Overview
Grand Anse is the tourist centre of the island of Grenada, with a classic Caribbean vista of palm-lined beach. It's in the southwest of the island, just south of the capital St. George's, and stretches out to the airport.
Understand
Grand Anse originally referred to the attractive bay and beach south of St George's harbour, and the little settlement behind it. Separate communities along this strip included Belmont, The Lime and Morne Rouge. It was always the tourist centre, but until 1984 the airport was a small strip at Pearls on the east coast. Then the new airport opened at Point Salines, Grenada became a mass tourist destination, and facilities mushroomed. The villages coalesced in a single sprawl between the capital, the airport, and the more rugged south coast. For practical purposes therefore Grand Anse nowadays means this larger area and is so described on this page.
Grand Anse is part of the parish of St George, however the capital and points east to the watershed are described elsewhere as part of St. George's.
Get in
is on the peninsula two miles west, see Grenada (island)#Get in for facilities and flight connections.
Grand Anse is midway along the main road from the airport to St. George's. Minibuses and taxis stop at the roundabout near the beach.
Get around
A stream of taxis and minibuses ply between the airport, beach strip and town. For more distant sights such as Grand Etang and the distilleries, hire a taxi to take you around - they know the poorly signposted turn-offs and worst potholes.
Rental cars: see Grenada#Get around for companies and licence rules, they'll pick up / drop off anywhere around the island. You're only likely to want one if you have out-of-the-way accommodation, heavy sports gear or extended family.
There are taxi ranks at the airport and Spiceland Mall.
See
Grand Anse Beach is the one in all the tourist brochures, a magnificent two mile sweep of white sand, backed by hotels. However it's narrow, having suffered erosion, and at high tide (though the range is only about two feet) the waves may break across it. is the breezy peninsula at the west end of Grand Anse. The quarantine station was in use from mid 19th to early 20th century; there's not much left of it. Morne Rouge Beach west of that is smaller and usually quieter. Locally it's always called BBC Beach for the long-gone Blanco's Beach Club. Magazine Beach is the next section west. It's mostly sandy but punctuated by rocky outcrops, with the east near LaLuna Hotel known as Groom's Beach, and the west near Sandals called Pink Gin Beach - the sand is tinged pink from iron oxide. is a litmus of island politics. 24 Cuban workers building the new airport were killed in the 1983 US invasion. They were lightly armed and under instruction to resist, so were they combatants or what? This monument was installed in 2017 under the NNP government, which was conservative but pro-Cuba. In 2022 they were replaced by the centre-left NDC, who might endorse the monument or studiously neglect it.
Laura Herb and Spice Garden. Across the boundary into St David but easily accessed from Grand Anse, this garden displays the culinary and medicinal roles of the island spices.
Do
Scuba diving: the island's facilities are concentrated here. Dive shacks along Grand Anse beach include Native Spirit Scuba, Eco Dive, Aquanauts and Dive Grenada. Aquanauts and Scuba Tech also have shacks in L'Ance Aux Epines. They all offer training, kit hire and trips for suitably qualified divers. Molinere Reef is the usual destination. Its upper shoals rise to 6 m, simple novice or off-gassing territory. The underwater sculpture park off Molinere Point is a ring of statues within snorkel depth. Their faces are distorted by colourful coral, as if the Elephant Man had taken a pratfall at Chelsea Flower Show. Bianca C was a liner that suffered an explosion and fire at St George's in 1961. It began sinking and so was towed clear of the harbour, then the tow-line broke and down she went. She sits on her keel in 50 m on Whibbles Reef a mile off Grand Anse. Lives have been lost in penetrating the cavernous interior, and this risk is growing as the ship corrodes; the stern has broken away. The superstructure is at 30 m and swept by currents, so it's done as a drift dive - you need to be a competent qualified diver here. Surfing: the most reliable spot is Prickly Bay to the south at L'Ance Aux Epines. Cinema: Movie Palace is within Excel Plaza 200 yards south of Spiceland Mall. Golf: Grenada GC is nine holes. It's half a mile inland from the beach strip on, you guessed, Golf Course Road.
McDonald's Amusement Park. Kiddy-oriented small funfair plus the inevitable burgers.
Buy
Grand Anse Shopping Centre. Prices are higher here than elsewhere.
Grand Anse Craft and Spice Market is by the beach 100 yards east of the Radisson. It's a good place for local food and drink, open M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa Su 9AM-9PM.
Spiceland Mall. This is the main retail mall, with some 30 stores.
