Just back from Grenada

We took the water taxi from the pier to Grand Anse for six or eight bucks each (can't remember). This means sitting in a fairly shabby boat in the blazing sun until the operator has jammed his maximum number of passengers onto the rough board seats of his clunky vessel.

Grande Anse is a shouting match of vendors trying to get you to buy a chair from them. We bought chairs for ten bucks each, then it turned out we had to pay more for a shade umbrella. Then it turned out we had to pay more for cushions on the chairs. Then it turned out the toilets the chair- guy had access to were a long walk away and if we wanted a toilet near our chair we had to pay a buck a pee. Are you getting the picture?

Oh well, we were vastly entertained by the four business women who sported and strutted their stuff on the beach in front of us. Sadly, they were disappointed when the middle-aged white guy who was alone on his beach chair was joined by his wife and teenage daughter. We did go for a swim in the water where the business women were disporting themselves, and the water was warm and the bottom smooth. However, we had to hurry out of the way when some motorboats began backing in - motors prevail.

The spices are very nice, and you can buy them for reasonable prices right in the port area. You would have to pay me to go to Grande Anse beach again.

I am considering a day at Grande Anse beach when we arrive on the Celebrity Summit in April. Have been waffling whether to go because of reports and reviews like yours. I want a reasonably quiet time without pushy vendors repeatably putting the hard sell on you every 5 minutes.

Some reviews claim it is one of the best beaches in the Caribbean with little or no problems with noise and vendors. Some report experiences similar to yours. Maybe it depends on location? Are there quiet locations if you walk further down the beach?

Also, is there a convenient and quieter alternative to this beach? Thanks.

 

so sorry you had a hassled time on our gorgeous beach.:eek:...a few comments which I know wont help you now you are back home but may help other visitors to our shores.

 

Water taxi - yes these guys do usually wait until the boat is full before they move. They tend to fill very quickly first thing in the morning as everyone heads to the beach but slow down throughout the day I can only suggest walk along the path to the taxi and if it looks empty and there's no one else coming after you head back inside and go on a land taxi - they usually work out the same price

 

Chair vendors - I have reported your concern to the authorities concerned as this adding to the price is simply not on. :mad: It can be a bit of a bun fight I have to admit but that is because the ones on the right of the dock as you face land aren't doing what they are supposed to do which is stay by their chairs and wait for you to come to them. The chap in the green t-shirt on the left as you face land and walk off the dock right in front of the Coconuts restaurant is awesome, friendly and does everything for one price.

 

Please do come back and give us another chance :D

I am considering a day at Grande Anse beach when we arrive on the Celebrity Summit in April. Have been waffling whether to go because of reports and reviews like yours. I want a reasonably quiet time without pushy vendors repeatably putting the hard sell on you every 5 minutes.

 

Some reviews claim it is one of the best beaches in the Caribbean with little or no problems with noise and vendors. Some report experiences similar to yours. Maybe it depends on location? Are there quiet locations if you walk further down the beach?

 

Also, is there a convenient and quieter alternative to this beach? Thanks.

Grand Anse is gorgeous but unfortunately as all cruisers have a bit of a pack mentality there are few that head past the chairs and umbrellas towards quiet, empty beach areas. If you walk fromt he dock 10-15 mins south you reach an empty areas with few people. If you decide to land taxi I would suggest ask for Umbrellas beach bar and in front of this is a great beach, some chairs and it is relatively quiet.

As far as vendors we don't have social security here so if they don't sell they don't eat so as it costs nothing to look I would suggest that you see what they have and then a very gently no thanks works well. They are generally very polite when they get a refusal and the further away you are from the beach gang the fewer vendors you will have.

Grand Anse is gorgeous but unfortunately as all cruisers have a bit of a pack mentality there are few that head past the chairs and umbrellas towards quiet, empty beach areas. If you walk fromt he dock 10-15 mins south you reach an empty areas with few people. If you decide to land taxi I would suggest ask for Umbrellas beach bar and in front of this is a great beach, some chairs and it is relatively quiet.

