GRENADA: An island created for leisure

Dec 23 2008 By Chris Robinson

I’LL be honest with you. Before this trip I knew Grenada was in the Caribbean but I wouldn’t have been able to find it on a map.

Until recently the island, 100 miles north of the coast of Venezuela, remained largely unspoiled by tourism and sadly hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons following the devastation of Hurricane Ivan four years ago.

This year, however, the Spice Island is undergoing something of a change in a bid to keep up with its exotic neighbours which attract millions both in pounds and people each year.

Property developer Peter de Savary has a vision to transform his childhood haunt, ploughing £300m into the regeneration of Grenada to create a bustling world-class port which he hopes will rival the likes of St Tropez and St Barths, and leave a lasting legacy to its people.

At 12 miles wide and 21 miles long, the island has a population of just over 100,000 and its capital St George’s is where you will see most of the downtown action.

Only minutes after leaving the airport, I became accustomed to the typical Caribbean setting, driving past some rather dilapidated steel huts and spotting my first Rastafarian, dreadlocks and hat (or crown as it’s officially known) intact.

We stayed at the lovely Mount Cinnamon resort. Opened just weeks ago it offers luxury villas and haciendas overlooking the white sands of Grand Anse Beach. Their subtle design nestled into the hillside is a far cry from the concrete resorts staggered on the edge of islands nearby.

The resort is stylish and colourful inside and all the staff are friendly island natives. It also boasts a spa and pool and is within a minute’s walk of the beach.

The main focal point of the island, when complete, will be the marina of Port Louis.

Once a wasteland and home to squatters and squalor, it is now the epicentre of redevelopment plans with maritime giants Camper and Nicholson investing $24m US dollars into the project.

But as well as white sands and crystal blue seas, the island has a deadly past.

During hostilities with the French in the 17th Century, the last remaining Carib settlers jumped to their deaths from a precipice in the north of the island known as Leapers Hill.

Meanwhile, a venture up to Fort George, which offers breathtaking views of the island but also displays bullet holes in the wall from the 1983 coup when political and military officials were executed.

Research has shown the island has already seen a tourism boost of 100% within a year and long-haul flights are now offered weekly from London with Virgin Atlantic.

A short drive into St George’s will let you sample its traditional market, full of fish, spices and fruit and for me the typical Caribbean way of life.

It’s a bustling setting and the stallholders are keen to sell, just be sure to barter well and bring with you Eastern Caribbean dollars.

The green, red and yellow colours of the Grenadan flag are prominent everywhere, the people are very proud of where they come from and wherever you travel throughout the island, you are in for a very colourful journey.

Hurricane Ivan devastated the people of this island and damaged 90% of its buildings which were not built to withstand such ferocious winds – if you look closely, pretty much all of Grenada’s churches still remain without a roof four years later.

But slowly they are rebuilding their lives. You can’t forget this is a country in the developing world and as we drove through a small town, the poverty and social issues these people face becomes clear.

Unlike its neighbours, however, there isn’t a major crime problem.

Ironically the best views of the island were sold to us as being in either the new hospital on the cliff edge or the prison high in the forest.

Maybe one of the island’s finer points is that, largely, it still remains unspoilt by heavy built-up trappings of tourism seen in so much detail among its neighbours.

It does attract the million-pound cruise-liners which dock daily and in turn attracts the locals keen on knowing there is money to be spent.

We stopped off at a rather impressive waterfall where men threw themselves off 100ft cliffs to earn a few dollars.

Talking to one of the brave souls minutes after he emerged from the water, he told me that apart from his first jump when he was terrified, it has just become part of his daily routine.

A visit to the island would not be complete without a venture into 300-year-old cocoa plantation the Belmont Estate, producers of Grenada Chocolate.