John had arranged with a local tour company, to take the four of us on a six hour tour of Grenada. Our driver and guide Marcus picked us up at 10 am and off we went to see the sights.

The van we rode off in was spacious and Marcus was a perfect host – insuring we were comfortable and asking if we needed anything.

Marcus gave us a brief history of Grenada. Grenada has the lowest crime rate of any other Caribbean island. Grenada does not have an army… Only police departments. Years ago, countries wanted Grenada because of its spices, nutmeg being the most important.

The head of the government is the Prime Minister, however, he/she is not elected. The PM is appointed by the Governor General, who acts on behalf of the monarch, who right now is King Charles III.

The United States invaded Grenada in 1983 in a military operation code named Operation Urgent Fury. It was done primarily to protect American medical students in Grenada and also to prevent the expansion of a Cuban and Soviet influence in the Caribbean. A new long runway was being built at the time with assistance from Cuba, which raised fears that it could be used for Soviet military planes.

During the operation, several hundred American medical students were rescued, Soviet and Cuban influence was mitigated, and a democratic government was restored in Grenada. 24 Cubans died in the operation as well as 19 American soldiers.

Grenada has had several names reflecting its indigenous roots and colonial history, including Camerhogue by the Caribs, Concepcion by Columbus, La Grenade by the French, and finally Grenada by the British, pronounced differently than Grenada in Spain. It is also famously known as the “Spice Isle”.  In 1974, Grenada declared its independence from Britain.

We passed cocoa trees, which we have seen on other trips, but this time we learned that the trees are pollinated by mosquitos, no-seeums, and gnats.

Marcus took us to a waterfall, but before we arrived at the falls, we bought spices from a vender that Marcus recommended. The falls were lovely and a great photo op.

Marcus took us to the highest point in Grenada, to the park where monkeys reside, and to some beautiful overlooks. The monkeys were not out at the park, even though Marcus tried very hard to entice them to make their presence known, so instead we had fun feeding the Koi fish.

We visited a chocolate factory and tasted some different chocolate and then we purchased some to take home. We also bought chocolate nuggets with spices that you boil in two cups of water, add sugar, and enjoy as a hot cocoa.

After tasting the chocolate we went for lunch and the guys had a shot of the “manly potion” made from the Bois Bande bark, along with a glass of water to follow it up. It was pretty strong (hence the water) but does it really work? Time will tell! 🫢

Then we enjoyed a Grenada signature dish…Oil Down. Oil down is a stew of breadfruit, salted meat, chicken, dumplings, callaloo, and vegetables stewed in coconut milk and spices.  It was delicious!! We also had a drink made of coconut water and nutmeg. The whole meal was $20 for Allan and myself. What a deal.

Then we did a rum tasting and we were feeling pretty, pretty, pretty good by the time we were ready to go back to Sandals. .

It was a great tour and we thank John for finding it for us. We experienced so much of the culture of Grenada! A perfect day.

We met at the living room for a drink and then we went to the Tipsy Turtle for dinner. We had fish and chips but they must have sat out before being delivered to our table, because everything was kind of soggy. Disappointing.

Then the night came to an end, and it was bedtime.

Memorial to the 24 Cubans who died during Operation Urgent Fury

US war monument honoring the 19 US soldiers killed during Operation Urgent Fury

Delicious coconut water

Overlooking St. George

The Athletic stadium

This flower felt exactly like fake plastic.

At the waterfall

The highest point in Grenada

We fed the Koi in the water

The guys had a drink of a mixture made of spices and bark and liquor… Said to give a man potency. It was pretty powerful stuff and Marcus gave them both a drink of water to counteract the drink. Oh boy!

Oil down

Sampling rum. It was a lot of fun. In the center is our guide and driver Marcus

We had a nice breakfast this morning…I had two poached eggs, spinach, and fruit – and I was a happy camper. Allan enjoys a bowl of oatmeal in the morning – a nice healthy choice, but then he negates the health benefits by following the bowl up with a slice of banana bread laced with chocolate . Decadent!

We took a walk along the beach after breakfast and then sat by the pool until lunch. Today’s lunch menu was Caribbean fare and we tried many of the dishes and they were very good.

