As you know from my Instagram, we just got back from a quick getaway to the Sandals Resort at Pink Gin Beach in St. George's, Grenada. I am so excited to share the experience so if you have, will, or are interested in visiting Sandals Grenada definitely read on!
Sandals Grenada is one of the many Caribbean destinations offered by the all-inclusive adults-only Sandals brand and MY GOODNESS we had such a lovely time. It was full of delicious meals, fun activities, and relaxation. Let's get into it.
Arrival
We flew to the Maurice Bishop International Airport and de-planed onto the tarmac. I always get a kick out of airports that do this (flashback to the unexpected and very cold tarmac of Iceland in 2017!). The airport itself is not very big at all -- it literally has one runway. The plane landed, passed the airport while slowing down, and then turned around and returned to the airport.
What about Covid?
We went during Covid-19 but the resort had employed so many covid safety mechanisms that helped us feel very comfortable and safe.
Masks were required when indoors (we wore them whenever we were not at the beach/pool). An arrival covid test was performed before you could walk around the resort (results were in 15 minutes) and another test was performed before your departure from the resort. Every restaurant took your temperature with a contactless thermometer and made you sanitize your hands prior to escorting you to your seat.
The door to our room was also sealed to show that it had been disinfected and undisturbed prior to our arrival.
Hand sanitizing stations were located all over the resort (near every entry, every bar, every buffet, every elevator, in the stores, etc). Overall, I felt very at-ease and well-sanitized during the trip.
Before we left for Grenada we had to complete a travel authorization form with the Grenada government and have a pre-trip covid test. Grenada did not require travelers to be vaccinated when we traveled but as of July 31, 2021 they would only permit fully vaccinated people in the country.
The rules may change as time passes so be sure sure to check everything and do your research to get the most up to date information. We checked the country's Ministry of Health website to make sure we complied with everything for Grenada.
What is it the resort like?
The resort overall is not that big and is very self-contained and easy to get around, which I loved. The self-contained nature was what drew us to it for a vacation during covid.
The rooms are either in two hotel blocks (known as either Pink Gin or the Italian Village) or one of the more garden-style rooms in South Seas and the Honeymoon Suites.
These are the garden-style rooms. How cute are those roofs? It's the perfect tropical abode.
Because this was our first time to a Sandals resort we wanted to feel out the resort so we chose a moderately priced (in comparison) end unit/suite in the Pink Gin hotel block.
My favorite part was all the windows and light the room had. It overlooked the sea/beach and had a nice little balcony we could sit out on. Even in the rain the view was stunning.
Some rooms even had their own private pools -- how fancy is that?!
We enjoyed going to the main pools at the resort but I do think having a private pool would be really nice -- especially if you have some rainy weather one day....and, you know, because of covid and all. It would be nice to have even more private space of your own.
The main pool had the coolest sunken in seating/fire pit that they lit at night.
Seriously, when it turned nighttime the resort came alive with fire and lights. It was gorgeous!
What can you DO?
I'll be honest. Even though there were activities to do we spent 90% of the day either at the beach or by one of the pools. There were two pools and two beach areas to choose from.
I loved that floating ring. They had three of them and you could just lay or sit and bob in the water. It was SO relaxing.
I would just pack my "beach read" and plenty of sunscreen and we would recline in some chairs at the water's edge and enjoy.
Really good book by the way -- I recommend!
If we weren't at the beach then we would grab some chairs by the pools.
The pools are large enough they never felt crowded.
I even had the entire main pool to myself for about an hour and a half one of the days...which I spent blissfully floating around while listening to an audiobook.
The second pool was the party pool and had cabanas, a swim up bar, a pizza counter right next to the pool, and an in-pool volleyball net.
And of course, they had hot tubs.
If lounging isn't for you, fear not, there's still plenty to do. We took a boat ride up the coast and were shown "the sights" which included the Grenadian homes of Oprah and Morgan Freeman. Who knew?!
