Grenada Beaches» st. georges

Christmas in Paradise Part 3

Gooch — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:51:44 +0000

This is Part 3 of Christmas in Paradise by Oliver (Winchester, UK). If you have not read Part 1 or Part 2 of Oliver’s Christmas in Grenada you should do so first before continuing.

Culinarily speaking, our greatest triumph was the cooking of seven (yes, seven) lobsters, which we collected direct from the boat in Lower Woburn.

My New Friend

As we feasted on the delicious meat, I reflected that the cheapest lobster I’d seen on any menu was 75 EC dollars, while we’d paid just 100 EC for all those lobsters. Bargain!

Lobster Feast

We planned to eat out as much as possible but in the end (no way were we going to risk drinking and driving), we ended up walking over the hill to Le Phare Bleu on several occasions, as it was just a five minute walk from the house.

Vastra Banken Swedish Lightship

We didn’t risk the beautiful but pricey Västra Banken lightship itself but found the Poolbar restaurant a great place to chill with nice food, very cheap Happy Hour Carib Buckets and live music of varying quality.

We disgraced ourselves by allowing our guard dog to follow us into the complex, whereupon she promptly stared a dogfight in the middle of the restaurant, scattering the diners in terror.

Our Dog Coco

This is by no means the “real” Grenada, by the way, more the sanctuary of well-heeled European yachtie types, but still a beautiful place to relax.

Talking of Carib Beer, I’m afraid I’m addicted. We adventurously ventured to the brewery itself and bought two crates, which I’m embarrassed to say I single-handedly emptied in a week. It’s nectar.

Carib Girls - Le Phare Bleu Happy Hour

We just had to try BB’s Crabback in St George’s, as Giles Coren had pronounced it the “best restaurant in the world”. I don’t think even BB himself would claim that, but the food was indeed delicious and he fitted us in without a booking, even though an entire touring UK cricket party was also there. We left before it got noisy.

We sadly didn’t make the highly recommended Fish Friday in Gouyave, but other random places we tried included an incongruous but rather sweet German restaurant on the harbour, the aforementioned Mangrove Hideaway (while the lights still worked) and the more upmarket Dodgy Dock, great for plane spotting.

But none of them could match the simple majesty of the rotis at the Hard Wood Snacket in Carriacou, where we’d taken a day trip with the Osprey (shockingly referred to by the locals as the “Vomit Comet”). But that’s another story.

One thing’s for sure – no future Christmas will ever measure up to this.

Birgit and Oliver

Some Grenada Pics circa 1970s

Gooch — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:17:40 +0000

Here are some pictures of Grenada from the 1970′s , and more recently. They come to us compliments of Jerry Rogers in the USA. A Big Thank You to Jerry.

It will be obvious to you which photos are from the 1970s.

Jerry and his family lived on Grenada from 1976 – 1980. He was the pastor at the Westerhall Berean Bible Church. They have visited Grenada many times since, and in his words:

“We have never gotten over the beauty of the Island and especially beautiful St. Georges”.

Many of Jerry’s Pics of Grenada in this album are of the Carenage in St. George’s, and it’s easy to see the contrast between the 1970s and 2000s. But my favorite old pic is of the Old Lighthouse at Point Salines, it brings back memories from my youth.

Do you have old or new Grenada Pictures that you will like to share with us? If yes, then contact me here.

Grenada Discovery Train

Gooch — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 02:15:46 +0000

A unique new attraction is coming to Grenada!
Starting this December, Grenada Discovery Train will offer the only tourist sightseeing train in the town of St. George.

This charming and unique trackless tourist train will be performing several trips during the day on a daily basis throughout the city of St. George.

Founder Gerrit Van’t dack has been working on bringing this unique Tours and Sightseeing venture to Grenada for 4 years and is really excited his venture or as he likes to call it his Child.

When asked about his motives for starting the Discovery Train concept in Grenada, here is what Gerrit had to say:

Of course I am not doing this purely for philanthropic reasons, I do hope to make a living out of it, but in creating this new and unique sightseeing service I will be contributing to Grenada’s economy in general, and more particular to the small merchants in St. George’s that often remain hidden from the cruise ship tourists, or tourists in general, simply because they are in parts of the town that are usually not visited.

