Spice Island Beach Resort

We are widely travelled and this was one of the most expensive Caribbean hotels we have stayed in, and thus our expectations were high. Unfortunately, we were disappointed in several areas. Good points Beach front rooms are fabulous, very comfortable, leading straight onto the white sand beach and turquoise sea. Grand Anse beach is great to walk along (although very busy when large cruise boats visit). Most of the staff are very friendly (especially Katrina) and service is generally good. The hotel has a total no-smoking policy, even on your sunbed on the beach. I wish more hotels would introduce this. Smoking is so disgusting. Bad points On several evenings there was nothing we liked on the dinner menu in Olivers. The food was pretentious, overly complex, and often unhealthy, with few fresh vegetables. Several other guests also complained about the food and the poor quality of the all-inclusive wine compared with other hotels. The breakfast buffet had limited healthy choice: no muesli; no bananas (in the Caribbean!) or pineapple on several days. There were usually unacceptably long waits before a cooked breakfast arrived. In its advertising the hotel claims that “Every moment at Spice Island resort is a haven of relaxation”. However, the weekly game of Bingo (played over loud speakers) at the bar while we were having sunset drinks or the shouting during the Cocktail Blind Tasting competition in the restaurant during our lunch were far from relaxing. Such events should be held at times and in places where they do not disturb other guests. There was a shortage of sunbeds with good shade. Guests put towels out to reserve sunbeds before breakfast, but then did not use them for 4 hours. Not what one expects at a five-star hotel.

This well laid out hotel with accommodation on either side of public eating and entry areas. Everything basically faces towards the magnificent Grand Anse Beach giving views over the water to St George's. There can be few better gardens in the entire Caribbean than those that spread across the accommodation. The meet and greet was first class. We were in rooms 51 and 23, both having plunge pools in their private gardens. Room 23 was larger, with a private fully stocked bar, a very comfortable fully king sized bed, spotlessly presented and upkept by the team. The bar team was brilliant, fronted by Dexter with the likes of the ever happy Jeron and Kevin. Seriously good guys. The breakfast was a joy with beautiful fresh fruit, yoghurt, cereals etc and if you wanted, a good variety of hot dishes. Lunch and dinner were quite different with perhaps lunch providing more local dishes. Do try the Goat Roti if available. The serving teams were in the main most helpful and even smiled at their guest's poor jokes! Whilst the food from the kitchen could take time, the upside was it felt freshly cooked. If not enjoyed, it was sent back, and senior staff would come out afterwards asking what went wrong and how could they rectify. The concierge headed by Elizabeth, went way beyond being just helpful, she basically enabled our holiday. She organised everything off site, including a historic walking tour to St George's, a food tour across the island which included stopping for fresh coconut, snow cones, together with lunch and snacks etc. There is a barbecue but with the best will in the world the food is much better at the hotel. We tried several restaurants, and our preferences were 'Sails' overlooking the water, 'Dexter's' (the ex-Calabash chef's home) and Calabash itself, a totally different experience to Spice Island. If I have left anything out, forgive me. This is a most delightful hotel well worthy of five stars, giving the most relaxing times under a constant 25 to 30 degrees of heat. will we be visiting again? Yes.

Grenada is not known for all-inclusive hotels and it's better that way. Spice Island stands out as one of the few all-inclusive options on the island, but it’s far from the standard formulaic experience. Everything is first class! The staff is super friendly and competent, the food is delicious and fresh, and the location on the quiet end of Grand Anse is simply the best. The hotel is quite small so it really feels like personalised luxury. The highlights for me included the gorgeous and private Luxury Almond Pool Suite, absolutely delicious desserts and the lovely yoga pavilion on the beach. I had a perfect two-day break and will be returning for sure, as it was one of the best hotel experiences I have had in Grenada. Check out my blog Hopping Around the Globe in Style for a full review as well as my other Grenada hotel experiences.

I vacillated between 4 and 5 stars. The presence of large family groups over Christmas killed it for me. Dominated meal times and sucked up service / kitchen time. We had a sea grape room which couldn’t be faulted. As others have said, avoid the vet low numbers by the water sports centre. We were10, so that was ok. Bar service was slow / inconsistent in the evenings. Wine was relatively low cost Australian and S American. Purchased bottles off the wine list reasonably priced. Took us a few days to realise there was a wine list. It was only as we saw on Christmas Day that people had bottles. Too many buffets at lunch and dinner, probably as the holiday season. Food was good generally. Would I go back - maybe. Staff did generally try to please

We just spent 7 days at Spice Island with our two children- 4 and 6 years old over the New Year holiday. We had a very chill and nice relaxing vacation. We gave this hotel a 4.5 stars overall. Main reasons the hotel didn’t get a full 5 stars: 1.) Not a private beach 2.) Inconsistent Service 3.) A little tooo chill for a full 7 days Room- amazing room right on the beach, enough space for the 4 of us. It was comfortable and had everything we needed. Waking up and walking out on the beach every morning was so convenient and beautiful. If the kids needed to relax or grab something it was so close. I didn’t like how close locals or anyone on the beach could see inside the room or get close to it. More on that below… Food- We definitely had some amazing dishes. The ice cream was unreal and some of the dishes were so flavourful. We were never hungry, thats for sure! The lunch menu got boring after 4 days. Would recommend a change up. There are 2 restaurants about 7 meters apart. Some days the service was incredibly slow, waiting 2 hours to finish a meal service. Some days it was faster. The slow service made it a pain at times and felt like a waste of the day. Kids Club- Kids had so much fun making crafts and playing with other kids. It was indoors, not much outdoor activity. Spa/ Gym- nothing over the top but it gets the job done. The gym had all new technogym equipment. We had a couples massage and it was nice and professional. Pool- The kids enjoyed it and had fun playing. Chairs were always available. Sometimes the pool area wasn’t the cleanest. Old towels and empty cups sitting around. Staff- some staff were incredibly friendly and warm and some were just not and made you feel uncomfortable for even asking for something. It was very bipolar service. They need consistent and proper training. Beach- This is what I struggle with most. The sand and water are so beautiful. Turquoise warm water. Soo gorgeous. Butttt… the locals drinking, music, swearing, laying on top of each-other was not my vibe. My kids crocs and sandals went missing from the beach. The security was there but sleepy and never said anything and sat by a palm tree all day, didn’t walk up and down. These locals are right next to your belongings and so close to the room that it killed it for me. I get that it’s their country and public beach but I just don’t want men drunk with beer bottles in their hands talking to my kids and my kids saying they are scary mommy. Teenagers humping on the beach. Cruise ship people pulling up towels next to us. Not my vibe!!! Some people might not mind and this might not bother you but for me it was a huge safety issue. I couldn’t take my eyes off my 4 year old daughter. The road and public beach were seconds from our room and spot on beach. Vibe- not much going on, a little sleepy. It was nice to relax and not feel any stuffy or pretentious vibes. It was truly super chill. A few more entertainment pieces to spice it up would have been nice. Overall, great value!! Few little things that could make this place beyond phenomenal!!