Outfit - similar online here.
If you follow me on Instagram @emshelx I’m sure you’ll have seen that I recently got back from the trip of a lifetime. This year has been fuelled by a lot of travelling and has definitely included a lot of time by the ocean but I’m certainly not complaining. Travel is definitely an addiction and I just love seeing the world. There are so many places and cultures to discover and I think that’s why I was so excited to head back to the Caribbean. I’ve visited Cuba, Jamaica and The Bahamas but I’d never even thought of Grenada. For some reason, it was never on my hit-list. That’s all about to change and it’ll change for you too. Let’s talk about my time in Grenada and also a review of Sandals La Source Grenada hotel and resort too as so many people have asked.
White dress online here.
Getting there: To get to Grenada from the UK it’s actually quite simple, I imagined it’d be tough but you can get a direct 10 hr flight from Gatwick with British Airways, you just stop in St Lucia for an hour but you don’t get off the plane. They also have cheaper flights which have 1 stop. You can book this through the Sandals website as a package though.
Arrival: At the airport, you’ll be taken over to a Sandals desk. Passport control does take a long time at Grenada, they’re pretty strict with letting people in but the people are so wonderful. You’re then driven literally 5 minutes direct to Sandals La Source. I was concerned that being too close to the airport would mean you felt like you were on a building site or that it would be loud but you drive down such a long road to paradise. I probably saw two planes take off the whole time I was there and they were very quiet. Sandals is honestly paradise.
We were immediately greeted by our butler, Kerry at the front desk, the butlers wear white gloves and for some reason, I just find this so luxurious. I always judge a place by how well they care for customers when they’ve just arrived somewhere and they dealt with the bags, carried them, took them to my room and gave me a drink and a wet flannel. I can’t fault the arrival at Sandals.
Rooms: There are a number of rooms at Sandals La Source Grenada hotel and we went for the Love Nest Suite. I’ve been fortunate enough to stay in some incredible hotels over the last few years but this really was one of the most beautiful rooms I’ve ever stayed in. Rather than just being a room, we had our own hut. It was like a huge bungalow and very difficult to capture on photos but it reminded me of houses in the Maldives at resorts. Please do check them out on their site as I couldn't possibly capture it on camera. We spent most of our time dancing to the music in the communal pool but in our own pool. It was utter bliss and meant we had so much privacy. With the suites, you get a butler. Having a butler is a really interesting one and something I didn’t have when I stayed at Sandals Bahamas. To us, it feels as if having a butler is almost rude as I would never expect anyone to do anything for me, but actually, they’re like secret little angels that go above and beyond with special little tweaks to ensure you have the holiday of a lifetime.
Butlers at Sandals: We had four butlers as they swap shifts. We got to know Kerry, Antonio and Glendon the most and honestly, they are assets to Sandals. The only issue I have about Sandals is that you do have to tip each butler and they generally expect at least $100 so it does end up costing a lot on top of an already expensive holiday, particularly if you have 3 butlers to tip. I get it, it's the culture and it's totally fine but I do think (particularly as a British person because tipping isn't the same here as it is in the USA) it would be better if it was included. They become like family at the end of the trip. They’ll pretty much do anything you require but for us, we didn’t have to ask because they did everything for us anyway. Examples include getting us the best beds by the pool and the beach and reserving them, filling our water coolers with ice and our favourite cocktails and water ready for when we got to the beach, delivering pizza by the beach and booking us into the best restaurants. Nothing is too much for them and you can see them as much or as little as you like. Matt was playing table tennis with Glendon by the end of it. I only have wonderful words to say about the butlers, the random knocks at 4pm delivering delicious treats to your door, the 7pm pre-dinner knock at the door delivering pink champagne, the special surprise dinners they organised for us by the pool with candles and a saxophone player, the luxury bath they ran for us and little things like decorating the bed and getting Matt a rose to give to me for our anniversary. There’s nothing these guys can’t do and they do sprinkle magic all around the Sandals resorts. It doesn’t feel awkward in the slightest to have a butler, it’s just like your point of contact who makes things so stress-free and so easy for you and you may even become friends with them.
Facilities at Sandals: If you have your own room with a pool, you really don’t need to leave it. I’m the kind of person that really enjoys getting out of a resort but seriously, I was so in need of a chilled holiday and to be able to call room service to our room (included in the all inclusive) and use our own pool and jacuzzi every day was a godsend. They have multiple communal pools which are bursting with energy, amazing swim up bars, water falls you name it. One pool is lively whilst the other is more chilled with pool floats. The gym was epic and only a 1 minute walk from our room too. There are so many water sports available if that’s your thing too. The sea is pretty choppy and deep though so make sure you do it on a good flag day!