There was also kayaking, sailing, and paddle boarding! You could only do water sports when it was not a "red flag day" though. See the yellow flag in the photo above? Green and yellow flags meant you could choose whatever water sport you wanted.
It turns out that ocean or...sea? I guess...kayaking is a little scarier than just like...normal kayaking on a lake. It was definitely a bit choppy and it did end up getting to me a little bit after about an hour. I don't usually have much sensitivity to motion but as I've gotten older I have noticed it increase which is a real shame. I've never actually gotten sick sick from it but I have dealt with nausea. And I did feel a tiny bit nauseous at the end of kayaking.
We also learned to sail! I mean, it was a teeny tiny little sailboat but I had such a blast pulling the rope (controlling the sail) and turning the boat (by the rudder is it??). I didn't know that sailing was on my bucket list but I'm glad it was! We were taught by the nicest instructor named Zade. He was so sweet and bonded with my husband over their mutual education in IT/computers. I believe I overheard them plotting to create an IT company and improve the internet speeds on the island.
"I'm the Caption now..."
Also shout out to that hat. It was from Amazon and was perfect for keeping my hair under control despite the saltwater, humidity, and wind.
Our last water activity that we tried was paddle boarding. Unfortunately I had the camera the whole time (and I almost immediately started to notice nausea so I took it easy) so I don't have any photos of me but I did get some shots of my fearless hubs!
Neither of us actually stood up on the paddleboard but we did at least get to our knees. I want to try paddle boarding again but maybe on a lake or slow-moving river...lol. The swells were definitely percolating that day and shortly after we returned to shore they put up red flags which meant no more water sports due to wind.
If you're looking for even more activities, the resort usually offers excursions so you have the opportunity to explore the island more. Because of covid the off-resort excursions were not running. I also didn't look too much into the excursions since we planned to just "sit and plop" and relax at the resort. I definitely want to return to Grenada at some point after covid ends to actually experience the country so I'll add those to my bucket list for that trip. I think the excursions included visiting a waterfall, hiking one of the mountains, and touring a spice/chocolate factory. Did you know Grenada is known as the Spice Island and is one of the top producers of nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger? The nutmeg seed is actually on the flag of Grenada!
You can also do scuba diving, snorkeling, play tennis or take part in some of the fitness classes (like beach yoga or stretching!). And they have a wonderful spa onsite named Red Lane Spa which does hair, nails, massages, etc. I didn't make any spa appointments but they stock all the rooms with their products:
What's the deal with butlers?
Ok, so based on the room you book you could be assigned a team of butlers. They basically are little angels who help you with anything you need and spoil you with little surprises. They'll make your dinner reservations for you, bring room service and drinks to you anytime, surprise you with champagne or coconut drinks or pizza or whatever, draw baths for you, place adorable folded towels, etc. They also can reserve your beach/pool chairs if you want so you make sure you have the best seats. We did not have a butler so I can't say if they are worth it or not.
How is the Food/Alcohol?
The most important topic for Sandals. Lol. First all, it's all-inclusive. Really. No matter what level of room you book, you can order as many drinks as you would like from the bar or the many servers who walk around the pool and beach ready to fetch you whatever you like. I don't typically drink alcohol but I definitely took the opportunity to enjoy alllll the colorful libations in paradise! They had a daily special and my personal favorite of the entire trip was called the "Coco Shay" made from coconut rum, lime juice, bitters, and I think that's it.
They even had drinks served in coconuts. Can you think of a more tropical-vacation-appropriate beverage??
If a bar drink isn't your fancy you can enjoy whatever you want from the minibar in your room and can mix yourself your own drink from the cache of booze they constantly replenish in your room. The mini bar had wines, fruit juices, water (we asked for a case to be delivered to our room since the bottles were tiny), soda, and beer. They also had gin, tequila, vodka, and whiskey....all in your room.
Ok let's talk about the restaurants! There are ten restaurants available at Sandals, Grenada and each one is unique and fabulously delicious.
