No not Granada, Spain. I’m talking Grenada in the Caribbeans, the “island of spice”.

After clicking around the tiniest of islands above South America on Google Maps, I came across Grenada.

It always fascinates me that the countries we overlook today were so sought out by the revered colonizers of the 1400s (Christopher Columbus / Amerigo Vespucci).

I was curious about the country’s long history of British colonial rule, the peoples love of calypso music, and the intricate dish of “oildown” - a dish that has managed to evade any European influence over the years.

After learning so much about the culture and history of the country, I decided to take a couple days off to check out the island.

Three Days in Grenada:

Ah, the feeling of doing absolutely nothing (partly because I wanted to but mostly because I had no cell/wifi service for five days). Add 2 days for travel days:

Day 1: Grand Anse Beach:
Grand Anse is the beach in Grenada. There is the rare tourist, the herds of kids playing soccer on the beach, and the occasional stand selling its version of Caribbean jerk chicken. The vast emptiness of the beach combined with the finest sand and turquoise water was paradisiacal.

Day 2: Grand Etang Lake + Belmont Estate:
Grand Etang is a crater lake in an extinct volcano. It is absolutely beautiful - a quiet secluded lake where the locals say men have died chasing the mermaids. It is surrounded by waterfalls, tropical birds, and mona monkeys who will jump on you for your banana. An easy half day trek.

Belmont Estate is a cacoa plantation deep in the rainforest. We went there to learn about the history of slave labor in producing cocoa in the Caribbeans and then we were able to make chocolate. A great place to learn how grueling it is to make chocolate.

Day 3: Fort George + the Carenage:
You can climb the historic 18th century French fortress to get panoramic views of the harbor, city, & cannons (which are still used today). There is very little upkeep and we were the only people on the fort - but we figured it was all worth it for the history + views.