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Special Travel Tips for
guests staying at Tamarind Cottage (due to constant changes, we urge
you to check with all carriers):
How to get
there in one day
- We strongly advise guests who want to get to Carriacou in one day,
travel via Grenada (as we do), rather than Barbados. With two afternoon
flights most days and a late afternoon ferry (5:30PM) every day of the
week (except Saturday), there’s usually a back-up option should your
flight arrive late – as they often do – in Grenada.
- When flying from the US, the best alternative is via Air Jamaica
direct from JFK/New York.
The flights get you in to Grenada
comfortably in time for an afternoon SVG Air flight or the Osprey ferry.
All other departure cities require a change of planes or deposit you in Grenada
too late for the SVG Air flight. With a mad dash, you can almost always still catch
the ferry at 5:30PM. The taxi ride from the airport is only about 10
minutes. But if your flight is very late, you may have to stay
overnight in Grenada and then take the morning Osprey ferry (take some
Dramamine if you are motion sensitive) or SVG Air plane.
- If your schedule allows you a choice, we further recommend the plane
versus the ferry. It’s faster and smoother (especially in the Grenada to
Carriacou direction), and not much more expensive all things considered.
- When flying SVG Air you should call them directly (1 473 444 3549 or
1475) to
make your reservations with a real person (they are not on the Sabre
system), as far in advance as is practical. These are small planes,
seating 9 passengers with just one or two flights a day from Grenada to
Carriacou. (During Regatta or the winter holidays, it’s advisable to
make these
reservations even as far as two or more months in advance.) Also it is
wise to confirm your reservation a few days in advance of your flight.
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Saturday,
NOT
- While you can travel to Carriacou any day of the week, the most challenging
is Saturday. If possible, try to travel on a different day. Arrivals late
Saturday afternoons are especially difficult. The banks are
closed (making it impossible to change money), the police station may also be
closed (making it impossible to get a temporary driver’s license and, in
turn, a rental car, until Monday). There’s an SVG Air flight on Saturday
afternoon, but if your plane is late, there’s no Osprey ferry "safety
net". The next
opportunity to get to Carriacou is on Sunday morning.
Worst Case Scenario
- If you find yourself stuck on Grenada overnight (there are worse things),
you have many good hotels to choose from, at many price points, from budget
options such as Tropicana (near the ferry in St. Georges) or No Problem
Apartments (near Pt Salines airport) to high-end alternatives such as the
Grenada Grand Beach Resort (near town) and Rex Grenadian (near the airport).
Obviously, the closer you can stay to the ferry or the airport, the easier it
will be to catch a morning boat or plane.
Hurricanes
In 2004 we had a once in 50 years event – Hurricane Ivan. Most of the damage from Hurricane Ivan in Grenada has been cleaned up. On Ivan’s
heels we had Hurricane Emily – this one caused far fewer problems since
everyone was more prepared.
Insects
We are meticulous about keeping down mosquitoes, however lately our neighbors
have been a bit lax. In particular, there has been some construction going on
and the workers are not very careful about standing water. Therefore we suggest you pack a can of DEET (Off). Most likely
you will not need it much, but, what the heck, you can always throw unused
cans "overboard" at the end of the trip.
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