Last time we were in Grenada, which was in December of 2000, we’d started and ended a Moorings crewed charter with our parents in Grenada. Our last night aboard the boat was spent in True Blue Bay. The bay is an especially pretty and cozy one, lined with attractive flower-festooned homes and anchored by a small resort which managed to be colorful without being garish. Our crew, Mick and Charlotte Forster (who we ran into on this trip, incidentally), spoke warmly of the owners of the resort, as well as the couple who were running a small yacht charter operation.
When planning this trip – which would include a stay on land as well as a bareboat sail – I was inspired by my memories of the last trip to choose True Blue. And, with the Moorings having closed their Grenada operation in Secret Harbour, we chose Horizon Yacht Charters to sail with. Alas, once we finally arrived in Grenada this time around, it was dark – and late – so we didn’t do much more than find some food and drink and get ourselves to bed. Rick and I were assigned to a True Blue room (and we had a Bay View room after our sail), while Emily got an Indigo room.
Morning revealed a brilliant land and sea scape, as the weather was clear and sunny, the way it would be throughout our trip. Mick and Charlotte reported that this “dry season” had been a fairly wet one, so the vegetation was especially lush – even on the coastal peninsulas, which are significantly drier than the rainy interior. The brilliant colors of the resort – blues and yellows and oranges – were enhanced by green plants and rioting blossoms everywhere. Every breeze brought a waft of floral scent. Gorgeous.
The colors at True Blue may be brilliant and distinctive, but they are nothing more than an echo of their surroundings.
Though this was our fourth visit to Grenada, our more recent travels have been to the Out Islands of the Bahamas. In contrast to Grenada, these are low, limestone islands which support limited plant life. The water colors of the Bahamas are unparalleled, but the landscape – though austerely beautiful – is limited to a handful of colors: the blue of the sea, the white of the sand, and the green of the casuarinas, sea grapes and palms. Our eyes had the pleasant task of adjusting to the extravagance of color on Grenada.
It’s not just color which is extravagant in Grenada. It’s also the richness in cuisine which is coaxed out of fertile-ness of the land and the bounty of the sea. To eat well in other Caribbean locales is often a question of what comes in on the last mail boat or supply plane. Not so here. We ate extremely well here – both when eating out and when provisioning our boat -- focusing on local food. Some dining highlights include:
-- True Blue’s restaurant is colorful deck suspended over the water; the railings are lined with fairy lights, creating a magical ambiance for evening dinners. Most mornings, we enjoyed our included breakfast here,
Boats at anchor in the protection of True Blue Bay on Grenada's southwest coast.
which included fresh-squeezed soursop juice, fresh-baked banana and other breads, local jams and jellies, and on some mornings scrambled eggs, french toast with nutmeg syrup, or pancakes. Dinner was a more elaborate affair, and we thoroughly enjoyed the creole and curried preparations of seafood and meat.
-- Coconuts is a long-time favorite restaurant. Located on the beach on Grand Anse, few things in life are better than grabbing a table in the sand, digging your toes in, and diving into a fantastic island meal. We had a lunch there, as well as dinner on our last night. Our lunch was somewhat disappointing, though I will admit to having something of a hangover, which may have had a role in my assessment of lunch. As a lover of callaloo, I ordered that for lunch, together with a fish sandwich. The callaloo seemed a bit under-flavored (even pepper sauce didn’t help) – the most disappointing offering of the week, and my “fish sandwich” was a club type preparation with a meager filling of fish salad/paste. As well, the atmosphere was not ideal, as there were loads of cruise ship daytrippers about, attracting the attendant glut of vendors and hangers-on.
Dinner was a different matter altogether, a perfect cap to a great week. We started with a table on the beach (the sunset was a stunner), but at the same moment, a cloud of flying ants decided to hatch, encouraged by the overnight rain. We moved ourselves indoors and enjoyed a great dinner, starting with awesome pumpkin soup, moving on to fish creole and lobster, accompanied by sweet potatoes or christophene au gratin, and finishing with nutmeg ice cream. Yummy!
