OK, I will just come out and say it–my five-night visit to Spice Island Beach Resort in Grand Anse, St. George, Grenada, was my greatest island vacation ever! This Five Star AAA Diamond and Six Star AAHS Resort Award Winner–one of only seven in the Caribbean–is the only truly family-owned hotel of this calibre. Sir Royston Hopkin and family run SIBR hands on and make sure every detail is kept to the five star calibre, while making sure their resort keeps a “homey” feeling. This is not easy to do, but having only 64 rooms (that range on the average of 1200 square feet including private outdoor courtyards and pools) helps them keep everything just as the customer likes it. Rooms are about $1350 a night average in the high season, but you get a lot of bang for the buck. I checked out all the different types of rooms and they are truly all suites and each has something unique and special about them–whether it be a balcony, pool, ocean front with personal hammock and daybed on the beach, balcony or extra large marble bathroom with soaking tub and rainfall shower. (The size of the larger bathrooms is equivalent to a small New York apartment, I kid you not!) It is important to note here that pool suites cannot be shared with children under 12 for reasons of safety, and that the main pool closes at six pm for the same reasons. SIBR really places family safety of utmost importance.
SIBR is an all-inclusive resort with unlimited gourmet fare designed and executed by the widely heralded Jesson Church. He fuses local cuisine with French, Mediterranean, Italian and American fare to come up with some fantasy-like creations. You can find anything from prime rib to barracuda on the menu on any given night and Friday night’s buffet night is truly something extraordinary where Mr. Church pulls out all the stops. You will be mesmerized by the Roti (which is usually available in a vegetarian curry version) and the homemade pasta, but the local seafood and fruit are something you cannot get anywhere else and you will sorely miss them when you leave the resort.
The staff is so friendly and attentive and when you get to the lush main pool area to lay out all day (like my friends and I like to do), you will have drinks offered to you about every 15 minutes. The same staff that will set you up with lounges and towels at the pool will set you up with the same at SIBR’s gorgeous beach. While it is not technically private (all Grenada beaches have to be kept public), it is never crowded, so you can spread out. The ocean water is warm (close to 90 degrees a lot of the time), blue and crystal clear. Best of all, it’s directly in back of the hotel so you won’t have more than a five minute walk to it from any room!
There are many wonderful amenities–I fell in love with Janissa’s Spa which is at a semi-secluded area of the resort. There is a gorgeous meditation fountain in the center and state of the art mani/pedi stations and massage rooms. Anyone at the hotel can use the state of the art gym that is on your right immediately upon entering Janissa’s. I got a hot stone massage by Mavis and I strongly suggest it to everyone who stays at the hotel (Sir Royston gets one here every week, BTW). It is the most complete hot stone massage that you will ever have and includes hot stones between all your toes, on your stomach and on your back. Mavis is attentive to the level of pressure that your want and asks what your problem areas are before starting.
If you want to venture off the resort, there are wonderful tours fromhttp://www.grenadatours.comthat anyone at the front desk can sign you up for. This brand of tour was hand selected by the Hopkin Family because of the local historians working as guides. You can choice 4 1/2 to 8 hour tours that include visits to spice farms, waterfalls that you can wade in and even local chocolate factories. You can walk to the next beach over to take on some snorkeling or ask someone at the front desk to get you signed up for a snorkeling tour that includes the world famous Underwater Sculpture Garden.
For more information, go tohttp://www.spiceislandbeachresort.com. There are direct flights to Grenada on Jet Blue from JFK Airport in NYC, and pretty soon their new Mint service will be going there as well. As mentioned before, this was my best island adventure ever and I was impressed that the SIBR picks up and drops off all guests at the local airport. You will be given the royal treatment on your way in and on your way out and will be touched that everyone knows your name and is always willing to make your experience at SIBR the best possible!
