AS a man who loves his tropical flavours, a foodie tour around the world’s “Spice Island” sounded like my kind of entertainment.
But the gastronomic galavanting was just a tiny piece of the paradise puzzle that is Grenada — a jewel in the Caribbean Sea, blessed with stunning views, glorious climate and, most of all, the friendliest people.
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The island nation is about the size of London in area — but with a population of only 100,000, it’s a peaceful destination where many of the world’s flavours including nutmeg, ginger and cocoa, are harvested.
I’d booked the appropriately named Mount Cinnamon Resort and Beach Club, a boutique 37 room hotel that sits perched at one end of the stunning Grand Anse Beach.
The local tradition is to walk the golden sands at sunrise and sunset — and even take a dip in the warm Caribbean waters.
I’m not the earliest of risers but my suite, with its floor to ceiling glass, was facing east as the day broke and the sun peeked above the mountains.
The temptation to swim at daybreak was too good to resist and I was down on the sands daily to join in the Grenedians spiritual ritual.
It was some way to start the day and that was before Mount Cinnamon delivered its complimentary breakfast at Savvy’s Restaurant — the hotel’s superb eaterie.
It ticked all my boxes. It had a buffet including bacon, sausages and pancakes, your eggs any way you wanted them and a cold buffet with fruit and lots more.
When the waitress asked how I wanted my poached eggs, I thought she was joking until she said “soft, medium or hard”. That’s class.
Dinner was equally fantastic, especially since the chef can walk from the kitchen to the hotel’s garden to pick fresh ingredients like tomatoes, papaya, mint and thyme.
I always had the catch of the day — I was on an island after all — but I also managed to tuck away a few chocolate trios.
Well, chocolate is made in Grenada too, it would have been rude not to! But more of that later.
During the day, a popular destination for Mount Cinnamon guests was the beach cabana — also called Savvy’s — when they aren’t simply lounging by the sea and swimming.
The sound of the waves is always relaxing, especially after a couple of local rums and a bit of sunshine.
The beach bar also hosts a weekly BBQ — a huge traditional way of cooking in Grenada — along with a bonfire for the added spectacle.
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Other amenities include an on- site gym, a spa, tennis and yoga.
A mention here has to go to the staff of the hotel who epitomised the incredibly friendly nature of Grenadians.
They were always on hand to help with anything or just say hello – nothing was too much trouble.
The same could be said of the island’s residents who seemed to revel in being ambassadors for their country.
Grenada had just celebrated its 50th year of independence from Britain when I was there and there were flags and bunting literally everywhere.
You couldn’t forget you were in a happy place and the litter-free streets confirmed that.
But I was made happier by the Spice Foodie Tour, which was a gastronomic adventure around the island with eight stops for different foods.
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We had the traditional Grenadian brekkie of salt fish, before travelling to the Tri-Island Chocolate Factory where I got the golden ticket and some free chocolate to taste.
Then I had coconut water from real coconuts, and the Grenadian national dish Oil Down, right, plus pilau rice and ‘doubles’ — a Trinidadian-inspired pancake with Indian-style spicy filling.
The tour offers a real feel for the whole island, since we travelled across the mountainous central region and rainforest area before reaching the Atlantic east coast.
Another tour I’d taken a fancy to after spotting it on the Grenada Tourist Board website, was to the Belmont estate.
My taxi driver Sheldon Noel took me to the 17th century plantation that showcases how chocolate is made from the cocoa bean to the finished article.
I savoured a fabulous three course buffet lunch of locally-sourced fish and veggies followed by, surprise surprise, chocolate for dessert.
Another must-do was a snorkelling trip to the underwater sculpture park with Eco Dive off the west coast of the island.
The life-size statues on the bottom of the ocean are a world first and easily viewed with a mask and snorkel for an amateur diver like me.
The trip out and back to the sculptures — with the reggae music pumping in the background — really makes you realise you’re in the Caribbean!
Of course, it wasn’t all daytime excursions — Grenada has a nightlife to explore too.
My favourite place for a drink was the oddly named Dodgy Dock at True Blue Bay Hotel — but it was named for a great reason.
After Hurricane Ivan wrecked the island in 2004, the venue was rebuilt but with some of the smashed-up wood from the original bar.
The name Dodgy Dock was coined and has remained ever since, with the bar now a hub for street food and entertainment throughout the week.
It’s a unique bar and venue with a relaxed atmosphere all of its own.
I also popped next door from Mount Cinnamon to the Spice Island Resort for a meal at their fantastic and upscale Oliver restaurant.
It was five courses of food heaven, with locally-caught shrimp followed by carrot soup, then a palate cleanser of cucumber and lime sorbet.
The duck main course went down a treat and the pudding was, of course, made from local chocolate.
From there, I wandered up Grand Anse beach to have a couple of Carib beers at Umbrellas Bar.
Then it was onto an impromptu gig on the sands called Any Given Sunday.
The reggae acts sent the locals and tourist party-lovers dance-crazy.
Despite it being pitch black when the night ended, I felt perfectly safe wandering back along the beach to Mount Cinnamon, with the almost zero crime rate a huge reassurance.
GO: GRENADA
GETTING THERE: British Airways has flights from Glasgow, via London, to Grenada with prices from £717pp.
But that’s Grenada. Due to its links to Britain and the Commonwealth, it feels like a warm home from home.
Many areas on the island have British names like St Andrew and St George and English is their language.
But the big difference — apart from the glorious weather — was the genuine warmth I felt from every single person I was lucky enough to meet in this little slice of paradise.
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Grenada has got that classic Caribbean feel but with a delightful afterglow that is unique to the island.
It feeds the soul as well as the body and I can’t wait for my next course.