Spice Island Beach Resort was a well run hotel with good service and food.

It however was not a resort I will be visiting again for a number of reasons:

Although we had been reassured by our travel agent that the sea would be very calm and child friendly (we travelled with an 18 mth old) we were unable to swim in the sea as it was very rough. Locals confirmed that the beach is renowned for having rough water.

The beach was dirty, I found used condoms and their packets on the beach. My daughter thought they would be great to play with. I had other ideas!

While sitting on the beach with my daughter I was accosted by a man who tried to offer me group sex which he claimed other guests were willing to pay for on a regular basis. He was very graphic and obsene and I was very upset as it was in full earshot of my daughter. The hotel manager dealt with it and I did not see the perpertrator again, however I was unable to enjoy the beach as I felt the security was very much under par.
On the same note, we had a junky / hobo sitting outside our room on a number of occasions.

The childcare was terrible. We employed a babysitter to help during the day and sit for our daughter at night. She was not interested in her job at all and spent her time during the day when she should have been playing with my daughter reading my magazines without even asking me if I minded!

The kids club was a lovely facility but needed more toys and proper staff. The kids were just plonked in front of the TV or left to roam around without interaction. The staff did not play with them and all the other parents who were there at the same time as us had the same complaints.

I even found my daughter strapped into her buggy screaming hysterically when I went to check on her!

I have vast experience of babysitters on holiday and I was shocked at their lack of interest and enthusiasm.
If any of the parents went into the kids club and played with the kids the staff looked on in amazement. I can only presume that they are not used to playing with children.
Ordinarily I tip the sitter very generously at the end of a trip, but I was just pleased to see the back of this one.

It was a great shame that the hotel was let down by these points.

This is a beautiful hotel in a beautiful location and my partner and I had a really fabulous time.
The island : Grenada is a great island and less touristy than other Caribbean islands. Take a trip round the island - it's well worth it - we went by bus on an organised tour. St Georges itself is a fabulous harbour and very photogenic : find the bar at the far end of the first harbour (not the one where the cruise ships dock) and sit and watch the world go by. (Don't feel you have to get a taxi in to town - we walked to the end of the beach and up onto the road and caught local minibuses - 2.50ECD each, and no problem at all - good music too ! (They stop and let you out if you bang the side of the bus. Easy !)
As for Grand Anse beach : deserves its reputation. Totally photogenic again, beautiful sand and sea, great swimming. Weather was fantastic when we were there too - a beautiful breeze all day : so don't burn - the sun is strong. One of the (many) best things about this beach is that it is a public beach and so local people come and go - so when you stay at Spice Island you feel safe, but you also don't feel penned into a compound which is often a problem in all-inclusive hotels. Also, when on the beach, don't be afraid to have a chat with the people who sell stuff there - they really don't hassle you at all, at least, we had no problems whatsoever, in fact, it was nice to meet people. If you say "not today thank you" that's no problem - unlike other places I've been where beach hawkers can be a nightmare.
If you want to go diving, the Aquanauts centre on the beach is very very good. Great staff and good trips - knowledgable and conscientious - and safe.
As for the hotel : we chose a Sea Grape suite which we reckon is the best option. I'm sure the pool suites are fantastic, but they are behind the beach, and maybe get less sunshine and breeze -??? The Oleander garden and ocean suites are also very very nice, but the advantage of the Sea Grape suites is that they actually face (are on) the beach - if you are a beach lover it is beautiful - you sleep to the sound of the waves and wake to the sun and a view of the sea. (Have breakfast served on your patio - no extra charge, and fantastic. Best breakfast ever ! )
On the subject of food - fabulous. Not a buffet like most all-inclusives but a la carte with plenty of choice. 7-8 courses every evening - international and local cuisne. We ate fish nearly all week but the meat and veg courses were good too. Men - beware the dress code at evening meals - no sandals or cut-off trousers/jeans - and they specify collared shirts (ties not necessary though !!!) so pack long trousers and shoes of some kind. Don't be put off though - in spite of this the atmosphere is relaxed.
In fact it is quite a quiet hotel - the bar was never noisy when we were there - I wouldn't recommend it to people wanting a lot of nightlife. Perfect for couples and relaxing though.
The only problem was - a week wasn't long enough. I can't wait to go back.

We booked Spice Island for our Honeymoon destination after lots of research on various different islands/hotels etc. We were not disappointed with Spice Island and was everything we hoped it would be. We had a standard room which was absolutely lovely, probably one of the nicest standard rooms we have stayed in - with a massive bed and bath together with molton brown products !!!!! The hotel itself was lovely, the staff were great and the beach was fantastic. The food was good too, although sometimes on the fussy side but the staff were only too happy to change something on the menu or make you a sandwich or something lighter at lunch! Even some mornings when we hadnt made it to breakfast we would get a call from the restaurant and they would ask us if we wanted any breakfast brought to our room - now thats what i call service !! All in all a fantastic honeymoon and if i did have to find any fault it would be that when we went the hotel was rather empty (June is apparently their quiet season!!) - i think at one point only about 20 guests were there so it did feel very quiet at times but we did make some friends (hi Bob & Marie!!) which made the holiday even better !!! Overall a fantastic 12 days at Spice Island and money well spent !!

I have heard other people comment about how when they arrive at some hotels they immediately feel relaxed and forget their journey, well this was the case at Spice Island. The hotel is immaculate, the gardens beautiful, the rooms huge and beautifully furnished with everything one could possibly need, the bed linen awesome, Molton Brown products, the outside daybed perfect for reading on those wet days, the hammock perfect for reading on those sunny days, the proximity of the beach made the room and having seen one of the pool suites, I would go for beachfront every time!

The food was absolutely outstanding, the first night we tried to consume all 7 courses and nearly made it. After that we normally only had 3! We both commented that never before have we had consistently excellent food for 7 days running and we have stayed at some pretty good places. Afternoon tea in the bandstand was fab on the rainy days (only 2, but we didn’t really notice) and the 11am drink served on the beach was a great touch which allowed one to truly relax. Although All Inclusive, the drinks really were premium, Absolut and Bombay Sapphire.

The only dilemma I have about this place is do we go back next year or do we risk going somewhere else and being disappointed!