I didn’t know about the spices until the last day. Before then, it was all about the water.
My friend Susan and I went to Spice Island — aka Grenada — to scuba dive. It was our 4th or 5th dive trip together. We’re both long-time divers, with several hundred dives each. These days, she dives mostly with her guy at exotic places such as Fiji and the Philippines. Me? I just wanted to get back into the water. Anywhere. When I retired, I promised myself at least one scuba trip and one ski trip each year, and I’ve been slipping. At age 67, I can’t afford to delay. So, “let’s go somewhere!”
We picked Grenada because (1) we’ve never been there, and new is always good; (2) the Sandals resort there promised easy logistics plus other water sports. Spices weren’t on the radar, but made a nice footnote. The story in photos and captions below…
Grenada is part of the Lesser Antilles, the group of Caribbean Island that form the east edge of the Caribbean where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. It’s about 100 miles off the coast of Venezuela. First named Concepcion by Columbus in 1498, it was colonized by Great Britain and gained independence in 1974. The U.S. invaded Grenada in 1983 after a Marxist coup.
When we arrived at Sandals Grenada, we learned that our “room” was upgraded. And how. Here’s how it looked as we approached…a stand-alone building with a peaked roof.
It was huge, and stocked with “free” booze. (Not really free, since both food and drink are included in the up-front price, but it’s nice to put away the wallet when you arrive.) We’re not big drinkers so the well-stocked bar was mostly ignored. But the rest was not.
A private pool! (And adjacent hot tub, not shown.) I did a lot of water-jogging here to try to keep up with the all-you-can-eat food options that quickly collected around my middle.
The bedroom door opened up into the pool. What fun to jump in that way!
We took turns taking pictures of each other leaping out of the room. Too funny.
The huge round bathtub also went unused. The outdoor shower was easier–and sort of fun.
Soon after settling in, we headed to the beach for our main attractions. The flags were flying straight out the first few days, so the beach sports were off-limits lest we got blown into the Atlantic.
We began diving on our first morning. We boarded the dive boat from the shore, always asking the crew to load smaller tanks for us. (Most divers use this size here, but smaller ones are easier on small frames. They carry less air, so you have to be good with air consumption. We are.)
Although the water temperature was 81 degrees, we wore lightweight wetsuits for comfort. (Most divers do.) Human body temperature is at least 97 degrees, and even 81 feels cool after awhile.
This is how the resort looked from the water.
A Coast Guard patrol passed nearby but didn’t board or ask for papers. It brought memories of the three boardings we experienced on The Great Loop. (No big deal if you have your stuff in order.)
The coral reefs and marine life were not memorable, but it didn’t matter. It felt good to be dive again. Susan did a deep dive to 100′ but I stayed at 60′ and above. I’m certified for deep dives (and night dives and nitrox dives), and have done many. But ever since a single strange incident of asthma decades ago, I “stay shallow” out of caution. It was called EIA (exercise-induced-asthma) and occurred after a marathon. A single incident, scary but brief. Doctors said I shouldn’t dive again, although I have no symptoms and my lungs register “healthy” ever since. We’ve all experienced at least one medical recommendation that we wonder about. One of those judgment calls…
Diving wasn’t the only water attraction here. When the wind lifted enough, we took out the Hobie Cat–with a local along for help. We’re both certified to sail solo but have learned to respect our lack of knowledge about local winds and currents. During a trip to Mexico, I nearly sailed into a dock during on-shore wind. (Better than sailing out to sea!) I still remember the local running up and down the beach yelling “Return to base! Return to base!” The lesson stuck.
The Sandals staff was both professional and friendly, on both the dive boats and the beach.
This resort has two big pools, one with a swim-up bar (common at all-inclusive resorts). The typical resort guests seem to spend most of their time in the pool, drink in hand. We aren’t typical.