We started each day in Spice's restaurant at their buffet. Is there anything more tropical than a fresh fruit platter? I also tried a mini chocolate croissant and mini cheese danish.
Butch's Chophouse, the Sandals' steakhouse, might be the most famous restaurant Sandals has, as well as Le Jardinier which serves French cuisine.
I enjoyed our dinner at Butch's (I had prime rib, lobster mac'n'cheese, and mashed potatoes and did not regret a single bite). Butch's is one of the restaurants that requires somewhat dressy attire. I wore a lightweight cotton dress from Old Navy and my favorite pair of white Jack Rogers sandals though so don't get too carried away. Men do have to wear closed toed shoes.
All the resort attire is listed on the website. Most is casual.
Le Jardinier serves French cuisine so I ordered French onion soup, the duck entrée, and, of course, escargots.
My personal favorite restaurant though was Soy, the sushi restaurant. Soy served the most amazing champagne lobster roll and shrimp tempura I have ever had. And I enjoyed their "Red Sun" drink so much.
The restaurant had very strong colored lighting so it messed with my photos a bit. I tried to fix it but if they seem a bit wonky that's why! The food was so scrumptious though.
Cucina Romano was my second favorite dinner because they had aracino on the menu!! We went wild at this restaurant and ordered an aracino (amazing), carbonaro (pretty good), risotto (not great), caprese salad (yummy!), charcuterie (my husband ate), osso bucco (not as good as the one I had in Milan -- that is the best meal of my life thus far), and desserts.
We also definitely enjoyed Kimono's hibachi, the never-the-same daily menu at Spice's (I tried Grenada's national dish called "oil down" during their Caribbean day), and the everyday casual food at Neptune's...which included things like a fish and chips, a fish sandwich, and quesadillas.
We also stopped by Cafe de Paris for quick snacks and order pool-side pizzas from Dino's. My favorite pizza was the Frutti de Mare which was topped with all sorts of seafood but be warned it's somewhat spicy!
And yes, Neptune's has a local cat that hangs out...named Neptune.
Some tips and what I wish I knew before going:
They will try to schedule you for a complimentary photography session with a resort photographer. We did not attend ours and just took photos ourselves.
The Club Level vacationers will be invited to various cocktail parties. We did not attend those either.
One night of the week one of the restaurants is closed for a "Returning Guests" dinner. Not a big deal. Just make sure you know which night it is so you don't book your favorite restaurant on that date.
There is a guy known as "Spice Man" who tries to sell spices on the beach. Technically the beach is public property but he doesn't bother you. We've seen way more aggressive street vendors in Europe and found him to be very respectful. People would chat with him and trade him alcohol for spices. Though I'm not 100% sure he was selling actual spices...if you know what I mean...
Make your dinner reservations ASAP upon arrival so you don't miss the opportunity if you want a specific time/restaurant on specific days. All restaurants require reservations except Tipsy Turtle Pub and Soy, which amazes me because Soy was my favorite restaurant! We stopped in for after-dinner sushi...twice.
Don't forget to bring mosquito spray. They spray the whole resort during the day but I'm a bug buffet so I didn't want to take a chance. I only got bit once and it was the night I forgot to spray my ankles.
The resort is 5 minutes from the airport so you will hear some airplane noise. It's only 1-3 times per day and did not bother us at all. It might bother some people though.
Overall Thoughts
We really enjoyed our time and I would definitely recommend vacationing at Sandals, especially if you love the idea of an adults-only type of vacation. Kids are great and all but if I'm looking to relax I don't really want to hear Little Jimmy crying or Teeny Susie yelling. you know what I mean? The food was delicious, drinks refreshing, and activities fun.
I will definitely return to Sandals but I don't think I would return to the Grenada resort since I have already been there (maybe if they changed restaurants up or something). I would definitely want to try one of their many other resorts though. They have locations in Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Turks and Caicos, and Jamaica (6 locations in Jamaica in fact!). And, yes, I have already started scoping them out for upcoming vacations.
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