A Family Holiday in Grenada, Caribbean

Conjuring up romantic images of pirates, palm trees and postcard-perfect beaches, the Caribbean is not often considered by parents travelling with very young children. But the peaceful and safe ‘Spice Island’ of Grenada, which is only about the same size as the Isle of Wight, is a perfect spot for all ages.

Blue Horizons Garden Resort a 15-minute drive from the airport and the island-capital St George's is great for families in that it’s self-catering. Offering 32 apartments, a freshwater pool and a shady poolside bar set in acres of lush tropical gardens, it’s only 200 metres from the world-renowned Grand Anse, a picture-book beach of silvery sand, swaying palm trees and gently lapping turquoise sea. With a supermarket five minutes down the road stocking all the kids’ favourite British brands, there’s no stress with even the fussiest of eaters – our youngest party member, age two, was in his element once he’d discovered his favourite brand of alphabetti spaghetti!

But when we didn’t feel like cooking, the on-site La Belle Creole, which serves great breakfasts (try the pancakes!) and continental dinners with a hint of West Indian, was there for us to treat ourselves. All kids in the party, ranging from two to 13, were made to feel special in the restaurant and everywhere at Blue Horizons – the genuinely warm staff make you feel you’ve found a home-from-home.

For those seeking some high-end indulgence, Blue Horizons’ associate Spice Island Beach Resort has it all – albeit at a price to match. Some of its luxury 64 suites open straight on to Grand Anse Beach, while others have their own swimming or plunge pool (not available to families with under-12s for safety reasons). The cool figure-of-eight pool by the sea is perfect for family paddles, and the Nutmeg Pod supervised play space for kids aged 3–12, open daily, is included in your package. For grown-ups, there’s five-star dining and fine wines at Oliver’s Restaurant and pampering at Janissa’s Spa. 

A fast-track way to find out about to Grenada’s fascinating and fierce history is to take a trip with Sunsation Tours (grenadasunsation. com). I can also recommend heading to the world-renowned Belmont Estate Chocolate Factory to see cocoa beans magically transformed into the best chocolate bars ever. But our family favourite was meeting monkeys in their natural rainforest habitat and feeding them bananas to tempt them out of the trees.

Read more about family holidays in Grenada.