IGA Supermarket is attached to Spiceland but keeps longer hours, M-Th 8AM-9PM, F Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 8AM-7PM. Le Marquis Shopping Complex is a small mall just east across Morne Rouge Rd from Spiceland, open M-Sa 9AM-6PM. Excel Plaza 100 yards south of Le Marquis is a small mall with a cinema.
CK's Super-Valu. This is a cash and carry for bulk food and drink, so use it to stock your apartment or yacht (they deliver to the boatyard) not for top-up shopping.
Eat
Grenadian Grill and Asiatic are within Silver Sands Resort, north end of the beach. Dexters a block inland from Silver Sands Resort is open M-Sa 8AM-9PM, Su 4PM-9PM. Coconut Beach is open daily 12:30AM-10:30PM. 61° West next to Coconut Beach is open Tu-Su 7AM-10:30PM. Fish Pot in the craft market is open Tu-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su noon-9PM. GrillMaster cooks to order but is slow even for that. Open daily 7AM-9:30PM. Marquis Complex has Nick´s Donut World, Le Chateau, De Vino wine bar, Carib Sushi and Le Boulangerie. Spiceland Mall at the Grand Anse has a local fruit, Soup joint, IGA Supermarket, Grill Master, Ritual's Coffee House, Fruit smoothie Shop and a Chinese take away and a KFC.
Dodgy Dock. This serves Caribbean and Mexican cuisine on a wooden platform over the water.
Aquarium. Carved into a cliff with beach views, they're best known for their Sunday BBQ, but earn good reviews across the menu.
Drink
Joan's and Esther's are in the Craft & Spice Market.
Umbrella's Beach Bar. Lively beach spot with US-style food.
Junction Bar is in Lance Aux Epines at the turn-off for Calabash. Clarke's Court Rum is on Woodlands Main Road above the golf course and offers distillery tours. Blue Light Gin is a micro-distillery at Egmont on the south coast. Westerhall Distillery is a mile or so further east in St David parish. They nowadays import the cane sugar but the rest of production is local. West Indies Beer Company is a pub and micro-brewery in Lance Aux Epines, with a good range beyond the standard lagers. It's open Su-W 8:30AM-midnight, Th-Sa 8:30AM-2AM. Carib beer is brewed along the airport highway. No tours.
Sleep
Radisson Grenada Beach Resort. Smart chain hotel with restaurants, conference centre and golf.
Coyaba Beach Resort. Good hotel, some facilities tired.
Allamanda Beach Resort. Great value and comfort, close to amenities.
Spice Island Beach Resort. Midway along the beach, with great reviews for comfort, service and dining.
Siesta. One of the few mid-range options, comfy and spacious rooms 5 min from beach.
Blue Horizons Garden Resort. Pleasant informal hotel 5 min from beach.
Mount Cinnamon. Splendid upscale place west end of the main beach.
LaLuna Hotel. Relaxed but luxurious small hotel.
Royalton. Pleasant 4 star close to the airport. No aircraft noise but some find the music intrusive.
Sandals Grenada. Rave reviews for this resort hotel, but it depends what you're looking for - the Sandals experience cocoons you so you seldom venture out. It's close to the airport but there's no bother from aircraft noise. Couples only, no children.
Calabash. Plush place (part of Relais & Châteaux group) on southern peninsula, great for couples, less so for children.
Reef View Pavilions. Secluded accommodation in two villas, each with a swimming pool.
True Blue Bay Resort. Small hotel near the University but some distance from other facilities.
Make Grand Anse your own.
Before committing, pick one main reason for this visit and two nearby experiences that support it. Check the guide’s transport sections against current operator information. A convenient base can save more time than adding another attraction.
- Choose your arrival point and one base. Write down the real transfer time, not just the map distance.
- Build a first-day plan with room to settle in. Cluster the places you want to see rather than crossing the city repeatedly.
- Use actual accommodation and transport quotes in your budget. Add fees to the quote before comparing it.
- Keep one uncommitted block. Weather, energy and a good local recommendation can all change your plan.
Source transparency
This guide adapts licensed text by Wikivoyage contributors. It is not a claim that Lakhou has visited or independently verified every listing. We converted the source to plain text, selected practical sections and removed price sentences and private contact information. The planning framework and any related-business booking recommendations above are Lakhou editorial additions.
Original revision 5351305 · Contributor history · CC BY-SA 4.0. Reused text and adaptations on this page are available under that license. Source revision date: 2026-09-12. This is not a date of field verification.
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