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Grand Anse Beach is popular when cruises are docked, but that doesn’t diminish its beauty. White sand and turquoise waters aren’t novel in the Caribbean, but there’s a special quality to Grand Anse, which some call the best beach in Grenada. You can take a diving excursion with Dive Grenada, located along the beach, or head to beach bar Umbrellas for a cold drink while you’re here. Grenada's famous nutmeg industry is still recovering from the 2004 hurricane; the trees take between seven and 15 years to mature enough to bear fruit.
Where You're Docked?
Americans, of course, may remember the island from the 1983 U.S. military intervention. Over two decades later, Grenada is again an ideal vacation spot. St. George's Harbor is a picture-perfect postcard of an idyllic Caribbean anchorage. Known as the Spice Island, Grenada literally blooms with enticing flavors. Nutmeg is the national calling card, but cinnamon, cloves and mace have also been grown here for centuries.
Best Cruises To Grenada
If you wish to explore the island on your own Taxis are fairly priced and can literally take the cruise ship traveler to all highlights, beaches, main sites and attractions. Those docked at the Melville Street Cruise Terminal are within walking distance of the major sights of St. George's, including the Grenada National Museum, Market Square and several pretty churches. The Carenage and the city's forts are just a quick cab ride (or, in the case of Fort George, a steep walk) away. Those docked at the Carenage can enjoy the area's duty-free shops and waterfront restaurants or walk to nearby St. George's. You’ll find your standard guaranteed items like designer goods, jewelry and perfume here.
Carnival Cruises to Grenada
Part of the Terminal is occupied by the Esplanade Shopping Mall which, accordingly, has a profusion of shops. The majority of these are local souvenirs shops but also a few (less than a handful) of the typical duty-free stores that populate the Caribbean, such as Colombian Emeralds or Milano. The Spicemas Carnival takes place in St George's each year, held in the second week in August. The festival celebrates slaves' emancipation and features a wealth of themes, costumes, calypso queens, calypso steel band music, parade through the streets.
Find Cruises to Grenada's St. George's Port
An important cultural event for the people of St. George’s is Carnival in mid-August, an annual festival that celebrates emancipation from slavery in Grenada. Costumes, contests, and themes change, but the event remains spirited and deeply significant each year. While you’re visiting Grand Anse Beach, stop in Umbrellas for a cocktail or a casual bite while enjoying a view of the bay. The menu is comprised of beach bar comfort foods like burgers and hot dogs with a few surprises like yellowfin tuna burgers, conch soup, and catch-of-the-day sandwiches. Don’t leave Grenada without a trip to the National Museum in St. George’s, which has the benefit of being informative, inexpensive, and intimate. It won’t take long to see all of the exhibits, but you’ll leave with useful tidbits of knowledge about French and British occupation of Grenada as well as an understanding of the region’s harrowing slave trade.
Cruise ships dock in Grenada in a long pier perpendicular to the coast where two large ships or three smaller ones can moor. The pier is next to the heart of St George (the capital of Grenada with an estimated population of 112,500). The Melville Street Cruise Terminal, with most services and amenities cruisers require, is at the end of this relatively new pier. Visitors can still bask in the sun on the wide, white-sand Grand Anse Beach, visit the Mona monkeys that live near Grand Etang National Park, or enjoy a lazy waterfront lunch along the horseshoe-shaped Carenage harbor.
Cruises to Grenada
More shopping can be found on Young Street in the downtown area. Grenada itself is known as “spice island,” as spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cocoa are main exports from the area. These crops had an immense impact on St. George’s growth and trade importance throughout the centuries. St. George’s is the capital of Grenada, and it was founded by the French in 1650. The native Carib population were forced out and killed by French forces in the process. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris stipulated that Britain take control of Grenada.
They also serve inexpensive bites like burgers and chips and chicken roti. At this inlet, you’ll enjoy sights of St. George’s smaller fishing boats docked in the harbor while the rest of the city’s residential and commercial buildings fill the landscape. It’s a scenic, leisurely walk that will give you a sense of St. George’s on the way to the market or the Grenada National Museum. With close to 5 million passengers per year the Cruise Port of Miami is the busiest in the World. Located next to Downtown Miami, disembarking/embarking can be far from smooth and at times frustrating when up to 8 mega-ships dock at its massive terminals.