After lunch it was time to go to the Travel Loyalty Program to book another vacay for next year. We booked Barbados for a week in January 2027 right before our India trip with Overseas Adventure Travel. We did get a great deal since we are Sapphire level now, and we have the option to postpone the trip into 2028 if need be.

We went back to the pool and I enjoyed a quick dip…and then…Val and Mike… If you are reading my blog… Allan and I ordered BBC’s! Remember those BBC days??? We’re convinced that although these were very good… Mike… Yours are better!!

Then it was back to the room to get ready for our photo shoot. While we were getting ready, a different butler – Mikey- delivered a cheese platter and shrimp cocktails for us and told us that one of our regular butlers, Shane, had had an accident and would not be present during the evening shift. We were so sorry to learn this and we hope Shane will be okay.

We went off to our photo shoot and the photographer did a nice job, but set up too many kissy-kissy photos. At our age… One or two are enough. The rest look contrived.

We met Lisa and John for dinner at Soy, the sushi restaurant, and enjoyed albacore tataki with sesame dressing and leeks, and we also ordered seared tuna with Wasabi. Allan had the eel as well. We also enjoyed Champagne Lobster rolls, with avocados, and soy yuzu pap. Delicious!

We ordered some more tuna, but sadly…we were really full and couldn’t finish the last few pieces. But… Since there are a lot of cats roaming the grounds, I decided to smuggle the tuna out when we left and I fed it to one of the cats. That cat thought he had died and went to heaven!!!

After dinner, Lisa and John went with us to the photo shop to help us choose our free 5×7 photo. After much deliberation, we finally chose one shot and ordered it digitally so we could send the digital copy to Shutterfly to have a 5×7 made.

Then we all went to the “living room” and watched the show for the evening. There were amazing Caribbean drummers and dancers and of course, when they asked the audience to participate in one of the dances, I volunteered. It was a lot of fun and all in all…a fabulous evening.

Tomorrow we have a tour booked so we’re looking forward to that. Night night!

During our walk along the beach

It was very windy and the surf was pretty wild.

The coconut is gone. Happy to say… We survived!! 😂

The clouds were so lovely

Enjoying a BBC

The dancer

Photo shoot pic. The wind was certainly blowing!

The day dawned sunny and a bit hotter than any of the Grenada days so far, but the breeze is always wonderful and sitting under the umbrella by the pool is very relaxing.

We had a nice breakfast and then walked down the beach to the end and afterwards, spent the morning at the pool. We enjoyed the drink of the day (no clue what it was, but it was a lovely shade of blue) and did some reading.

The time goes by very fast and before we knew it, we were ready for lunch. I had a huge salad and a nice glass of white wine. We went back to the pool for a bit and then near 3:00, we walked with Lisa and John over to the dive shop to board a boat that would take us for a 45 min ride up the coast. We wore our bathing suits, since we had to board the boat in knee-deep water.

The boat ride was very nice and the guy who gave the commentary showed us where Oprah Winfrey has a home and another area where many Hollywood stars and important people go to be incognito for their stay. There are many hotels and B and B’s along the coast – one that started out to be a competitor of Sandals. Unfortunately, they opened right before Covid hit and really never recovered. There are beaches for the local people to enjoy and one in particular has an area for kids that are handicapped to swim at, where the waves are always calm so the children can enjoy the waters.

One hotel is owned by an Egyptian businessman and our guide said that you always know when he’s in town since his yacht, that is anchored in the water, is huge.

After the boat ride, we went back to our room and I swam around in our swim-up for awhile. Snacks had been delivered to the room and we enjoyed some of those. (We were a bit disappointed though, since they forgot to include the chocolate chip cookies. Talk about being spoiled!!!!)

Allan and I went over to the Martini Hour at 5 and the bartender made a great filthy martini for me. I regaled the bartenders about saying the words “olive juice” and how it looks line you’re saying “I love you!” (I’ll wait while you find a mirror to check that out before returning to finish reading my post LOL!). They were amazed and said they were going to tell their girlfriends. I aim to please. Allan asked for a vodka martini with a twist over ice, but the bartender made it straight up instead. Allan drank it anyway.

We chatted with another couple who were Diamond level at Sandals and they said they’ve been to Sandals Grenada resort seven times. They often go off the resort for dinners and they have their favorite restaurants in the towns.