 

As far as vendors we don't have social security here so if they don't sell they don't eat so as it costs nothing to look I would suggest that you see what they have and then a very gently no thanks works well. They are generally very polite when they get a refusal and the further away you are from the beach gang the fewer vendors you will have.

Thanks for the response. We will probably walk awhile to a quieter spot.

Grand Anse is gorgeous but unfortunately as all cruisers have a bit of a pack mentality there are few that head past the chairs and umbrellas towards quiet, empty beach areas. If you walk fromt he dock 10-15 mins south you reach an empty areas with few people. If you decide to land taxi I would suggest ask for Umbrellas beach bar and in front of this is a great beach, some chairs and it is relatively quiet.

 

As far as vendors we don't have social security here so if they don't sell they don't eat so as it costs nothing to look I would suggest that you see what they have and then a very gently no thanks works well. They are generally very polite when they get a refusal and the further away you are from the beach gang the fewer vendors you will have.

Can you walk to Magazine Beach from where the water taxi drops you off? of would it be better to take a land taxi? I heard the snorkeling is good at that beach - can you confirm?

I am looking forward to time on this beach and love to talk to the locals about what they are selling - :) - and I have never had a problem with a simple no thank you.

Can you walk to Magazine Beach from where the water taxi drops you off? of would it be better to take a land taxi? I heard the snorkeling is good at that beach - can you confirm?

I am looking forward to time on this beach and love to talk to the locals about what they are selling - :) - and I have never had a problem with a simple no thank you.

Hi Sheila, You can walk from Grand Anse beach, over a hill and then onto BBC beach but it would be a good 2 miles. :eek: To get to Magazine Beach you definitely need a land taxi as this is about 4 miles away. There is a restaurant there called the Aquarium (closed on Mondays)

Hand on heart all snorkeling off our beaches isn't fantastic :o - it's only good if you are at the very edges where the are rock formations and small reefs. The water near the Aquarium is sometimes better for fish but can be rougher (depending on the day's conditions). Overall if you want flora and fauna experiences then you would need to go on a snorkeling tour to our MPA (Marine Protected Area). :cool:

IslandStar, thank you for your concern. However, one person in our group was disabled - it was not possible for her to push her walker along the beach to find a more reasonable chair vendor. I think the Grenada local authorities need to protect the reputation of the beach and the island by taking a more active role at Grande Anse. Orient Beach on St Maarten is similar in many ways, but visitors there are not harassed and gouged like this.

As for the big guy in the green shirt, he was the person who charged us for the chair, then the umbrella, then tried to charge for the pads on the chairs. By that point I was so angry he realized he was going to lose the sale, so he backed off. He was wearing a green t-shirt labelled "Beach Chair Operator." He was an operator, all right.

IslandStar, thank you for your concern. However, one person in our group was disabled - it was not possible for her to push her walker along the beach to find a more reasonable chair vendor. I think the Grenada local authorities need to protect the reputation of the beach and the island by taking a more active role at Grande Anse. Orient Beach on St Maarten is similar in many ways, but visitors there are not harassed and gouged like this.

 

As for the big guy in the green shirt, he was the person who charged us for the chair, then the umbrella, then tried to charge for the pads on the chairs. By that point I was so angry he realized he was going to lose the sale, so he backed off. He was wearing a green t-shirt labelled "Beach Chair Operator." He was an operator, all right.

Oh wow - he's normally very good. I did contact a friend in the Tourism Authority with this info and they have assured me they will be taking steps and trying to make sure your experience isn't repeated. So sorry you had a poor experience

Grande Anse is a gorgeous beach but, I hate to say, we've had bad experiences the last two times we were there. Next month we might walk past the chairs and just find a palm tree to sit under. The chair vendors were rude to the point of nasty. The chairs we rented were in tough shape, the umbrellas even worse. It's really too bad. Grenada is a beautiful island. Friendly smiles and pleasant people go a long way. I hope it doesn't become another Jamaica where most people don't even get off the ship.

Grand Anse is gorgeous but unfortunately as all cruisers have a bit of a pack mentality there are few that head past the chairs and umbrellas towards quiet, empty beach areas. If you walk fromt he dock 10-15 mins south you reach an empty areas with few people. If you decide to land taxi I would suggest ask for Umbrellas beach bar and in front of this is a great beach, some chairs and it is relatively quiet.