All Inclusive Sandals Resorts: Sandals is an all inclusive resort but one of the best available. I’ve always told people about Sandals and said that no-where compares to their all inclusive offering, seriously. It’s spectacular, they have 8 restaurants at Sandals La Source Grenada and they’re all epic. Whether you fancy a buffet, a fancy a la carte meal or a cake. I’ll give you a quick low down of the restaurants at Sandals La Source because I’ve had a lot of messages from people wanting to book or who have already booked! You can check all the menus online and you’ll be blown away at the quality and variety of food. It’s hard to believe it’s all included, with premium spirits too. You also get room service included for free and premium spirits topped up in your room with the butler suites.
Restaurants at Sandals:
Neptunes - Neptunes is a cool, quirky little beach hut restaurant and bar, open for lunch and then it transforms into seafood and steak for dinner. The views are beautiful on the beach.
Dinos - Dinos is a little snack shack serving fresh oven baked pizza and popcorn, you can take it away or eat it there.
Tipsy Turtle - we didn’t eat here but it’s a British bar serving fish and chips! I wish we had longer there to try out this place as it would have been fun with a beer or two haha.
Cafe Paris - my favourite and I can’t quite believe its included. It shows the effort Sandals go to to ensure their resorts are the best. Cafe Paris is a gorgeous little patisserie open all day until late, full of fresh crepes, milkshakes, cupcakes, cakes, macaroons you name it, as well as coffees and teas. It’s dangerous that this is all included!
Spices - Spices serves delicious traditional Caribbean food on an evening and then has a delicious lunch buffet in the day. They also have a breakfast buffet.
La Romana - La Romana is the on-site Italian and they also do a delicious buffet breakfast with chefs cooking omelettes and pancakes for you too.
Tepanyaki - My favourite, live teppanyaki cooking evenings. You cook in groups and it’s so much fun.
Soy - another favourite, Soy is only open some nights for dinner and we ate there twice as we loved it so much. A great tip is to head there for starter then go somewhere else for main. It’s the most divine sushi restaurant, all handmade and incredible fresh quality. We were honestly addicted. I’d go back just for this.
Le Jardiner - A beautiful sit down a la carte for breakfast or a fancy French restaurant for dinner serving the likes of Chateaubriand.
One thing I would say about the food at Sandals is, they could easily have one communal kitchen and use the same ingredients and the same dishes throughout each restaurant but they don’t. They have separate kitchens with a different chef in each and each restaurant is so different. It’s such a treat for people who love good food. They also host special chocolate buffet nights which are a dream for chocolate lovers!
Special occasions: Sandals is the resort of love, seriously. So whether it’s a honeymoon or you just want to add a bit of love, they do things like special candlelit dinners outside on your terrace, or a special breakfast in your room, or a beachside dinner, a poolside dinner. It seriously is the most special place. We had the most romantic meals ever here, I was blown away by both our beachside and poolside.
What To Do In Grenada: Grenada itself is an incredible place and I’d highly recommend getting out. We paid for a private driver and he was knowledgeable and amazing. I wouldn’t say there’s LOADS to do there but you can go to the spice market, eat some local food, go to some beaches like Grand Anse which is one of the top beaches in the world, go to the waterfalls, look around the main town, go to the fish fry, just chat and get to know the locals they are all so wonderful. Just like the Sandals staff, they are such lovely, genuine people who are interested in you and they want you to love their country. Make sure you do a sightseeing cruise with Sandals too, it was so great to have a tour of Grenada from the water!
Bikini online here. Plus get 30% off all orders on Missguided with promo code EMSHEL30
White dress online here.
I need to take my whole family back next year and we are desperate to try the other resorts. The Jamaica ones look amazing and I’d love to go to Turks and Caicos as I’ve heard it's insane, as well as Barbados as I’m desperate to go. I’d also like to go to St Lucia so it looks like I’ve got a lot more Sandals to stay at. One thing I would say is that I will never forget my Sandals stay in The Bahamas and have told so many people about it, years after. I know I feel the same about Grenada, it’s complete and utter luxury, the service is second to none and you are treated like royalty. Mainly though, they allow you to just relax and have the holiday of a lifetime. It sounds so cliche but Sandals is so magical. This is why I am raving about it so much as I hope you guys can experience what I experienced. P.S, make sure you do beach front yoga!
Have you ever heard of Sandals resorts? Do you like the sound of Sandals or Grenada? Or both! Have you visited the Carribean?
Please watch my video from the trip below!
You can book Sandals La Source Grenada online here.
Lots of love, Em x
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