Grenada – One Of The Caribbean’s Lesser Known Islands (Part Three)

Hi,

This third part concerns a day trip to the centre of the Island, namely Grand Etang, Annandale waterfall and yet another lazy day after. What is surprising is that as part of the lazy day, we hit the beach and Mark swam in the Caribbean. 'We don't like beaches', remember saying that Mark & Yvette? Maybe the Caribbean relaxed state of mind influenced us more than we care to admit, it certainly was one of the most relaxing holidays we ever had.

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The map below details various sites including Grand Etang.

http://www.travelgrenada.com/grenada-maps.html

The 'Lonely Planet' link below lists the various walks available at the lake. We took the 'Morne La Baye' route which only takes 15 minutes, as we were still feeling the effects of our unplanned trek to the Seven Sisters waterfall.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/grenada/grenada-island/grand-etang-national-park

This website has some different pictures to ours, so are included to give a more rounded view, as we have so few pictures of our own.

http://www.grenada-beaches.com/grenada-attractions/grand-etang-lake/

We drove right up to the lakeshore with our hire car, as can be seen here. We took some sandwiches to eat at the picnic table for lunch, but we understand there are some food stalls at Grand Etang now.



The steps are a godsend when it rains. (It is a rainforest National Park, so it will rain a lot) The tracks that lead off left and right at the top of the steps get very muddy, so proper footwear is advised.



The steps Mark is posing on lead to a track which has some good views of the surrounding mountains and also a distant view of the coast like this. (This holiday was six years ago, so this photo may be of a completely different area. Sorry, but the memory is a bit hazy these days for both of us.



Referring to the map near the start of this post, Annandale waterfall is just along the road so to speak. The next two photographs we think are from the approach to Annandale falls, but we can't be sure. What we are sure about is the camera needed some batteries after taking these pictures and we left our spares back at the rented apartment. A couple arguing about who left the spare batteries behind was very amusing to everyone walking to the waterfall, glad we could brighten your day, folks.
Some more links.

http://www.viator.com/Grenada-tourism/Top-3-Waterfalls-in-Grenada/d967-t4773
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g147295-d148381-Reviews-Annandale_Falls-Grenada.html





A couple of photo's from Wikimedia Commons, click on either picture for details of the photo taker.

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The amount of waterfalls in Grenada is surprising, given the amount of sunshine hours per annum. Or maybe not, considering the mountainous rainforest in the centre of Grenada.
Day six our priority was to procure some camera batteries for our plane and boat trip to St. Vincent & the Grenadines on day seven. Our hosts Anthony and Lucille informed us we could get the batteries from near the airport. We could also get a print we admired on our apartment wall of the Windward Islands near the battery shop. (the print will also be featured in Part Four)



After we had purchased the batteries and the print, Yvette just wanted to drive around St Georges for a bit. After getting frustrated with the traffic on the 'Carenage,' (Mark did not think it was that bad.) we both thought it was time for a late morning drink at the 'Nutmeg'

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g147295-d1046202-Reviews-Nutmeg-Grenada.html

Whilst having a very nice rum-punch we overheard a group behind us praising a venue called 'the dodgy dock'.  It sounded like somewhere a bit different for lunch so we got the location (True Blue bay resort, yes we know, another resort) Well what a good recommendation it was. Lovely sea views and some music as you ate your lunch. A little more pricey than usual but, we had saved enough during the week through our lack of excursions.

http://www.truebluebay.com/resort-facilities/details/dodgy-dock-restaurant

http://www.dodgydock.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g147296-d1116567-Reviews-Dodgy_Dock_Restaurant_and_Lounge_Bar-St_George_s_Saint_George_Parish_Grenada.html

Virtual tours of the resort and videos.

http://www.truebluebay.com/gallery

After the Dodgy Dock lunch, Mark said he wanted to swim in the Caribbean, as we were situated so close to the popular beaches in the West of Grenada. We went back to the apartment so that he would not be out in the heat of the day. So we just lazed around a bit and we went back out after a few hours in the late afternoon. He chose Parc a Beouf Beach, as it was one of the most secluded and quiet beaches. There were a few groups having a BBQ up the beach. Where we were was deserted, which was fine for Mark. No photo's, as Mark feels he is not photogenic enough to be captured on film wearing next to nothing. The swim in the warm water also seemed to help his knees feel a lot better too.
Tonight we went to bed early, as we had a fairly early start tomorrow for the plane and boat tour on our last day, described here...
http://grenadasunsation.com/index.php/on-water/grenadines-sailing-day-tour

Tip top tips (or maybe not)

The East Caribbean Dollar as used in eight countries.


Currency  - If possible do not buy at the airport on the day of travel. As the moneysavingexpert website states, the rates are hideous.

http://travelmoney.moneysavingexpert.com/

There are scores of tips below to help save you money whilst travelling abroad and also in the UK.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/

Sorry about the lack of our photo's, we were both suffering health-wise and nearly did not bother to go out and sightsee at all. If we had not pre-booked the hire car, I doubt we would of strayed far from St Georges. That's the kind of holiday we dislike, but sometimes you have to adapt to your circumstances. The forgotten batteries incident at Annandale falls did not help either. We would love to return to Grenada one day and walk on some of the longer trails and visit some of the attractions we missed, like -  'Gouyave Fish Friday'.

http://grenadasunsation.com/index.php/island-tours/fish-Friday

And others like....Grenada Chocolate company

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g147296-d605112-Reviews-The_Grenada_Chocolate_Company-St_George_s_Saint_George_Parish_Grenada.html
Westerhall Rum Distillery

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g616292-d2495211-Reviews-Westerhall_Estate-Saint_David_Parish_Grenada.html

Gouyave Nutmeg Processing Station

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http://www.grenadagrenadines.com/explore/attractions/other-places-of-interest/gouyave-nutmeg-processing-station/#.UyON2OlF2Uk

We finish this blog with 'The telegraph' travel section online guide to scenic and friendly Grenada.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destination/caribbean/103303/Grenada-travel-guide.html

Sorry, one last thing. The Grenadian people are very proud of their country. You will see the colourful flag everywhere.

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And if not the flag, then the colours of the flag will be proudly painted in towns and villages alike.
Part Four of this seemingly never ending series on Grenada will focus on our day trip by air and sea to St. Vincent & the Grenadines. And will finally contain the 'And Another Thing....' rant.

Thanks for reading,

Mark & Yvette