Unforgettable Adventure: Discovering the Sweet Secrets of Grenada
GRENADA left a bitter taste in my mouth. My stay on the Caribbean island wasn’t a disappointment, far from it. But as I browse the Easter eggs adorning the supermarket shelves back home, I’m eyeing them with a new level of scrutiny.
Exploring Grenada’s Chocolate Paradise
That is because I was spoilt by Grenada’s intensely rich, dark chocolate — for the Land of Spice, as it’s known, is also home to six trailblazing cocoa plantations. Cacao — the raw, unroasted version of cocoa — is grown within 20 degrees of the equator and this island’s warm weather, rainforests, and mountains provide the ideal environment for it to thrive. May is the perfect time for a chocoholic to visit when the annual Grenada Chocolate Festival is in full swing. So, if you are looking for a treat this Easter, why not ditch the eggs and splash out on a trip to this island?
The Sweet Celebration at Grenada Chocolate Festival
Founded by Magdalena Fielden, the festival includes chocolate-themed workshops and activities such as candle-holder and foot scrub making and yoga. To celebrate its tenth anniversary last year, the Grenada Chocolate Festival expanded to promote a second Caribbean treasure, rum. And you can sample the best of both delights during the event’s five-course tasting menu.
Experiencing Luxury at True Blue Bay Resort
I was staying at the family-owned True Blue Bay Resort, on the south coast, which holds several of the festival’s crafts and fitness events. The lively hotel offers boutique rooms and villas painted in vibrant Caribbean colors, furnished with teak and aquatic wall hangings. It isn’t one of those modern, characterless resorts that you can find anywhere in the world — it is bursting with energy and heritage. Onsite there are four pools, a bakery, spa, and the waterfront Dodgy Dock restaurant, which hosts a street food and music event that is jam-packed every week. And its dive shop Aquanauts offers everything from sunrise excursions to courses and wreck dives.
Underwater Thrills and Land Adventures
During the festival, Open Water-certified divers can sign up for its Hot Chocolate Night Dive, where torches and nerves of steel are essential. Back on board, the captain blared Caribbean hits through the speaker as we drank rum hot chocolate. If you’re not a diver, there are plenty of activities on dry land that are part of the festival. Trips to cocoa plantations including the 17th-century Belmont Estate, with its state-of-the-art equipment, and Crayfish — an example of chocolate production on a shoestring — are a must.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Grenada, a ten-hour flight away, is touted by locals and returning holidaymakers as the “safest island in the West Indies.” Before we ventured home, we bade farewell to the island at the historic and strikingly beautiful Mount Edgecombe Boutique Hotel, nestled on a hillside among 28 acres of forest. A former spice plantation, it retains much of its colonial timber architecture, with gabled roof, white beams, and wicker furniture. But its main draw is its sunset-facing infinity pool with views of the Caribbean Sea — the perfect spot for a rum punch. It would have been rude not to finish the rum and chocolate I picked up along the way!