-- Sur La Mer: no visit to Morne Rouge is complete without a lunch at Sur La Mer. Since it was Sunday, the menu was somewhat limited, but you’ve gotta love any place which welcomes grubby, sandy and underdressed beachgoers with a friendly attitude, cold drinks and fresh food. Rick made the poor decision of ordering a burger (he wanted a fish sandwich, but it wasn’t on the menu), but I enjoyed creole chicken and Emily had grilled fish. We finished our visit by trying to find an appropriate mixer to go with the inevitable Westerhall (or was it Clarke’s Court?) rum, and the lady at the bar produced tasty Angostura bitter lemon-lime soda. Like Ting, a new favorite.
-- The Aquarium: The Aquarium is the most attractive restaurant we visited in Grenada. And that’s not a small thing to say, since there are many beautiful places to have a meal. Situated on Pink Gin Beach and carved into the side of a rocky cliff, it’s hard to believe you’re in the shadow of the airport here. High vaulted ceilings, a view open to the beach, lush plantings, and water features make this a special spot. The food is delicious as well, focusing naturally on seafood. Unfortunately, while our service was excellent to start, by the end of our meal, our waitress disappeared and we – yawning and struggling to stay awake – ended up having to hunt down our check. I understand “island time.” I even enjoy the enforced slowing-down which results. But sometimes it goes too far.
-- Red Crab: Remembered from our first trip to Grenada way back when, I looked forward to re-visiting the Red Crab when we were anchored in Prickly Bay. It took a little doing this way, as we had to traverse a good distance by dinghy and then tie the dink up to a tree on the beach, and then make the short hike over. But it was worth it for what I thought was the best meal of our trip. Great callaloo and great curried lambie.
-- La Sagesse: We had lunch here when anchored in St. David’s harbour (they kindly sent a van for us), and Rick and I had lunch here on our last day while exploring. La Sagesse is a signature Grenadian experience. Located on a curving grey-black sand bay bordered by regiments of tall palms, the restaurant places you within hearing of the surf, right among the sea grapes. La Sagesse wins the prize for the trip’s best callaloo, as well as tasty fish sandwiches and a creole fish wrap.
Our experience with boat provisions proved similarly bountiful. Because we didn’t want to spend our precious vacation time grocery shopping, we opted for custom provisioning with Horizon. Unlike some Caribbean destinations where food selection is sparse, Grenadian food shopping is a much more rewarding experience, especially when it comes to produce. The rich soil gives life to super-sized vegetables – a coil of 18 inch long green beans give testament to that! Yet no flavor is sacrificed for size, as the tomatoes we got were the sweetest I’d had since summer. In a land of endless summer, this should be no surprise.
Of course, the landscape and food are only some of the “color” provided by this amazing island. True Blue Bay Resort is but one example of boldly colored architecture. While the homes of the richer denizens on some of the southwestern peninsulas wear tasteful pastel coats of paint, homes of the islanders wear vibrant colors proudly – a bold counterpoint against all that lush green-ness of the landscape. And market time in Grenville is a cacophonous explosion of color, sound, and motion. Yet, the different-complected faces of all the friendly people we encountered bore one striking similarity: the openness of their smiles.
It was heartening to note that recovery from Hurricane Ivan’s devastating effects is ongoing. The plant life is filling in, though it’s common to see barren trees, beheaded palms, or buildings in need of repair. The island looks nothing like the
Nope, it's not radiation! Grenada's rich volcanic soil, tropical climate, and plentiful rain and sunshine yield supersized veggies.
pictures following the storm, and a newcomer would probably not notice much amiss. Having been here before, we noticed things missing or in transition, and know that complete recovery will take many years. But at this point, no potential visitor should feel any trepidation about making the trip.
-- True Blue’s restaurant is colorful deck suspended over the water; the railings are lined with fairy lights, creating a magical ambiance for evening dinners. Most mornings, we enjoyed our included breakfast here, 
