WHEN asked what they know about the Caribbean island of Grenada, most people recall the traumatic US-led invasion of 1983.
But having survived this short period of conflict, Grenada is rapidly emerging as a popular tourist destination.
In fact the voice of Radio Free Grenada, which used to broadcast anti-American slogans, is now public relations officer for the Grenada Tourist Board, a sure sign of a country that has put its past upheavals behind it.
The island has all the attractions that can be experienced in the Caribbean: beaches, coral reefs, sailing, resort hotels and a colonial heritage but it also has an unspoilt feel to it.
Nearly all of the island’s 45 beaches are public, and buildings above three storeys are not allowed, so its waterfront skylines are not obscured by giant hotel complexes.
Any tour of the island must start at its picturesque capital, St George’s. Contained within a beautiful, horseshoe shaped bay, the town has many French and English colonial buildings, as well as a bustling fruit, vegetable and spice market.
It is dominated by three colonial-era forts – George, Matthew and Frederick, which not only played a vital part in the skirmishes between the French and the British in colonial times but also in the events of 1983, with Fort Frederick used as headquarters for the People’s Revolutionary Army.
Perhaps the most attractive thing about St George’s is that it is still a living, thriving port. The harbour area, or Carenage (named after the act of ‘careening’ or the cleaning of ships’ hulls that used to take place there) is full of fishing vessels and ferries, which zip between Grenada and its neighbouring islands.
Given Grenada’s nickname of the Isle of Spice, it is hardly surprising that many of the island’s must-sees revolve around the spice industry.
At the Dougaldston Spice Plantation, you can feel, smell, taste and buy a variety of the spices grown on the island – cocoa, nutmeg, cinnamon, all spice, cloves, bay leaf and turmeric – as well as exploring the colonial architecture of the Estate’s Great House and its contrasting slave accommodation.
As well as being blessed with spices, the island is spoilt for another product which is endemic throughout the Caribbean – rum.
The River Antoine Rum Distillery is one of the oldest distilleries in the western hemisphere, and has been operated by the same water mill since 1795. For $2, workers will demonstrate the entire rum-making process.
If it’s natural attractions you are after the island’s interior boasts a mountainous, rainforested area, which thankfully has plenty of waterfalls and streams to cool the sweaty hiker.
Recognising Grenada’s increasing potential, Caledonian Airways has added another weekly charter flight between Gatwick and Grenada. Caledonian, which will operate as JMC Airlines from March 26, now flies to Grenada on Wednesdays and Fridays, with a return fare from £299 including taxes.
TABLE: St George’s: boasts a lively and thriving colonial-style port
Grenada
Currency: Eastern Caribbean dollar – approximately EC$4.2 to the pound.
Climate: yearly average of 27C. Dry season runs from mid-December to mid-May and the rainy season from June to mid-December. Showers are usually brief, lasting less than an hour before the sun reappears.
Time difference: 4hrs behind UK winter time, 5hrs behind British summer time.
Flying time from UK: approximately 9hrs.
Food: mainly Caribbean and Creole cookery, but also French, Chinese and Italian.
Need to know: there is a departure tax of EC$50 for adults and EC$25 for children between 2-12 years of age upon leaving the country.