Grenada is called the spice isle due to all the different spices grown there but I think it should be called the friendly isle because of all its friendly people. I’ve visited several Caribbean islands and have not felt nearly as welcome as I did in Grenada. It appears that Americans are especially welcome since our military removed the Russian sponsored Cuban-led communists from control of their democratic government in 1983.

On our first day in Grenada we visited St George’s, the capital city and were greeted by a local resident who served as our tour guide through the city’s historical sites and open market. We bought spices and produce from the vendors in the open market, shopped the fish market, and toured the historical sites overlooking St George’s.

Our guide explained that Americans are welcome in Grenada because the US returned Grenada to democratic government in 1983 after 4 years of increasingly communist rule by Maurice Bishop. Bishop overthrew the democratic government with a paramilitary attack on the government. Bishop suspended the Grenada Constitution and aligned himself with Cuba as he implemented a socialist and communist influenced government. The communist government sought to encourage support by favoring communist party members in the allocation of food, housing, medical care, and jobs. In 1983, the hardliners lead by Bernard and Phyllis Coard launched a coup on the government of Maurice Bishop, executing him and his cabinet during a public speech at the fort atop St George’s and implementing martial law. Within a week, the US launched a military invasion which led to the arrest and conviction of the top political and military leadership of Grenada on charges of the murder of Maurice Bishop and other government officials. The pre-revolutionary, Grenadan Constitution was resumed after the invasion and the country remains an independent democracy today.

The roads in Grenada are not well marked and it is easy to get lost on the island. In fact, it is expected that tourists will get lost and the Grenadans are always helpful in getting you headed in the right direction. Navigating the island requires a map with monuments. Monuments are buildings with the name inscribed on the building. It’s quite hard to see the inscriptions in the day not to mention impossible at night. After dark it can be very challenging to see the road, especially with oncoming high beams. The country roads are narrow, rarely have any lane or boundary markings, and drivers haphazardly drive in the middle. City roads were built after the fact and are so narrow that one worries about falling into the drainage ravines on the side of the street. Driving around in Grenada can be quite an adventure but this should not discourage you from exploring the island. We found ourselves totally lost one night on the way home from dinner, pulled to the side of the road to ask directions and a few minutes later a woman flagged down a neighbor going in our direction who offered to escort us to our villa.

Panorama of sunset from Rolling Surf villa

Speaking of villas, we stayed in one of the most amazing villas, called Rolling Surf. Rolling Surf is located in L’Anse aux Epines right on the west facing waterfront at Prickly Bay. The view and sunsets are spectacular from the main living area which is an open air design. The house is appointed with the best of everything from the kitchen appliances and cookware to the beds and furniture. Cherieann, the housekeeper, keeps the place looking pristine. Garbo, the gardener is there everyday to water and care for the landscape which he designed and installed himself. There are other staff to maintain the pool which we did not see but know they were there. The three bedrooms and private bathrooms are also top tier (no photos though) with individual air conditioning units for each bedroom. The attention to detail in the modern architecture is outstanding and the lighting allows for setting any mood desired.

Panorama from inside the Rolling Surf villa

We found this villa through rental agent Nick Hughes of Spice Isle Villas, who lives up to his reputation as Condé Nast Traveler‘s reader’s top villa consultant in Grenada. Nick answered all my detail questions about the villa, staff, and location right down to providing a pdf of the floor plan and personal photos of the rooms. Nick arranged for us to be picked up and dropped off at the airport by Cat-Eye also know as “Yellow Man” because of his bright yellow clothes. Nick also asked me for our initial list of provisions which he personally went shopping for and delivered to the villa before our arrival. Nick arranged for our rental vehicle to be delivered and picked up at the villa which is a nice convenience. Nick also arranged for us to charter a crewed catamaran sailing yacht for two days. Above and beyond the call of duty, Nick borrowed a Dell notebook computer for us to use during the two weeks we were at Rolling Surf after discovering we forgot the battery charger for our notebook. What else can I say, he is a first class operator.