Top 10 Cruises to Grenada, Caribbean
Traditional and unassuming, Patrick’s is a unique find on your cruise to Grenada. The view of the harbor is just one reason to head to BB’s Crabback for seafood and traditional Caribbean cuisine. Jerk chicken, seared tuna, and goat curry are popular dishes. With an overwhelming world of choices, we understand you may need some personal assistance to plan your perfect vacation.
Many of Grenada's hotels are located at Grand Anse, as are numerous water-sports operators who can help you arrange activities such as diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, parasailing and kayaking. House of Chocolate celebrates chocolate in all forms, whether that’s cocoa for sale, hot chocolate, brownies, or cakes. All their chocolate goods are made on site, and there’s even a mini museum dedicated to the history and production of chocolate in Grenada. Grab an ice cream on a hot summer’s day while on your Grenada cruise. Annandale Falls is just a 20-minute drive from the Grenada cruise terminal. The waterfall boasts a 30-foot drop and is surrounded by lush tropical foliage.
Diving and snorkeling are popular activities for passengers on their cruise to Grenada. You’ll be hard pressed to find another place in the Caribbean that gives you the chance to snorkel and dive among underwater sculptures. This protected area is home to detailed art pieces that now double as artificial reefs. It’s only a 15-minute drive north of the cruise port on Melville Street. One of the nicest aspects of calling on a cruise to this island is that St. Thomas is both safe and very easy to explore.
Grenada named top rated cruise destination in Cruise Critic Awards Loop St. Lucia - Loop News St. Lucia
Grenada named top rated cruise destination in Cruise Critic Awards Loop St. Lucia.
Posted: Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:09:14 GMT [source]
Look out for sea turtles along this classically beautiful Caribbean beach. Follow our social media and blog for the latest cruise and travel news, including our best vacation deals. Very close by, just a couple of blocks from the terminal, you will find the Fresh Market that many enjoy exploring and is a great place to enjoy a drink in the shade. The streets in St. George's are steep, with deep gutters running under very narrow sidewalks. Make sure you watch where you are going so you don't turn an ankle -- or worse. Nearly 15 years later, St. George's is as colorful and charming as ever.
You can also rent a car in St. George’s or take public transit on the city’s bus system. Water taxis will also ferry you to Grand Anse Beach or other areas along the waterfront. Grand Etang National Park & Forest Preserve is about a 30-minute drive inland from the Grenada cruise port. It’s home to a crater-formed lake that’s one of the highlights of the reserve. Take a self-guided tour of Morne LaBaye Trail or hike through the tropical rainforest to a set of waterfalls on the steep Concord Falls Trail. It’s the perfect afternoon excursion for hikers and bird-watchers, as the area hosts a wide variety of species.
Known as the “Isle of Spice,” Grenada definitely leaves a flavor in your memories after a visit. There’s a reason for this, too… and it’s more than just the island’s role as one of the world’s most important producers of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and allspice. Meshed somewhere in the tropical air, the winding rivers and the fertile soil — a result of the island’s volcanic origins — is a life energy of a distinctly south Caribbean sort.
Most ships dock at the Melville Street Cruise Terminal, which exits through the Esplanade Shopping Mall and then out into downtown St. George's. Other (mostly smaller) ships dock nearby at the Carenage, a horseshoe-shaped waterfront area with shops and restaurants. Busy port days bring up to three ships, but the vibe here, while bustling, lacks the hustle of some islands. The world-famous Grand Anse Beach is only a 10-minute cab ride away from the port.
And the interior is robust with natural wonders—crystalline waterfalls, lush jungle flora and misty mountains—that are the makings of paradise. Unlike much of the Caribbean, Grenada has remained blissfully underdeveloped thanks in large part to its far-flung location and a rather tumultuous history that saw the rich land passed among colonial holders. This is a quiet island destination that is loud in its untouched offerings.
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