Spice Island Beach Resort

Our third visit and certainly not our last, in fact we’re returning in a couple of months which says it all ! Its a stunning property, totally relaxing, spotlessly clean with imaginative understated decor which we love. We stayed in a Seagrape beachfront suite which opened directly onto the beautiful Grande Anse Beach, perfect for an early morning walk. We were more than happy with the food at all mealtime’s, something to suit most tastes. The staff are just one of the hotels many assets, they are immaculate, well trained and remember your names very quickly, the word no is not in their vocabulary. We love the beach service, those boys work hard in the hot sun, thanks guys. Any minor issues are dealt with promptly. The front desk was always manned and we we’re always greeted by name and with a smile. Housekeeping was great as was the turndown service. Thanks to all the staff who made our vacation so enjoyable, we look forward to seeing you again soon.

We’ve just had yet another wonderful week at this beautiful hotel. It was low season and occupancy was low, which was fine by us. We had a Sea Grape Beachfront Suite, which is very spacious and comfortable. And there’s so much storage space for clothes: quite a contrast from the hotel we’d occupied during the previous week. The USP of Spice Island is its quality feel. You sense it immediately upon arrival. The entrance is impressively Caribbean, staff members are super-smartly dressed, charming and efficient. We like the location for its daily walks up and down Grande Anse Beach and over the headland to Morne Rouge / BBC Beach. Because of low occupancy for the season, the breakfast buffet was unavailable: it was table service, as for other meals. We regretted this and had looked forward to the usual service from Natalie -- but we caught up anyway. The lunch menu was extensive, with very generous portions (sometimes we decided to share, and evening meals were very well-presented. Wine quality was good and the bar staff were very attentive. So many staff members are excellent that to name them would be a very long list. However, we have a shout-out for Lyndonna. Towards the end of our stay we had no neighbours in our block of four Sea Grape Suites. In fact, most of the hotel was empty. We had a 4pm check out and were given and extension to 2pm, for which we were grateful. If we wanted the room for a little longer we would have had to pay $350US. We decided against it and had a late lunch. By the way: a little black and white cat lives on the beach front. She is skinny, begged for food and we fed her. We hope that someone else will do so — and get a lot of affection in return. We would like to see her when we visit again. And we also hope that the very pleasant intern Ida has a full time job.

My husband took me to SIBR to celebrate my 50th birthday for 5 days. I can’t tell you how special and unique this place was during that time! From the moment we arrived, they knew our names, gave us a welcome drink and escorted us personally to our Seagrape suite while explaining all of the amenities and personnel available to make the stay perfect. The grounds are impeccable, I have a large farm and appreciate the thought put into their landscaping and how clean everything was…not a single leaf or fruit on the path throughout the hotel. Our room was in a secluded corner with a guard who not made sure we didn’t have locals hogging the beach chairs but to occasionally run to the bar and get us drinks! It was quiet and we had a local cat who visited me every night. Now with the staff: everyone knew our names!! They brought out their hot sauce for me every meal knowing how much I enjoyed it (get it and thank me later), they told us about their culture their families and the beauty of the island, they made special drinks that are out of this world, they made me a cake for my birthday, they ran on the day of my birthday when we were returning from the resort to give me a sweet handwritten note, they packed a to go lunch for my husband the day of our departure…it’s all the little things we didn’t ask for that made the difference and the staff was abundant and generous in providing these additional touches. To cover some of the negatives I’ve seen from my perspective 1. Food. I come from a foodie town and grow a lot of our own veggies, herbs and fruits and the food here was incredible. The menus changed daily so I had an opportunity to go back to some of my favorites (only did this once) but mostly explore many more things like fresh fish, local cuisine and the best desserts I’ve ever had. 2. Owner presence: she was here twice that I saw whether that was enjoying a drink or her son getting swim lessons. I liked how she blended in but was polite and courteous. 3. Even with the security guard we had some locals approach us but they were typically selling souvenirs and were very receptive to a no. These encounters lasted less than one minute I typically do to Hawaii as my zen place but I’ve already decided Grenada and specifically SIBR is my new favorite place to be spoiled and relax! I am already planning my trip for next year!! Thank you to all of the wonderful staff for making my birthday so special!