The 2nd pool features a fire-lit sitting area in the center. Here’s the view from one of the resort’s tall buildings. Sandals is known as a “couples-only” resort which doesn’t invite children. One guy asked me, “Where is your husband?” (Pretty bold!) I said, “I’m here with my girlfriend.” He seemed taken aback. Like I said, we’re not typical. We met just one other woman traveling with girlfriends after her spouse died. Since I don’t have a husband, I’m grateful for traveling girlfriends. I would love to do this with the man I love, but it’s not to be, so…break the mold and find other options!
Like many all-inclusive resorts, this one had a few restaurants that required reservations. The hibachi grill was one of them. So fun to watch the chef do his thing right in front of us.
One trick on his list is tossing grilled pieces to the guests. Susan almost caught this one.
The cats at Sandals Grenada were friendly and well-fed…and, judging by this one, very content!
On our last day, we took a taxi to explore the capital (St. George’s). Many resort guests never leave the resort and don’t explore. It’s a legitimate choice, but we prefer to look around a bit.
This banner celebrates 51 years (as of 2025) of independence from Great Britain, reminding us that nations used to “take” territory as able and desired. It was called colonization. So strange that we’ve been hearing the same kind of talk from our current president (Greenland, Cuba). History repeats?
A “Blue Economy” is one that relies on the ocean and marine environment. It emphasizes sustainability in order to address poverty and unemployment. As a diver concerned about reefs, I love this. As someone who cares about poverty anywhere in the world, I hope it works.
Whether rich or poor, Caribbean nations tend to be colorful!
The harbor and marina brought more memories of The Great Loop. I suppose they always will.
So about those spices that give the island its nickname. It’s called “Spice Island” because it’s a major produce and exporter of spices, especially nutmeg and mace. It became a “spice center” while a British colony. In the 1700s and 1800s, nearly 130,000 enslaved Africans were brought to the island – like elsewhere in the Caribbean – and mixed with the indigenous people from South America called Caribs. (Thus, the word “Caribbean.”) That’s who worked the spice plantations. Happily, the locals in the spice market who sold me these are free people…but probably descended from slaves. The proprietress convinced me I need her “magic spice.” Now, to figure out how to use it! I bought the jerk spice because I learned to love it while living in Cuba. I took some nutmeg seeds (huge!) and a micro-planner to grate them. Did you know nutmeg grows on evergreens? I didn’t.
This is what a nutmeg “seed” (more like a nut) looks like when raw. The red outer layer is mace, which I have in my spice pantry but don’t know how to use. You soak the seed to remove the mace. Am I ever going to do that? Probably not, but it’s fun to know.
A reminder of how close we were to South America. Many U.S. citizens tend to think of “America” as “the U.S.” — but it actually refers to 35 nations, collectively called “The Americas.” Did you know that North America comprises 23 nations when you include Central America and the Caribbean? (I didn’t.) South America comprises 12 nations. The Caribbean Islands are a mix…13 nations, and 12 territories which “belong” to other nations. (E.g., Puerto Rico “belongs” to the U.S.)
And so I ended a visit to my 35th (I think) country, combining sport with history. The flights were cumbersome, as international flights often are….delayed in Miami because of a presidential visit to his home there. But worth it, as always. Susan got this pic of me waiting for my luggage.
I’m glad to have these memories of our “room,” surrounded by color and green, because…
…this was the view as we prepared to land on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where ice still floated in Lake Superior.
And this is what it looks like on Huron Bay, directly in front of my camp, on April 15. The ice moves back and forth with the seiche (“tide”).
I leave with a short video for those who have never dove. I keep my arms close, as taught decades ago, to reach desired buoyancy and avoid banging the reefs. (I’m also flapping my fins a bit to stay above it.) If you’ve never breathed through a regulator, you might find this weird. It’s not, once you get used to it. The only dive I didn’t enjoy was an 80-foot descent into a pitch-dark, very cold quarry. I did feel claustrophobic then, and had to calm myself by listening to my breath and watching my bubbles. Not fun, but educational. When all else fails, breath and listen!
For Many Moons 
As always, thank you for sharing your adventures! You are inspirational – write a book!!!!
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