He went on to add

I am convinced that this new attraction is more than just a commercial initiative. As you know, St. George’s is not very inviting to explore on foot for elderly or less mobile persons, many of whom also enjoy cruising/vacationing in Grenada. Grenada Discovery Train will be big help to this group.

The town of St. George is also deprived of really specialized city tours. Most existing tour operators look at the inland of Grenada, which is nice enough, but it’s not all that Grenada has to offer. With the city sightseeing tour that Grenada Discovery Train will be offering we will open parts of the city previously unknown or less visited. This will help local merchants to benefit and thus invest in their trade.

In the end this will be a win-win-win:
A win for the local merchant previously deprived of tourists spending
A win for Grenada (St.George) because it has an extra unique attraction
A win for the tourists because they will get to explore parts of the town they didn’t even know existed.

And I will like to add a well deserved win for Grenada Discovery Train… if they pull it off… l hope they do.

Gerrit hopes his decision to invest in Grenada serves as a reminder to Grenadians that even in dire economic times, some people still believe in the island and love it and its people so much that they want to make it their home and try to repay a little to the community.

So with that I’ll like to welcome The Grenada Discovery Train to the Spice Isle.

Check back here to find out how to get in touch with them to explore St.George’s in a charming and comfortable way. DON’T MISS THE TRAIN!

BB’s Crabback Restaurant, A Visitor’s Review

Gooch — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:53:44 +0000

If you are in Grenada, you MUST eat at BB’s Crabback Restaurant! It is by far the best food on the Island. The chef/owner, Brian Benjamin (aka “BB”) was born in Grenada and professionally trained in Europe, and the food represents a perfect inter-mingling of the two… Grenadian and European… the best of both worlds.

Everything is fresh, local, and unimaginably delicious. My personal favorites are the Crabback appetizer, and the Prawns in lobster sauce. I can’t rave enough about pure deliciousness of this food!

As if the fabulous food isn’t enough, the restaurant is in a great location, downtown in the heart of the capital, St. Georges, on the Carenage, literally sitting over the ocean. It is casual open-air dining with a million dollar view, watching the boats drift by on the crystal turquoise waters of the Caribbean.

You will be enthusiastically welcomed and waited upon by BB’s British wife, Anna, who will chat you up about everything you need to know in Grenada. And she will probably know your uncle’s wife’s sister’s hairdresser!

The whole experience will leave you ready to sell all your belongings and move to Grenada…that’s what I did!

- Clare Salthouse

Ocean Grill Restaurant

Gooch — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:01:23 +0000

One of my friends picked Ocean Grill Restaurant as a good place to have a few drinks and a bite to eat. It was an excellent choice and we had a great time, as did the many tourist from the cruise ships who were popping in and out of the restaurant.

Excellent View and Atmosphere

One of the things Ocean Grill Restaurant has going for it that you will like is the view. I always thought Nutmeg Restaurant had the best view, but Ocean Grill’s view is 10 times better, and more accessible.

Both restaurants are located on the Carenage, but in addition to the scenery of the Carenage, at Ocean Grill you will also enjoy the view of the up and coming Port Louis Marina (Lagoon Road), and you can also see all the way down to Grand Anse Beach.

Here are some pictures of the view:

Food and Service… Two Thumbs Up!!!

The food was good. They did not over cook my fish.. thank goodness. Yes, that’s my litmus test these days. Far too many Grenadian cooks seem bent on cooking the hell out of a piece of fish. Like the dreadfully tasting thing, masquerading as a Grilled Sword Fish Steak on my plate at Nutmeg Restaurant.

I’m happy that Ocean Grill got it right… let’s hope they are consistent.

I had a fish sandwich with fries. The lettuce, tomato, and cucumber were all fresh, the fish was well seasoned and succulent, and the bread tasted like it just popped out the oven.

My buddy had stewed fish with sauteed potatoes and steamed vegetables. He loved it.

Our waitress got an A+.

