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“Welcome to Spice Island” was the very first thing I learn as I approached the arrivals desk. As an avid foodie with a penchant for journey, it was as if these phrases have been written particularly for me.
This was my first expertise of the West Indies, a sub-region of the Caribbean well-known for its paradise seashores, lush panorama, vibrant tradition and, after all, top-tier rum. Whereas hotspots like Barbados and Antigua draw most of the vacationers, Grenada is one thing of a hidden gem. Final yr, solely round 370,000 intrepid travellers touched down on the island. Evaluate that to Jamaica’s 4.3 million and it’s a drop within the ocean.
Hallie, the advertising and marketing supervisor at Mount Cinnamon, my resort for the week, met me outdoors. On the quick drive to the resort, she schooled me on the island’s historical past. Grenada provides round 40 per cent of the world’s nutmeg and mace, I learnt as I breathed within the tropical air and mountainous surroundings.
Our first cease was a tapas and tacos expertise on the resort’s bar and grill. It was located on Grand Anse seashore, a two-mile stretch of white sands close to the island’s capital, Saint George’s. Because the solar sank low, dragging streaks of molten orange throughout the sky, I understood why it’s thought-about one of many Caribbean’s greatest seashores.
There was extra to return, nevertheless. A ten-minute stroll away is Morne Rouge Bay, a crescent cove enveloped by fuchsia bougainvillea, Grenada’s nationwide flower. Taylor, a neighborhood yoga teacher, informed me that the fish tacos at La Plywood, a pastel-painted beachfront bar, are to die for.
The subsequent morning, I principally wished to snuggle beneath the covers of my king-size mattress, which was completely positioned by the floor-to-ceiling home windows. Alas, head chef Janice was ready for me downstairs for a cooking demonstration and I might really feel my abdomen rumbling. Regardless of having a lifelong love affair with meals, I’m the primary to confess I’m no Nigella. At house, my fiancé does the cooking and I do the consuming. However the tables had turned, and with Janice’s affected person steerage, I used to be capable of whip up tuna steak marinated in coconut oil, served with a plantain salad and pineapple salsa.
My subsequent cease was the Belmont Property. Positioned within the northeast of the island, this Seventeenth-century plantation was established throughout the colonial period, when its foremost crops have been sugarcane and low. Staff would have been enslaved folks till nationwide emancipation in 1834. Based on Grenada’s Nationwide Archives, the then proprietor Robert Houston claimed £5,024 in compensation for the lack of labour on the time, and the property continued to function with waged staff.
In 2002, the plantation opened to vacationers, and it now affords an perception into natural farming, with excursions showcasing tree-to-bar chocolate manufacturing. The native house owners have labored to rework its oppressive previous right into a thriving enterprise that empowers the neighborhood and preserves the surroundings. I joined the traditional tour, the place, for simply EC$16 (£4.46), I learnt how cocoa beans are made into chocolate, tried cocoa tea and visited the chocolate manufacturing facility.
Historical past is in all places on the island. On the drive to Belmont Property, my information, Krishna, spoke of “his Grenada”, sharing private tales and a cultural context. Stopping on the island’s outdated airport, which now homes Chilly Struggle relics, he defined that, outdoors of Cuba, it’s uncommon to search out indicators of the previous USSR within the Caribbean. But there I used to be, nose to nose with the remnants of a Soviet crop duster and an outdated Cubana Airways plane from the Grenadian revolution in 1979.
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All of the whereas, we have been listening to “Jab Jab”, a sort of call-and-response music with island origins. Because of a handful of native artists, Grenada’s carnival – often known as Spicemas – has turn out to be one of many greatest within the Caribbean. Held yearly in August, it’s a cultural celebration full with vigorous avenue events and conventional music.
From the chaos of the town to the calmness of the rainforest, I labored off the copious chocolate by mountaineering to the Seven Sisters Waterfall. The 40-minute trek in Grand Etang Nationwide Park results in a sequence of beautiful cascades and funky mountain swimming pools. Lion, my new information, informed me I used to be surrounded by Earth’s “pure pharmacy”. He picked indigenous herbs and educated me on their therapeutic powers. Swimming beneath the waterfall, I’d by no means felt so zen.
One other day introduced one other exercise: the coveted Spice Foodie Tour. My host, Curtis, declared that Grenada is the “greatest place on this planet”. I bought the impression that locals are fiercely pleased with their nation. Grenada gained independence from the UK in 1974, and in all places I turned there was a mural celebrating the 50-year anniversary, all the time painted within the colors of the nationwide flag. Curtis informed me that inexperienced symbolises Grenada’s lush vegetation and agriculture, yellow represents the solar and heat of the folks, and crimson stands for braveness, unity and concord.
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We had breakfast at D Bamboo, an genuine restaurant at Mount Parnassus Plantation. Served in a repurposed bamboo bowl, I savoured saltfish souse and fishcakes. Later, we stopped by a gasoline station the place I attempted my first ever doubles, a scrumptious Caribbean avenue meals consisting of fried flatbread, curried chickpeas, chutney and a spicy pepper sauce. I washed it down with a shot of under-the-counter at Mark’s Sports activities Bar, a potent, domestically made spiced rum that usually exceeds 70 per cent alcohol. Belief me after I say one is sufficient.
However maybe the star of the present was my last meal of the entire journey: oil down, Grenada’s nationwide dish. After every week studying in regards to the island’s reference to spices and spirits, I discover myself within the charming hillside house of Chef Kennedy, proprietor of House Hospitality.
Throughout a three-and-a-half-hour class, I learnt methods to prepare dinner the hearty, one-pot stew from scratch, earlier than settling down for dinner on his terrace. Constructed from breadfruit, dumplings, meat, salted fish and callalloo, the dish is cooked in spices and coconut milk to create a savoury, creamy and tender texture. As we “unpacked the pot”, the aromas drifted lazily by the room, curling into each nook. I couldn’t assist however assume that this was the proper tour for these looking for a style of the island.
My time in Grenada was a deal with for the senses. Grenada is a rustic steeped in historical past, tradition, superb meals and even larger folks. I’ll definitely be again.
How you can do it
Flights from London Heathrow to Grenada with Virgin Atlantic depart twice every week, beginning at £619 for a return ticket. Flight time is from 11 hours, with one cease at Barbados.
Mount Cinnamon Seashore & Wellness Resort is a boutique hideaway impressed by Caribbean life. Its Cinnamon Suites function king-size beds, expansive views and out of doors patios. Rooms begin from £454 per night time together with breakfast, taxes and providers.
Sophie was a visitor of Mount Cinnamon and the Grenada Tourism Authority
