We just got back from a WONDERFUL WEDDING TRIP to Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and also St. Lucia. We were gone almost a month (not long enough), so I won’t go into great detail about our daily ventures as this would turn into a novel! It is already LONG ENOUGH!

We arrived in Grenada on Saturday, 6/17 on the American Eagle flight to the island. It was on time, we actually arrived early. Our driver, Donald, was right there waiting for us and whisked us away to Bel Air Plantation Resort. It was dark and we were disappointed that we couldn’t enjoy the scenic views on the drive – but knew we would see everything the next day (couldn’t wait).

We arrived at Bel Air and met Rhona, the assistant manager, whom I have e-mailed with and spoken to numerous times during the last 18 months of wedding planning. It was like meeting an old friend. She provided us with our villa key and a cell phone to use while we were staying at the resort. What a nice touch. She then showed us to our villa, a one bedroom home. It was absolutely gorgeous! The villa had a nice size living room, a dining area, and a full kitchen. The bedroom was the perfect size, and the bathroom had a very large Jacuzzi tub and huge shower. It was extremely comfortable. We could have stayed there forever – it had everything we would ever need!

Our first day was spent going over wedding details with Rhona: wine selection; wedding location; table decorations; flowers; etc. We chose the beach at LaSagesse Bay for the location of our small ceremony – it is truly a beautiful location and an uncrowded beach perfect for our wedding!

After going to St. George’s to complete the paperwork for our marriage license, we decided to have lunch at True Blue Bay. The location is very nice, great views. I must say we were a bit disappointed in the food however. I had heard raves – and found the food to be fine, but nothing special. However, we were not there for dinner and this was only one experience.

The next few days were spent enjoying Grenada (before our guests arrived on Thursday evening.) We went to Grand Anse and were shocked at how uncrowded, or should I say deserted, the beach was! Wow – June is a great time to travel to the Caribbean… We had drinks at Spice Island – beautiful resort & wonderful drinks, and lunch at Coyoba – very nice lunch. We, of course, visited the Caranege area and did some spice shopping, souvenir shopping and lunched at the Nutmeg (great as always, reasonably priced – again not crowded). We had lunch and spent some time lounging at LaSagesse Nature Center – very good food, and beautiful scenery. On our last day of being alone, we prepared welcome beach bags for each of our guests and had the bags in their rooms awaiting their arrival at Bel Air. Bel Air even upgraded two of my friends who had reserved a small cottage – they ended up in a gorgeous, spacious two-bedroom villa.

Our friends/family flew in Thursday night. It was fun to be able to show them the sights of Grenada! We were only together a few days, but packed in lots of activities during that time. We toured the island with Mandoo – what a GREAT guide! (We also arranged transportation for our group through him, as well as airport transfers.) He was awesome - knowledgeable, well spoken, dependable – truly a walking encyclopedia! Everyone enjoyed the day immensely! The night before the wedding we had dinner at Coconut Beach – recommended by Rhona. What a fun night – the food was delicious! We spent time at Magazine Beach by the Aquarium, but no one was hungry – so we did not eat there. I had been looking forward to eating at the Aquarium! Next time it will be a must…

The wedding was fabulous. It went very smoothly thanks to Rhona’s organization and planning. When we arrived at LaSagesse, the last of the beachgoers were leaving – making the beach completely our own. Reverend Osbert performed a delightful, brief ceremony, we then signed the legal documents and had a champagne toast. We had a cocktail reception at Bel Air’s grassy jetty area following the ceremony – which was a lot of fun. Dinner at Bel Air’s Water’s Edge was outstanding. I had sent a table runner, and some fabric for chair sashes, a few decorations, as well as candles, votive holders and candleholders. Rhona and I spoke about a general idea of how to set up the table, but I was flexible and certainly wasn’t going to worry if she took creative license. Oh my goodness – the table looked gorgeous! The chair sashes were not needed, so they were used to decorate the cake table. Rhona and Susan (the owner) spent the afternoon decorating (and kept us away so we couldn’t peek). Truly, they did an outstanding job. The food was delicious and presentation was outstanding. We ended the evening with a steel drum band that was lots of fun! They were the Commancheros, and I would highly recommend them. We had paid for a “small” band and ended up with a 12-piece pan extravaganza! Dancing was the perfect way to end a great evening.