She was friendly
She checked in on us sufficiently
She got your orders correct
And most importantly, she kept the Carib Beers flowing.

What more can you ask of a waitress?

Now go check them out

I don’t know what the mood is like for dinner, but from what I saw during the day, this is a good causal hangout to get some drinks, a bite to eat and catch up with friends. Great for lunch, or for when you need a break while on tour of St. George’s.

Give Ocean Grill Restaurant a try next time you are in St. George’s, and do let us know how you liked it. If you have been to Ocean Grill before leave us a comment below to tell us how you liked it.

Video of The Carenage, St. George’s

Gooch — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:38:42 +0000

Here is a short video of the Carenage in St. George’s Grenada’s capital. The lack of steadiness is not a direct result of too many Carib Beers, we were actually on small speed boat.

St. George’s Market Scene Pictures

Gooch — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:50:14 +0000

This weekend you should go to the market. Visit the St. George’s Market in Grenada on a Saturday morning, to get the freshest, and widest selection of fruits, vegetables, and spices.

Farmers and vendors island wide come to St. Georges Market Square to sell their produce. Friendly chatter, and back and forth haggling, fill the air as buyers and sellers engage in this age old Grenada Market tradition.

It’s a fun, and safe experience that you will enjoy just by mingling, and observing the local folks. But most of all think about all those delicious tropical Grenadian fruits that you will taste for the first, and not to mention the fresh Grenada Spices you can buy to take home.

Here are some pictures of a typical morning market in Grenada.

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How about you, have you been to the market in Grenada?

What did you like best?

Pictures of St. George’s Grenada

Gooch — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:00:23 +0000

Here are some pictures of St. George’s, Grenada’s capital. Although it has retained some of its beauty, the town of St. George has lost a lot of its distinctive character. For example, the red titled roofs of the buildings are no more.

The ruins of the Catholic, Anglican, and Presbyterian churches tells a story of Hurricane Ivan’s devastation.

St. George’s is still Grenada’s liveliest town and the center of business. Enjoy the pictures, and if you want to add your photos to the album contact me here.

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Fort Frederick

Gooch — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:24:00 +0000

Fort Frederick Grenada

I’ve always wanted to visit Fort Frederick. And while on Christmas vacation 2005 I finally made it up there. There isn’t a whole lot to do or see on Fort Frederick itself. But there are many things to see from Fort Frederick.

One of the first things that got my attention from up there was the Prison. It is walking distance from from the Fort. In that prison Bernard Coard, and others serve out life sentences for executing Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, and other cabinet members back in 1983. This bloody episode played out on Fort George which is also visible from Fort Frederick.

It’s kind of ironic that these guys are now in the same prison that they once oredered many to be placed. Orders that they may have been issued right from Fort Frederick, which was a strong hold of the Peoples Revolutionay Army.

I happen to be one of those wierd people who love history, and I especially love West Indian history. There is nothing like standing on a 200 year old colonial Fort, like Fort Frederick to fire up your imagination … Cannons, Pirates, and what life must have been like for the British and French soilders who were stationed here.

Just as every other fort on the islands there is a story. The stroy behind Fort Frederick goes something like this…

In July 1779 the Bristh was attacked by the French General d’Estaing. The British had fortified positions on Fort George, so d’Estaing with 10,000 men decide against engaging the British from the sea.

Instead he landed his men higher up the western coast, marched them inland and then attacked the British where they least expected it … from within on higher ground.

The British loosing the high ground advantage, and prepared to defend only a sea attack, quickly gave in to the French. The French not wanting to suffer the same fate as the British immediately begun construction of forts on the higher ground to the east of Fort George.

One of these forts was Fort Frederick. Its purpose was to protect the town, and Fort George from attacks coming from the interior.

As you will see judging from the view of the town, and harbor from Fort Frederick, I think you will agree that the French picked an appropriate location to erect the fort.

Before the French completed construction, the British once again got back Grenada under the Treaty of Versailles. The British having learned their lesson, did the sensible thing, and finish the job.

Return from Fort Frederick to Sunshine Tours in Grenada