Things to do in St. George's, Grenada
A trip to an island is never complete without being one with the locals. Dinning where they dine, having authentic homestyle food, hanging out at a local bar at night, or just walking around town purchasing local merchandise. St. George’s, Grenada felt absolutely safe regardless of the time of day or night we ventured out from our stay at Sandals Grenada. During our eight day trip, my husband and I went into town twice during the day and once at night. Before heading out into town, be sure to take enough cash with you (USD is accepted everywhere and restaurants take credit cards).
Day 1
The first day we visited the town, our butler booked us a round trip taxi that dropped us off at a central location near the spice market and picked us up from lunch at a nearby restaurant few hours later. For a central drop off location, ask to be dropped off at the mall for cruise ships. From there, you can go up and down the neighborhood streets, stopping at local vendors. We grabbed some street food from a samosa vendor, local rum cocktail and beer (spicy rum punch from the Northpole Bar next to the spice market), and spices from the spice market. Did you know mase is an actual spice!? I had absolutely no idea! It smells like nutmeg and can be used for aroma or as a preservative in desserts, rice, curries, anything that you don’t mind a little nutmeg in.
I would recommend arriving to town by 10am to avoid the daytime crowds and heat. Strolling through the streets and along the waterfront was a perfect way to spend a few hours prior to grabbing lunch at BB’s Crab Back. Actually, the resort had recommended that we have lunch at Sails but several guests at the resort had recommended BB’s. Lucky for us, when we walked into Sails, they were not open for lunch yet, so we walked over to BB’s. It’s steps away and oh it was so worth it! By far the best meal we had since arriving in Grenada.
What to order:
Callaloo Okra Soup - yes! Even in the heat! You do not want to miss out on this soup!
The sizzler (conch)
The Grenadian - this is the national dish, also known as “the oil down".” It’s a mixture of meat and veggies in a curry sauce. We could not have enough of this.
Rice and peas
Roti skins
Lunch special - curried goat or curried chicken
I wouldn’t do justice to our visit in town if I didn’t mention Sandra’s. If you love island roti, swing by Sandra’s. Either place your order by 10am or get there right at noon. If you arrive past noon, you will most likely be turned away because they do run out quick. We ordered our rotis on the way into town and picked up around 2pm on the way back. Roti options are chicken, fish, and beef. Sandra’s is not a fancy lunch spot. It is a roadside food stand so don’t expect to dine in or have a fancy meal. But, be prepared to be in a food comma!
Sandra’s Roti
Day 2
The second time we ventured into town was for a private tour, booked by our butler at the resort. We told the taxi driver what we wanted to see and he took us exactly to those spots with a few surprise pit stops we could see the island from different perspectives, visit spice gardens, and learn the history. We left the resort around 9am and were back after lunch (yes, we went back to BB’s!) around 2 or 3pm.
What to see:
Waterfalls: Annandale Waterfalls. Entry fee was approximately $5USD per person. No ATM on site - must have cash, card is not accepted. Once the entry fee is paid, the walk down to the waterfall is short (1-2 minutes of stairs). An outdoor bar and restaurant overlooks the falls for those wanting to stay and enjoy the nature. Wear comfortable walking shoes as the walkways can be slippery. We didn’t see anyone swimming but it is definitely allowed. Although, the stream seemed a bit strong.
Spice Garden at Mark’s Sports Bar: Not a planned stop in our itinerary but it was on the way to the waterfalls so our tour guide made a pit stop so we can visit the garden and try a local rum punch infused with spices grown in the garden. For purchases of rum or spices, you must have cash! (Please check your country’s guidelines on what sort of alcohol or spices can be brought in from a different country prior to purchasing.)
Some beautiful spice and fruit trees on the way to the rainforest:
Green Apple Tree
Green Apple Tree
Cinnamon Tree
Nutmeg Tree. The pink seed in the center is mace!
Rainforest and drive up to Grand Etang Lake: Entry fee is appx $2 per person - cash only! Most people visit the rainforest in hopes to see monkeys. However, end of June is apparently their mating season so we unfortunately did not spot any monkeys. I guess the rain didn’t help either. However, the drive through the rainforest to Grand Etang Lake was gorgeous and relaxing. Seeing a lake in the middle of mountains at 1900+feet elevation was breathtaking. No sounds of traffic, away from the hustle and bustle. There’s even a food dispenser to feed the little fishes in the lake!
Native from Indonesia and Philippines, rainbow eucalyptus tree was planted on the island in 1977 to stabilize the land and protect it from land slides. It’s the only one on the island and is naturally this vibrant color. The picture here doesn’t do it justice. The tree is literally a full rainbow!
Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree
Day 3
Nightlife! Ok, not much of a nightlife in Grenada. Even the locals informed us that it’s a pretty quiet island at night unless there’s a festival going on. We left our resort around 8pm via cab organized by our butler. The cab dropped us off at Junction which typically has live music nightly. However, I think we arrived too early because a DJ was playing music but there were only couple of other patrons at the venue. Junction is one of the most “happening” spots in town and was recommended by several locals.
After a drink, we went next door to the Beer Company. Completely different scene! A brewery with pool tables, three different sitting areas, a window for food orders - more alive than the Junction. Granted it was full of college kids and other non-local visitors, it felt like home. By the time we left around 11pm, Junction was a bit more full but I still didn’t understand the hype behind it and why everyone kept recommending it. Perhaps 11pm was still too early… but glad we visited the Beer Company. It made the drive into town worth our time.
Note - if you are staying at Sandals and have a butler phone, it will NOT work off the resort. We tried using it to call our butler before his shift ended at 10pm to request a taxi pick-up and the call would not go through. Luckily I had my phone and was able to call the resort’s front desk. We learned from our taxi driver on the way back that the island does have Uber. We did not try it prior to our departure from Grenada so cannot vouch for how well Uber works in Grenada.