They said that the Beaches resort in Turks and Caicos, where Allan and I took some of our family for our 50thv anniversary, was one of their favorite resorts and they have taken family there years ago when the resort first opened. They said sometimes, they go back just by themselves, they love it so much.

While we were chatting, the heavens opened up and it started to pour. We asked one of the bartenders if this was just a passing shower and he said no… It’s probably going to last.

We were quite a distance from where we wanted to go for dinner, so we had to brave the rain. We were totally drenched within minutes and halfway to the restaurant, we stopped and grabbed some beach towels to put over us.

We realized we had to go back to the room to change since we were dripping wet, so after putting on dry clothes, we donned our raincoats, grabbed the huge umbrella Sandals provides in the room for guests, and made our way to The Tipsy Turtle for dinner. I had fish and chips that were delicious and Allan had bangers and mash which he enjoyed as well. We both had a Guinness which paired great with our meal.

After dinner, the rain had stopped and we met Lisa and John to enjoy a violin concert. The young man really knew how to play the violin and he played with passion. We enjoyed the music very much, but I was a little disappointed that he hadn’t thrown in some classical pieces to his repertoire.

After the concert, it started raining lightly, so we bid Lisa and John goodnight, opened our umbrella, and walked back to our room.

It was a wonderful day!

Along the coast

Guinness. (I’d already sipped some!)

We enjoyed breakfast with Lisa and John and then Allan and I booked our complimentary photo shoot for later this week.

Shane got us perfect chairs at the pool…in the shade, but we can move our chairs over a bit if we want to be in the sun. I asked him to please try and get this same spot for the rest of our time here. The beach is beautiful, but the beach chairs are not as comfortable as the ones at the pool.

The heavens opened up for about ten minutes, but being under the umbrella, we were spared getting wet.

We had an Asian lunch which was very good (weirdly…no chop sticks) and then it was back to the pool. The water was lovely. Even though the temp outside is warm, the breeze is balmy and keeps things nice and cool.

A man from Smithtown, Long Island started talking with us and he said he had been to Koenigs restaurant in Floral Park, since he had worked for the LIRR. He grew up in Howard Beach and went to Jamaica HS. I told him I was a Queens girl from South Ozone Park and went to John Adams HS. We chatted for awhile, and the man on the chaise next to me said…”I couldn’t help but eavesdrop, but even if I didn’t hear you say you were from Queens, NY, your accent definitely gave it away!”. Wait…I have an accent???? Why do people keep telling me that???

We went back to our room and got ready for the return guest cocktail hour and dinner, and we met up with Bonnie and Jim and enjoyed dinner with them.

Before we went into dinner, the Sandals staff recognized those who have been loyal guests. After so many vacations, you move up to the next level with perks. Bonnie asked me if we’d be getting recognized and I said no, we’ve only had three vacations with Sandals. I literally just said that to her when they called Allan and Irene Leslie up to be recognized. Wha?????? We had our picture taken and Allan was given a tie tack and I was given a necklace. Apparently, we moved up to Sapphire level. Who knew!

We had great conversation with Bonnie and Jim and the others at our dinner table, but the dinner was a disappointment and nothing like what we had in St. Lucia for the returning guest dinner. The lobster tail was covered in some kind of lemon sauce. I didn’t eat it.

Bonnie and Jim live in Connecticut, so since we go through CT to see our son and family in Massachusetts, we decided to try to meet for lunch the next time we travel through.

After dinner, it was back to the room for a good night’s sleep.

A drink from the roaming bar tenders. Sipped and tossed. Yuck!!

Allan drank his but it wasn’t the greatest.

Aaahh. This is more like it!!! Delicious margarita! This is my island go to drink for sure. It’s the only time I ever drink one! (And given the copious amounts of salt around the rim… My cardiologist is going to be thrilled!!!!!)

Soup at the dinner

Our new friends Bonnie and Jim. They live in Connecticut so when we travel to Massachusetts to visit family, we hope to get together on the way for lunch.

You can’t tell from the picture, but the necklace and tie tack are actually a lovely shade of blue.

This morning we had breakfast in the French restaurant. I had the eggs over easy with baked beans and whole wheat toast. It was delicious. Allan had eggs over easy as well, and also added a serving of oatmeal. (He’s so heath conscious!! LOL!)

