with extensive programming around wellness and focus on local culture. The new Six Senses La Sagesse in Grenada checks all of these boxes and more for clients who view travel with an eye on self-care and connectedness to the places they visit.

Opened in April 2024, the Six Senses La Sagesse is the 26-resort hotel chain’s first property in North America, joining a lineup that includes hotels in exotic destinations such as Bhutan and Oman as well as other parts of Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the South Pacific, and India.

Part of the IHG chain, the resort features 56 pool suites and 15 one, two, and four-bedroom villas, set in the emerging tourism destination of St. David parish in southeastern Grenada. Nearby hotels and resorts include the four-star Belair Plantation and the Four Seven Three boutique resort and the five-star Point at Petit Calivigny in neighboring St. George Parish.
Thomas Fehlbier, the resort’s general manager, cited the “remarkable transformation” of the region in choosing to locate the resort on La Sagesse Bay.

“It is filled with vibrant energy, and we are delighted to be opening our doors and welcoming our first guests to discover this unique location,” said Fehlbier. “Our hosts, many of whom were born and raised minutes from the resort, along with the neighboring community, are full of pride and all-embracing. We are immensely grateful to be breaking the mold and inviting the world to experience a side of Grenada that retains an incredible purity and remains somewhat undiscovered.”

Typical of Six Senses resorts, La Sagesse’s Experience Center aims to connect guests with Grenada’s culture, through activities like farm-to-table cooking, high tea serves, rainforest hikes, cocoa plantation visits, and outings to Grenada’s local women’s farming organization, Grenrop. Resort restaurants make extensive use of locally grown produce as well as Grenadian rum. Indigenous plants and herbs are incorporated into spa treatments, such as a cleansing ritual that concludes with a cup of local bush tea.

Petra Roach, CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority, said the opening of the new resort reflects the destination’s commitment to sustainable luxury tourism.
“This world-class resort not only enhances Grenada’s appeal to discerning travelers but also aligns with our vision of preserving the natural beauty and cultural heritage that makes our island unique” she said. “We are confident that the presence of the resort will further elevate Grenada as a premier destination in the Caribbean, attracting visitors who value both luxury and environmental stewardship, and contributing meaningfully to our local economy and community.”

Hurricane Recovery Underway on Carriacou, Petit Martinique
Hurricane Beryl brought 150-mph winds to the Grenadines islands of Carriacou and Petit Martinique, as well as nearby Union Island, and when the skies cleared the damage was extensive, with nearly every building on the two small islands either damaged or destroyed.
“The entire island is completely affected … that is literally 100 percent of the population,” Simon Springett, the United Nations’ Resident Coordinator in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean said during a visit to the island shortly after the storm.

As of early August, hundreds of Carriacou residents were still living in temporary shelters. Ferry service to Carriacou and Petit Martinique from Grenada — normally a popular day trip for visitors to the main island — resumed shortly after the storm subsided. Tourism Authority CEO Petra Roach said in a recent interview that Carriacou faces “a long road to re-covery.”
However, Roach stressed that Grenada is open for tourism, noting, “By choosing to support our local businesses, restaurants, hotels, and local attractions in The Spice Isle, you are not only enjoying a memorable vacation, but you are also contributing to the recovery and growth of communities across the country.” Visitors and travel advisors also can contribute online to the Hurricane Beryl Relief Fund.

Silversands Beach House Opens on Portici Beach
Grenada is now home to two luxury Silversands resorts with the opening of the Silversands Beach House in February 2024.
A smaller sister property to the 43-room Silversands Grenada on Grand Anse Beach, which debuted in 2018 and famously boasts the longest swimming pool in the Caribbean, the Silversands Beach House has 32 rooms and suites, most with ocean views, and a Caribbean/Mediterranean fine-dining restaurant called Azzurro.

Set clifftop, the freestanding accommodations are each shaded by a sun-sail, giving the resort the appearance of a fleet of boats about to cast off into the Caribbean Sea. More secluded than the Silverseas on Grand Anse Beach, the Beach House caters to couples and promises privacy and intimacy in exchange for a shorter list of amenities.
A “best of both” worlds package includes three nights at each property. The two resorts are located about 15 minutes’ drive apart on Grenada’s southwestern coast.

Grenada Tourism Continues Strong Growth
Stayover visits to Grenada increased 33 percent between 2022 and 2023, and its total of 178,020 visitors also surpassed by 10 percent the number who came to the island in the pre-pandemic year of 2019. A report from the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s data partner, Forward Keys, also noted that Grenada’s first-quarter visits in 2024 were higher than in 2023.

The surge in visits came as Grenada played host to CHTA’s Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Conference in April 2024, with a theme of balancing environmental needs with prosperity for Caribbean people.

Grenada did experience a brief downturn in visitation after Hurricane Beryl hit the sister islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique — but only brushed Grenada itself — in July 2024. Bookings from the east coast of the U.S. fell between 15-18 percent in the immediate aftermath of the storm, but quickly recovered, according to Forward Keys.

Spice Island Beach Resort Extends Season
Grenada’s Spice Island Beach Resort has traditionally closed in September due to lower occupancy rates, but a strong summer has led the resort to stay open all year in 2024.
“Summer occupancy is strong, and we have already closed several room categories for the festive season over Christmas and the New Year,” said Janelle Hopkin, the resort’s president and managing director.

Hopkins said that recent renovations at the AAA Five Diamond resort, coupled with increased airlift to Grenada, have helped drive stronger bookings. “We continue to see strong bookings from our major market in the U.K., however we have also seen an upsurge in U.S. bookings, particularly from the Northeast corridor,” she said.
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