, a visit for the very chocolatiers), Dougaldston Spice Estate in Gouyave or the factory of nutmeg processing Gouyave Nutmeg Processing Station. For those who prefer a rum distillery, which also exists, the oldest and most interesting are Dunfermline Rum Distillery (In Saint Andrew), River Antoine Rum Distillery (In River Antoine, St. Patrick, considered the first in the Caribbean) or Westerhall Rum Distillery (In Saint David).
5. Soak your feet in a volcanic lagoon
Granada, like much of the Lesser Antilles such as Martinique, Saint Vincent, Saint Lucia or Guadalupe, is an island of volcanic origin. The curiosity lies in that both in the center and in the north of the island there are lakes flooding old craters. The best known is the Grand Etang Lake, the heart of the National Park to which it gives its name. The surroundings of the lake are a rainforest ecosystem and it is normal to find at least a slight veil of fog. There are several trekking routes from there, although for the fans of the contemplative life there is nothing better than sitting on the wooden pier and putting your feet in the water of the volcanic lagoon to feel the touch of the tilapia and enjoy the reeds doubling with the wind.
