I am not sure why I picked this destination other than the fact I had been thinking about it a lot...weird. Anyway, Grenada, or the Islands of Spice, are about as far south in the Caribbean as you can go. Pretty much right off the tip of Venezuela and the furthest point south in the Atlantic that I have been. It consists of the main island Grenada, and six smaller islands in the southern Grenadines. It is absolutely beautiful there!
The history is quite fascinating for an island so small. It was first sighted by Columbus on his 3rd voyage in 1498. (The man puts modern day cruise itineraries to shame!) It was inhabited by the native Caribes and they called it Camahogne. The Spanish didn't settle there and the English failed at it in 1609. In 1649, the French did settle it and drove most of the native people out or killed them. The typical French, British, French, British thing took place through the 1700-1800s when the island finally settled in as British crown colony.
Independence was granted in 1974. Nice and calm then right? Not even close. I'm going to try to summarize what happened next. The government was rocked by a series of uprisings and takeovers that basically lead to a military party in control that had communist ties to Cuba and the Soviet Union. This did not sit well with neighboring countries or the United States. Grenada was a perfect port and was building a huge airstrip that was assumed from which the communists could shuttle insurgents into South America and throughout the Caribbean. So, the United States controversially invaded Grenada on Oct. 25, 1983 by order of President Ronald Reagan. (Seems a bit of a mismatch to me, but the cold war stuff was pretty serious) The pre-coup government was reestablished and the country moved forward. What a history for such a tiny island!
There must have been some reason for all of the fuss. Location, beauty and resources. Grenada is one of the spice capitals in the world. Nutmeg was introduced when a bunch of trees were left by some merchants. Now Grenada supplies 40% of the worlds supply. They also produce cloves, ginger, allspice, mace as well as wild coffee and cocoa beans. These all equal 20% of the worlds entire spice exports. One of my favorite things that I ever purchased in the Caribbean was spice necklaces that I hung up at home and the smell was amazing. As it went away, you simply wet it down and the smell comes back.
I have been to Grenada twice. The first time was in 2004 and the island had just been walloped by Hurricane Ivan. Ninety percent of the homes were damaged or destroyed so much of the tourist industry was not functioning at the time. We went through the streetside markets where the people are friendly yet not too pushy and bargains abound. I collect shells and got a Trident's Horn and Queen Conch for a total of $10. It would have cost me $150-$200 in Key West. I went back again in 2007. I got to see what Grenada was truly like...amazing. I went diving and it was spectacular. Healthy reefs, lots of fish with an underwater art gallery that had man made statues of all types. I would go back for a week just to dive. Others in our group went on a party cruise and had a ball.
There are beautiful beaches, the highlight being Grand Anse beach which commonly is featured in the top 10 best beaches in the world. Grenada pioneered organic cocoa production so you can get your fix at the Grenada Chocolate Company. Waterfalls, ziplines, ecotours of the lush tropical forests...it's all here. The residents take great pride in the ecology/preservation of the island so it is relatively safe and clean. Sailing is also big with many races hosted throughout the year. You won't find miles and miles of resorts, but rather a range from posh like the Spice Island Beach Resort to quaint like the Mango Cottages. It's uncrowded leisure at it's best.
Many of the southern route cruises stop here and I would highly suggest looking for an itinerary that includes it. Otherwise, hop on a plane and treat yourself to one of the places in the Caribbean that I consider to be the most peaceful, strikingly beautiful and fascinating. Later Mates!
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