We first stayed at SIBR in February 2024, we enjoyed it so much that we returned again this April but we did not feel that the standard was as good as the previous year and found some aspects of our stay a little disappointing For the following reasons : The dinner menu did not change regularly. It was the same 4 nights in a row during our stay and was the same again on the day we left with only one or two dishes changing, this was disappointing as this was our least favourite menu. One of the reasons for returning to Spice Island was because of the amazing food but we did not feel it was quite as good this year. Perhaps that is due to the change of chef? Breakfast and lunch were good, lunch being our favourite meals. The hotel did have a feel of staying out of season even though it was only the first week of April. On our previous visit there was evening entertainment at least three times per week this time there was only evening entertainment once. Aside from the staff that we met the year before who couldn’t do enough for you it felt like we had the “B” team. Sometimes certain parts of our orders were forgotten, we were bought the wrong dishes a couple of times at breakfast and on one occasion we were asked what we would like to order before we had been offered a drink. On a couple of evenings we were not offered additional drinks and had to ask. Small things but they make a difference. I agree with the previous review and found it irritating constantly being asked for our names whereas last year all of the staff knew the names of the guests the moment they arrived and remembered them. I would rather give a room number than have to keep repeating my name. We booked through Hotels.com and being a gold member should have received a complimentary upgrade if available . I did request an upstairs suite before our arrival as I could not have known if an upgrade would have been available as it turns out the hotel occupancy looked to be around 25% and we were not offered the upgrade. A member of staff came to speak to us about this while we were having lunch and in front of other guests which we found unprofessional and did not appreciate. We were more than happy with our room but it would’ve been nice to have been offered the upgrade. Having said all of this, we did enjoy our stay very much, it just wasn’t as good as last year. We would like to give SIBR another chance but I’m not sure that we will return again so soon.

We have visited SIBR multiple times over 20+ years, initially as a family for Christmases and New Years then as a couple in the March to May window. Our recent visit was our first post Covid and our expectations were inevitably off the scale high and sadly we left disappointed and unlikely to make the trek back to Grenada again. It grieves me to write anything other than a 5* (and 4* is probably generous) review for our stay at this resort which holds so many happy memories for us but as the online feedback given at checkout went unacknowledged, I need to share it to give me closure. Key to us to the loss of SIBR’s magic was the lack of visibility, apart from on arrival, of upper management and owners. We could have been in a branded resort rather than at the unique family owned piece of paradise that we fondly remember. Significant investment has clearly gone into the communal areas and to good effect. However, our chosen accommodation over the years, the Seagrape suites, have received only decorative revamps. Why the in suite beach towels are inferior to the towels available at the (underused and cluttered with the introduction of day beds) pool Is a mystery. Whilst the resort used to be regularly fogged to keep the mosquito population under some level of control, this didn’t occur during our visit and we were both badly bitten in spite of the bug mat in our suite. We arrange the mini bar fill up to suit our requirements on day 1. Housekeeping was fine but unreliable in terms of the timing of the 2 visits per day. I can’t fault SIBR’s location, grounds and staff and must call out the fantastic service and care we received from Dexter, Andre, Caralana, Lyndonna, Daniella, Seymour, Martha, Kenetta, Rayon and Fabian, all of whom we’ve known for years, and from Kevin, Danah, Jeron and Katrina, whom we met for the first time this visit. The low level of occupancy probably explained evening entertainment being so sparse and only 1 out of 2 Sundays having a BBQ. However, both were disappointing and compounded by the fact that the weekly cocktail parties are now a thing of the past. Particularly given the number of guests, we were irritated by repeatedly being asked our names on arrival at the restaurant - this has never occurred on previous SIBR visits and continued even after it was pointed out as unwelcome. We cannot fault the quality and presentation of the food, and I was delighted that my request for beetroot ice cream sorted my dessert choice. Breakfast, however, has always been and continues to be, repetitive and limited in choice when compared to the other 5* resorts we now frequent. The dinner menus repeat weekly and also remain limited, to the extent that we skipped it on a couple of occasions. We were pleased that there’s no longer a weekly buffet night. Lunch once again was the (culinary) highlight of our day in terms of choice and ambiance. We had no issues with the house wines served with our meals. The SIBR bar now features even more prominently in our history, mostly for good reasons. However, whilst we joked with staff about there only being 1 margarita glass and the erratic supplies of ginger beer, both were irritating and unexpected in a resort of this calibre. We joined in a couple of the (free) daytime activities which were adequate although we were disappointed (versus similar events both in Grenada and elsewhere) by the (extra cost) sunset cruise. Thanks for reading this far, I hope this review is of some use to both the resort and future visitors. Apologies if some points come across as emotional and / or trivial but sometimes it is the little things that matter, especially given the cost of a stay at SIBR and the fact that the 5* bar has been raised over the past 5 years, particularly in Europe. It’s been a cathartic write!