We went to the beach, but Allan wasn’t feeling quite up to par, so we decided to go back to the room. He napped for a while and I enjoyed swimming in the swim up. I had it all to myself which was lovely.

There were some rain showers on and off all morning, but they weren’t a problem, and we met Lisa and John for lunch. I ordered mussels in white wine and garlic, but what came definitely was not what I ordered. There were five mussels in an oily spicy tomato sauce. Yuck! And the other lunches that everyone ordered weren’t the best either. So after everyone else finished their lunch, we went to the patisserie and I had a crepe with Nutella. (I know…don’t say it!). Allan and John had ice cream and Lisa had a tart. I ate only about a fifth of my crepe, but it was very tasty, and certainly better than the mussels.

The manager’s Meet and Greet was tonight followed by a dinner party on the beach. Lisa and John were planning on joining us for the dinner, but the sky looked angry with rain clouds and we decided to find a restaurant and eat indoors instead, just in case the heavens opened up while we were eating on the beach.

The Italian restaurant we all went to was excellent. I had spaghetti with a crispy chicken cutlet along with a Caesar salad and a caprese salad and Allan had the Caesar along with penne and shrimp. Everything was very good.

While we were dining, our third butler Shane, whom we had not met as of yet, came over to the table and introduced himself to us. We chatted for a bit and he asked us what he could do for us to make our stay wonderful. So far, we’ve been spoiled with the butler service and it was fun to splurge on it for this vacay.

We wondered how the butler knew where we were. I thought because we always give our room number when in a restaurant, he might have found us that way. But John said there probably was a tracker in the phone they gave us, that we use to keep in contact with the butlers during the day, which made more sense.

After dinner, we went back and read a bit before lights out.

Breakfast at the French restaurant

Enjoying a margarita!

Nutella crepe

We slept late and then enjoyed breakfast at Spices buffet. Our butler Samuel procured chairs for us at the beach and he also saved chairs for Lisa and John right next to us, which was very nice of him, but Lisa and John had already found chairs almost right next to us, so it all worked out.

Samuel gave us a cooler filled with water and soda and we enjoyed the beach all morning. It was breezy and delightful. We met a lovely couple who were sitting next to us at the beach, Bonnie and Jim, and we enjoyed their company. Since they are returning guests, as are we, we decided to meet up with each other at the manager’s dinner on Tuesday evening and have dinner together.

Around 12:30, Samuel brought us some coconut shrimp and some chicken to munch on for snack and then after about an hour, Allan and I went for a dirty New York dog at the hot dog stand. They were nothing like the real NYC dirty dogs, however.

I joined Lisa and John at the pool and we chatted with a delightful man from the U.K. and then I went back to our room and lounged in the swim up pool for a little while.

After a nice shower, we watched a little BBC to get caught up on the events in the world and then John and Lisa stopped by for a drink as we walked with our butler Antonio to Soy restaurant for sushi and sashimi.

The food was delicious…soup, veggie spring rolls, and many delicious tuna, eel, and salmon delicacies. We did the food justice and then we went to listen to a concert at “the living room”. The sax player was probably one of the best we’ve ever heard. There were some singers after him as well as a dancer, but none compared to the sax player.

And then it was off to bed, as another day in paradise came to a close.

Water cars like jet boats.

Evening concert

We left early on the morning on Saturday so we didn’t go to sleep and we were picked up at 1 am. Our friends Lisa and John are traveling with us. The plane rides were fine but American isn’t my favorite airline. The meals were subpar. Unfortunately from Philly, American is the only game in town.

We went through the immigration and customs lines that took forever, and then we arrived at Sandals.

We decided to do butler service this time around at Sandals and our butler met us and took us to our room. We have a swim up and it really is lovely.

We all were pretty tired, but we went to the steak house for dinner. My dinner was delicious, but Allan liked his lobster tail but not the steak.

We bid Lisa and John goodnight and we went to our room. It’s Allan’s birthday today and our butler had our room decorated and had a hot bubble bath waiting for us on our patio, replete with flower petals, and twinkle lights that twinkled all around. It was lovely and romantic.

We were really tired and after soaking in the bubbles for a while, we went to bed.

Happy birthday Allan!!

Welcome snacks

Romantic evening

Our swim up private area