 

As far as vendors we don't have social security here so if they don't sell they don't eat so as it costs nothing to look I would suggest that you see what they have and then a very gently no thanks works well. They are generally very polite when they get a refusal and the further away you are from the beach gang the fewer vendors you will have.

If I am not interested in buying then I won't waste their time. I politely say no thank you or tell them that I have already purchased many jewellery items already during the trip. I justify the little white lie because if I wasted 3 minutes of their time while they are trying to sell me something that I will not buy they may be missing out on a person who would actually purchase something. I think of it as win-win. :)

Just pay and be polite. This is how the people make their living... What's ten bucks to those who pay hundreds- thousands for a cruise.. :confused:

Thanks to past posters we decided to take the bus to the beach rather than the water taxi. It allowed us to see some of the town first and see things more as travelers and less as a tourist. The bus to Grand Anse beach costs $1 USD per person each direction and is paid only when you get out of the bus.

Walk along the waterfront street to your left until you come to the bus station. Easy to spot as it is full of vans of all colors. Look up to see the numbering system (on the concrete overhang) and continue walking to the left until you come to bus number 1. Tell the door operator guy that you want to go to Grand Anse and would like to be let off around the spice market. They will fill the van before leaving and there is no AC. Because of the jump seats being used you might have to get in and out a few times as others get off.

Arriving before the first water taxi we had the choice of many chairs and we did not find them overly pushy. Our guy 'Curtis' sold us two chairs (with pads) and an umbrella for $20. Later he brought us a bucket of 6 local beers for $15.

When it was time to head back we started walking back towards the road and before getting there the bus arrived and honked and waved at us to see if we wanted to board. Easy peasy!

We thoroughly enjoyed our adventure but point out that the seats are tight (not good for bigger people) and with the repeated off and on and the walk to the station it would be recommended for fitter people.

Please can you give me an idea of how far of a walk it is to get to the bus station. Do you have any idea of often the busses run. How long of a ride was it to the beach?? Was there any food to buy along with the great beer? How long of a walk was it after you got off the bus to get to the beach? I like to figure out our time to make sure we do not miss the ship. I wonder how much faster it is to take the water or land taxi.

Relax and enjoy life.

Thank you

Just pay and be polite. This is how the people make their living... What's ten bucks to those who pay hundreds- thousands for a cruise.. :confused:

I love the markets that are set up where you can browse and purchase. I have bought many a souveigner and I don't haggle. I take private excursions and tip well and I buy lunches and drinks while at port. It's not about spending money to me. Not at all about spending money and I don't think that I am the only one. Being pestered when I am trying to relax is what I can't stand.

At Long bay in Antigua there are small gift sheds set up and the sellers are there every week day. I was there for a week and was never hassled on any part of the beach and the only time that the five of us were spoken to by the sellers was when we approached them. My teens bought lots of gifts for their friends back home and I bought a beachbag.

Just back from Grand Anse last week. We sat in front of Umbrellas Restaurant. $10 per chair, not very crowded, and not one vendor approached us. It's only a 10 minute walk from where the water taxi drops you. It's a beautiful beach but I was definitely surprised that it's often classified as one of the best in the world. Much prettier beaches on St. John and even Aruba IMO, but it is a very pretty beach.

Please can you give me an idea of how far of a walk it is to get to the bus station. Do you have any idea of often the busses run. How long of a ride was it to the beach?? Was there any food to buy along with the great beer? How long of a walk was it after you got off the bus to get to the beach? I like to figure out our time to make sure we do not miss the ship. I wonder how much faster it is to take the water or land taxi.

Relax and enjoy life.

Thank you

Once outside the cruise port building it is about 5 minutes walk to the bus station depending on your walking speed. The buses leave frequently but wait till they are filled. Ours left within 3 minutes of boarding and there were a couple of other vans lined up behind. From where we were left off it was a 1 minute walk to the beach. This was at the craft market. The ride itself took around 15 minutes on the way there and 10 or so on the way back. Depends on how many stops it makes as it can take a minute to off load someone if they are sitting far in the back.

