Sandals LaSource Grenada
Pink Gin Beach, St. George’s, Grenada. sandals.com/grenada. Rooms from $680 (U.S.) a night, double occupancy.
If you’re a sucker for the lazy whirl of a ceiling fan in a tropical clime, balcony views of the Caribbean sea and take rather well to a butler arranging your lounge chair on a beach tossed with volcanic black boulders, then Sandals LaSource on Grenada is for you.
On the other hand, if you’re no fan of swim-up bars, drinks with little paper umbrellas, Bob Marley cover bands and couples bingo, then maybe it’s not. Ah, such is the Sandals dilemma! The resort empire lures us with its tantalizing, all-inclusive opiate – but isn’t the reality a little too boilerplate?
And now the Sandals sirens sing even more seductively at its gleaming and reputedly most fabulous outpost yet. Sandals LaSource Grenada boasts nearly seven hectares of exotic trees, plants and sandy beach, three thematic villages, 10 restaurants, 48 pools, 124 love tubs, dozens of watercraft and oceanview rooms with cantilevered balconies sporting jaw-dropping, infinity edge plunge pools. It’s hard to say no to all that.
LOCATION
The 225-room hotel is nestled between the mountains and sea on the southern tip of the aromatic island of Grenada, one of the world’s largest producers of nutmeg and mace. Happily, the island is relatively uncommercial. The all-inclusive oasis is just five minutes from the airport and 15 from Grenada’s capital, St. George’s. There you can wander cobblestone streets among the low, red-roofed houses (some built of ballast from old ships) or visit a small chaotic spice market full of women eager to share recipes and hold up this and that ingredient for examination.
DESIGN
Sandals LaSource slightly upends its quintessentially Caribbean/colonial style to make it more contemporary. The dark mahogany, four-poster and heavy satin curtains aesthetic still prevails, but amid this a host of artful elements let in some 21st-century sunlight. You’ll find lighter wood, hues of greys, silvers and soft blues, and a fresher, leaner look. There are also some eye-catching details such as Balinese red Balau timber doors, amusing reproductions of French faux bois benches, glowing iridescent pool tiles, curious star charts on some room walls and smartly laid out public spaces.
EAT IN OR EAT OUT?
With 10 restaurants to try, it’s hard to drag yourself out to town after a hard day on, in and under the sea. Don’t miss the gnocchi and tiramisu at Cucina Romana. They are made from the recipes of the manager’s nonna. At Le Jardinier the best things are conversation (in English or French) with the archly amusing and knowledgeable manager, “Rudy” Edwards, and that the waiters aren’t haughty Parisians, but gentle and gracious Grenadians. The Caribbean-lite themed dining room, Spices, has a sensational nutmeg-driven pumpkin soup and, on request, a local coconut milk-soaked treat called Oil Down, which, despite its perhaps less-than-attractive nickname, is a dish you’ll leave the island longing for. If you do head into St. George’s, eat at Deyna’s, a two-decade-old hole in the wall. You’ll get the real deal here, rice and peas, pigeon peas soup and lambie (conch).
BEST AMENITY
The big draw at this resort is wreck diving. Grenada has 12 wrecks and Sandals’ scuba boat and equipment are free. “That,” says German dive photographer, Daniel Brinckman, “is rare!” The best resort reward of all, however, is that after living like a millionaire you can donate $20 to the Sandals Foundation literacy project and take a half-day “reading road trip” to a local school and read to young children.
IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING
Sandals is well respected for its commitment to the environment and the community, but this latest holidaymaker haven is not disability-accessible.
The writer was a guest of the resort.