When is a paradise island not just a paradise island? How about if you throw in two idyllic sister isles, a culinary capital and a sense of calm so powerful that it could put wellness apps out of business? Frequent flier Ally Wybrew heads off to Grenada – and Carriacou and Petite Martinque – the beach-filled, spice-flavoured gem of the Caribbean

The flight

Flights (now three-times-a-week) make a quick stop in St Lucia before heading on to the silky sands and cerulean seas of Grenada. Just over ten hours after wheels up, you’ll land at Maurice Bishop Airport, a mere 20-minute hop from the island’s lively capital, St George’s.

The more you know: Grenada’s busy season runs from December to April.

The hotels

Mount Cinnamon Resort & Beach Club
Smattered across the hillside overlooking Grand Anse Beach, the terracotta-tiled suites that comprise this peaceful resort allow for blissful sleeps in spacious, well-equipped surrounds. Wake to a world of songbirds, trickling fountains and a delicious Caribbean breakfast, accompanied by endless ocean vistas.

Calabash Luxury Boutique Hotel & Spa
Rhodes Restaurant (yes, that Gary Rhodes) is the main attraction of this boutique, family-owned hotel (pictured above) in boat-speckled Prickly Bay, but its luxurious suites, divine spa and on-site scuba-diving centre are also quite the draw. Visit the Beach Club for a relaxed afternoon of ocean sounds and the best tacos bajas on the island.

473 Grenada
Near enough to the attractions but far enough away to feel remote, 473 Grenada is an exclusive retreat made up of nine expansive villas that have direct access to two secluded beaches anda 70ft infinity pool. We love its ethical focus, which includes sourcing kitchen ingredients locally and displaying local art (available for purchase) on all the walls.

The food

Jouvay Chocolate
Let’s just say you won’t have any trouble satisfying your sweet tooth on this cocoa-crazy isle. Take a tour of the Diamond Chocolate Factory (one of five on the island) to experience the bean-to-bar production line before sampling its addictive output. Our fave is the 60 per cent nutmeg-infused bar washed down with a banana and chocolate smoothie.

BB’s Crabback
This harbourside joint, decked out in wooden boarding, nautical debris and bobbing-boat views, is the perfect location to tuck into the hefty (but moreish) national dish: oil down. Dumplings, sweet potato and breadfruit mix with meat, fish or veg, plus iconic Grenadian spices. Feeling brave? Try the hot sauce. It’s practically flammable. 

Patrick’s Homestyle Restaurant
If tasting all the Caribbean has to offer in one sitting is what you’re after, long-time roadside restaurant Patrick’s 28-dish tapas spread is just the ticket. Savour baked aubergine, stewed pumpkin, fish in pineapple sauce, curried chicken, stir-fried rabbit and crawfish – and that’s just for starters. Needless to say, arrive hungry.

The dives

All the wrecks
Grenada’s ‘wreck diving capital of the Caribbean’ badge says it all. Whether you’re in it for the marine life (moray eels, lobsters and shoals of fish love to congregate around old metal), or the ghostly visuals, the options are endless. Our faves are the Bianca C (the largest wreck in the Caribbean), King Mitch and Veronica L.

Carriacou
The larger of Grenada’s little sisters, Carriacou is a diver’s paradise, with a wealth of walls, reefs and drift dives dotting its underwater coastline. Head to Barracuda Point and The Sisters Rocks to view a range of intricately grown soft and hard coral, plentiful fish and, more often than not, napping nurse sharks and hawksbill turtles.

Artificial reefs
Providing a flashy new home for struggling marine life, Phil Saye’s GAARP project just off Grand Anse Beach is a collection of 49 breezeblock pyramids now housing slipper lobster, eels, boxfish and fireworms. In only three metres of water, it’s a superb snorkelling spot.

Don’t miss: The world’s first underwater sculpture park – and one of National Geographic’s 25 Wonders of the World – on the south west of the island. 

The festivals

Chocolate festival
Chocoholics will want to visit during the annual Chocolate Fest (next on 17-21 May 2023), which celebrates all things cocoa, mixing educational talks with one-on-ones with growers and producers – not forgetting tastings, tours and trails through the cocoa forests. This year’s event saw chocolate-tasting yoga meditation, chocolate cocktail-making and one helluva closing street party.

Spicemas
Grab your feather boa and don your flashiest outfit, because in the first week of August Grenada’s biggest festival gets into gear. It starts with a wave of musical competitions – where calypsonians, power soca and groovy soca artists vie for the title of ‘Monarch’ and endless bragging rights. During the following street parades, Devilish Jab Jabs, Ole Mas performers and Short Knee bands fill the air with music, dancing and delectable street food. Want to impress? Make a donation to the troupe to earn a sprinkling of talcum powder.

Carriacou Maroon and String Band Music Festival
Immerse yourself in local Maroon culture by celebrating life and prosperity to the sounds of guitars, ukuleles, drums, keyboards and more at this annual jamboree. As well as singing and dancing, native rituals are a big part of the celebrations, including hypnotic ‘smoke food’ eating.

The adventures

Hiking
Heading off road anywhere here means Narnia wardrobe levels of transformation. Climb the steep, 258m Welcome Stone and be rewarded with unrivalled views of Sugar Loaf, Green Island, Isle du Ronde and Isle du Caille (pictured below). Or follow the Petroglyph Path to marvel at ancient Carib workstones dating back to AD700, chase waterfalls to Rainbow Falls in St. Mark or explore the verdent Grand Etang National Park. 

Aquatic activities
Experience the ocean via sailboat, kayak, paddleboard or good ol’ snorkelling from almost anywhere along Grenada’s picturesque coastline to be mesmerised by views above and below water. Don’t forget to look inland, too, where the island’s warren-like river system offers adrenaline-fuelled experiences such as Balthazar River Tubing in Balthazar, St. Andrew.

Off-road thrills
While Grenada boasts a fair few ecosystems (rainforest, mangrove, dry scrub – the works), its hidden jungle scene is the one best discovered behind the wheel of an ATV or dune buggy. From crystal-cool waterfalls and sulphur springs to blowholes and bizarre rock formations, off-roading takes you to all of them, and in tidy time, too.

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