The next morning after breakfast 6 out of the 8 of us left for St. Lucia to join Windjammer Cruise Lines’ S/V Yankee Clipper. As usual in the Caribbean, LIAT was on island time leaving Grenada. We worried that we would not make our connection in Barbados, but that LIAT flight was late there as well – so it worked perfectly. The Yankee Clipper is always a fun vacation – not for those expecting luxury however. I love it because it is so casual and informal. This was my 5th & 6th week, and my husband’s 15th & 16th week on a Windjammer (we stayed aboard for 2 weeks). Our friends and family left after one week aboard. From St. Lucia, our first week, we visited the islands of Carriacou, Grenada, Tobago Cay & Bequia. The second week was slightly different – St. Vincent, Tobago Cay and Bequia. Both trips spent Friday in Rodney Bay, then moved to the dock that evening for the Captain’s dinner and usually a steel drum band (although the band was rained out the first Friday aboard). Each island has its own unique character… We love the islands in that area.

One recommendation – if you are ever in St. Lucia – make sure you visit the RAINFOREST HIDEAWAY in Marigot Bay for dinner. What a great experience, five star food and service – it was the best meal of our entire trip!

Another St. Lucia must is Pigeon Island (really not an island). It is a National Landmark, and very beautiful. There is a fort at the top of a hill, and great views to be had. The restaurant there is wonderful. We had a very good lunch, with great service. We did not plan enough time there, as we all had on swimsuits and never had time for the beach (which looked very inviting on a warm day). We allowed about four hours, and we could have stayed at least one more – maybe two.

My last St. Lucia tip is a taxi service – Martis Phillips. He is friendly, reliable and I will absolutely use him again! He drove us around while we were in St. Lucia and was always courteous and dependable.

The last part of our adventure was spent at TiKaye Village in St. Lucia. It is a small resort (St. Lucia standards) with about 32 villas. Like Bel Air and much of the Caribbean, there are many hills and 166 steps down (and up) to the beach. The cottages are wonderful and rustic – a gorgeous king bed complete with mosquito netting (which we did use); bathroom; and my favorite was the outdoor shower! (I want one for my house, but not practical in Alaska – LOL.) It truly was a beautiful location with great views from the deck, complete with rockers and a double hammock. We had an ocean front cottage. We specifically choose to NOT have a plunge pool as the resort has a pool and we saw no need. In hindsight, we should have gotten the plunge pool. It was fairly warm with little breeze, and it would have been nice to have the pool to cool off in. We would have been able to have more hammock time if we could have cooled off. The main pool was quite a hike from our cottage, so next time we will go for the pool as a part of our cottage. The best part of this resort is how friendly the staff is and how they make an effort to introduce themselves, shake your hand and learn your name! Very nice touch… The food was done well. Dinner has three entrée selections, and I must say one night I really did not want any of the choices, but that was only one night. The rooms do not have windows, but instead wooden louvers that close at night. There is an air conditioning unit, however we were a bit on the warm side as the warm air from outside was still coming inside the room (and it was July). We had a few resident lizards (good for eating bugs!) and birds that visited – we enjoyed their visits as they added to the ambience. I must say the first night we were invaded with ants, but after telling the front desk the problem was remedied and we had no further ant incursions. The beach at TiKaye is wonderful. Michael was the staff member handling the beach area – providing chairs and umbrellas. He was very helpful. The restaurant at the beach served a wonderful lunch, and of course drinks. They have a dive shop by the restaurant as well. The water was clear, warm and beautiful! Each cottage has an island Creole name – ours was HADI – we were the RUDE couple (Hadi means rude). I’d say this resort is a great place to enjoy tranquility and relaxation – which is exactly what we wanted before our return to reality…

Our return flight was delayed in St. Lucia making us miss connections. American Airlines ended up putting us up in a wonderful hotel in Old San Juan. I have always wanted to see San Juan, so it actually worked out to our favor (even though we just had time for a dinner and sleep). We even made it home on the same flight as we had planned on originally – just saw different airports in between.

We have decided that a month away is not long enough… I guess that is the way vacations go – they are never long enough.

Favorites about our trip:
*Bel Air Plantation Resort – Grenada (will absolutely return)
*Mandoo in Grenada
*La Sagesse Beach
*Magazine Beach
*Phillips Tours/Taxi in St. Lucia
*Windjammer’s S/V Yankee Clipper and her crew

Tips:
*Go to Rainforest Hideaway in St. Lucia for dinner – you won’t be sorry
*June is a great time to visit the Caribbean – low season and uncrowded
*Bel Air is great – and if you are considering hotels in Grenada, you will love this resort!