We arrived in Grenada, the Spice Island of the Caribbean, today at 7am. Stepping out on deck before our arrival, we actually could smell the fragrance of spices perfuming the moist tropical morning air. What a nice welcome!
Unlike prior days, this was scheduled to be a brief visit with an all aboard time of 1:30. As such, we opted for a ship organized excursion in order to maximize our time. We departed the ship by 7:40 to start out tour.
We traveled north along the west coast of the island. We visited the Dougaldston Estate, where we witnessed the processing and production of cocoa. We then drove through a lovely town called Gouyave before proceeding inland to the rain forest. Like Dominica, Grenada is lush and fertile. It has all manner of foods and spices growing: breadfruit, papaya, mango, nutmeg, pineapple, cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, bananas, citrus, etc.
Our tour took us through the Grand Etang forest, stopping at the volcanic crater lake. We also visited Annandale Falls (photo below) and Fort Fredrick (for a breathtaking view of St. George’s town and the southern end of the island. All in all, this was an excellent tour and overview of the island!
We returned to the ship around 1:00 and had another nice lunch in the Coral Dining Room. After lunch, we went back to cabin and enjoyed the sail away from our balcony. We passed another relaxing afternoon doing… absolutely nothing.
Tonight, we ate dinner at the Crown Grill ($25/pp.). This is one of two speciality dining venues aboard the Caribbean Princess. I started with a prawn and tarragon foam appetizer (excellent). We both had the “black and blue onion soup” (think French onion soup made with Jack Daniel’s [in lieu of sherry or cognac] and with blue cheese added to the Gruyere topping–also excellent) and a marinated goat’s cheese and spinach salad (good but unremarkable).
For our main course, Libby opted for the grilled shrimp and onion fried rice with citrus slaw (sounds simple, but was elegant in taste and presentation). I opted for a medium-rare filet (perfectly cooked) and added grilled Maine lobster tails to the selection (the waiter brought me three — oh my!). We also had a selection of potatoes and vegetables. The garlic steak fries were amazing (maybe the best “French fry” I’ve ever had and trust me, I’ve eaten French fries). We mashed the meal down with a bottle of Le Crema Pinot Noir (good “go to” wine that pairs well with most dishes… plus it’s not a wimpy Pinot!).
For our sweet treat, I had the sampler: four miniature versions of the chef’s signature selections (all were good, but none spectacular). Libby opted for the warm fudge cake and chocolate ice cream (a mini version of which was on my sampler, but her full-size dish was better executed with a more of the warm, gooey center). Service was once again very good too.
All in all, we came away from the Crown Grill impressed and would highly recommend it.
Today’s box score: +1 country (Grenada). Another excellent day!
Food sounds great and that you are having a relaxing cruise. Keep checking off the destinations.