Grenada

 

Known as the Spice Island, Grenada is indisputably everyone’s idea of tropical splendour.

The flavor of spice enriches and penetrates every facet of life in this laid-back paradise. The land of spice -- nutmeg specifically -- and Calypso music, Grenada is a little Caribbean hideaway best known for the Carenage, the harbor-front shops and restaurants in the capital city of St. George’s that cater to the cruise-ship throngs. But with more than 40 beaches and the remote island of Carriacou, you’ll find plenty of nothing to do as well.
 
Capital:            St Georges.

Currency:         Eastern Caribbean Dollar, US$1=EC2.68 US Dollars widely accepted

Population:      93,000.

Area:                133 square miles (280 sq km)

Languages:      English.

Economy:         Sugar, tourism,
 
Religions:        Anglican and other Protestant churches.
 
Government:    Independent state within the British Commonwealth.
 
Telephone Codes:       - 1 – 473
 
Airport Departure Tax:   US$12.00.
 
Passport/Visa Requirements:   Australian passport holders do not need a visa.

Health Certificates:      None required. Contact health authorities for latest information.

Shopping Hours:          Monday - Saturday 0800- 1600. With an hour for lunch at noon.

Banking Hours:            Monday-Thursday 0800 – 1300 : Friday 0800 – 1200 and 1500 - 1700
 
Time Zone:      14 hours behind Sydney (EST).No Daylight Saving Time is observed.
 
Electricity:        220 volts.
 
Weather
Temperatures generally range from the mid-seventies in the winter to the mid-eighties in the summer.
 
Transport:  
Once you've arrived, travelling around is just as easy, with a variety of car rental companies, taxis and buses. In the capital town of St. George's, there are even water taxis who will take you across the Carenage, to the Esplande or even as far as Grand Anse Beach.
 
History:
If Columbus had come ashore in 1498 when he spotted Grenada in the distance, he would have marveled at the dense rainforests kept lush by scores of waterfalls. The first European settlement, however, was not formed until 1609, when the British dared to infringe upon the island's inhabitants, the ever-ready-for-war Caribs. In 1650, the French commandeered the island. Throughout the 18th century, the island teetered between French and British control. In the end, the British won. In 1877, Grenada became a British crown colony. Three years shy of a century later, Grenada was granted independence.
In 1983, a coup led to a U.S. military intervention. Since the welcomed occupation, Grenada has enjoyed peace, prosperity and free elections.
Grenada's capital, St. George's, with its tile-topped buildings, hugs a deepwater harbor in the southwest that plays host to a bevy of cruise ships. Old warehouses that have been converted into quaint restaurants and small shops front the harbor area, known as the Carenage. Follow the Sendall Tunnel, a 350-foot-long excavation that bridges the two halves of St. George's, across to the open-air market.
To escape the chaos of the cruise ships, check out the island's 40-some beaches. From the tidal beaches of the north, where the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet in a fury, look to Petit Martinique and Carriacou just 20 miles to the north.
Carriacou, only 13 square miles, is home to one of the Caribbean's most famous artists, Canute Caliste. To view some of his works, stop by his studio in the town of L'Esterre. There's not much to do on Petit Martinique, except sail around it. The whole island is less than one square mile; its claim to fame is its solitude.
Quiet too are the decks of the Bianca C, a cruise ship that caught fire in 1961. It sank, upright, off the southwest coast of Grenada, where it remains the largest divable wreck in the Caribbean.
To sample nutmeg, of which Grenada fills one-third of the world's needs, have a frothy rum drink at one of the bistros along L'Anse aux Epines.
Grenada is an unassuming island; life here is casual. You can sightsee, or not. You can snorkel, or not. You can sunbathe, or not. The only things you cannot avoid --nor would you want to--are the heady fragrances of so many spices wafting by with every breeze.