We got off the ship at the same time as many others and were certainly at the beach first. I think many sat and waited in the first water taxis for them to fill up.

Taking the bus is for the adventurous. If speed is your issue you might prefer a private taxi. We liked the bus experience and certainly appreciated the $1 price.

Curtis tried to show us the menu but I wasn't really interested. I asked if they had fish roti and they didn't, only beef or chicken, so I didn't eat. There seemed to be a regular selection of burgers and sandwiches.

Hi Sheila, You can walk from Grand Anse beach, over a hill and then onto BBC beach but it would be a good 2 miles. :eek: To get to Magazine Beach you definitely need a land taxi as this is about 4 miles away. There is a restaurant there called the Aquarium (closed on Mondays)

 

Hand on heart all snorkeling off our beaches isn't fantastic :o - it's only good if you are at the very edges where the are rock formations and small reefs. The water near the Aquarium is sometimes better for fish but can be rougher (depending on the day's conditions). Overall if you want flora and fauna experiences then you would need to go on a snorkeling tour to our MPA (Marine Protected Area). :cool:

We are thinking about going to Umbrellas beach bar or Aquarium for the afternoon....what are your thoughts?:confused: We have a 1/2 day tour in the morning and they will drop us off at the beach.

Here are a couple pictures taken from outside the Celebrity Summit, to show what the bus station and water taxi look like. The first one shows a water taxi coming back to the water taxi pickup spot near the cruise ship pier, with the bus station in back of it (lots of red and white vans). The second shows the small pier and the bus station close to it. As monicajay says, the bus is not far away; nor is the water taxi pier, but of course, leave extra time for either one when you're coming back, as you won't necessarily be guaranteed a ride immediately. Yes, fare is $8 roundtrip on the water taxi.

I ran out of time to go to Grand Anse because I had so much fun on a low-cost 4 hour spice tour by AJ Meddy Tours, and then explored the fort and town of St. Georges. I really liked Grenada. My pictures are on http://www.pbase.com/roothy123 if you want to take a look.

See below for pictures of the water taxi and buses. Taking local buses in the Caribbean is not everyone's cup of tea, but we've done it on several islands and found it a great way to see a lot for a little. In St. Thomas, for example, you can take the $2 "bus" (safari truck, but hey, it works) or you can take a $10-12 "taxi" (also a safari truck in most cases) to go across the island to the Red Hook ferry.

Gorgeous pictures :) made me want to attach a note to each with an anecdote or two. Glad you had a fabulous time. Maybe come back for longer next time :D Thank you for sharing

Gorgeous pictures :) made me want to attach a note to each with an anecdote or two. Glad you had a fabulous time. Maybe come back for longer next time :D Thank you for sharing

Thank you. I'm serious about my pictures, and I took a lot in Grenada! I went back to look at what I posted, and noticed I called St. George's Roseau in one caption! I fixed that. I'm still not sure whether St. George's has an apostrophe or not, and how Dougaldston is spelled, as I saw it spelled a number of ways before I went there, but I suppose my spelling doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things!

I will have to come back some time - to visit "Ruth Howard" as that is my name and my husband's name!

 

I will have to come back some time - to visit "Ruth Howard" as that is my name and my husband's name!

your husband is called Ruth too? ha ha just kidding :D

Yes you definitely must come back - Greenz misses you already :cool:

Thank you. I'm serious about my pictures, and I took a lot in Grenada! I went back to look at what I posted, and noticed I called St. George's Roseau in one caption! I fixed that. I'm still not sure whether St. George's has an apostrophe or not, and how Dougaldston is spelled, as I saw it spelled a number of ways before I went there, but I suppose my spelling doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things!

 

I will have to come back some time - to visit "Ruth Howard" as that is my name and my husband's name!

Loved your pictures, Ruth. We will be on the same itinerary next February. BTW, the hanging pod that you did not know what it was but thought it was pretty? That's the pod for bananas. Where we live in So. FL so we see them all the time. In a few weeks there will be a bunch of hanging bananas to be picked.:D