Next week, I’ll be talking yoga and running! But, I wanted to give one last post about the island of Grenada and Laluna Resort, where we stayed 6 days and 7 nights.

I had never stayed at a resort before. I did not want it to feel like an overpriced hotel or a chain resort that could be anywhere. I don’t know if any resorts are like that, but this one wasn’t. Laluna Resort was an intimate and secluded place in paradise.

After a LONG travel day, it was dark when we arrived. The receptionist found out we had not eaten, so she sent our bags to the room, ushered us into the outdoor restaurant, and gave us complimentary welcome drinks.

I drank mine and TH’s.

Apparently we were only feet from the ocean, but my fried travel-brain could not tell. We ate delicious food, marveled at our private cottage, and then promptly fell asleep.

The view of the ocean from my veranda stunned me when I woke up the next morning.

Laluna Resort gave us a complimentary upgrade which meant we were on the first row, right above the restaurant and bar. The property was not large, 16 cottages nestled into the hillside (and one premium one right on the beach). Laluna Resort paired the higher units (they share a wall), which is what we had originally booked.

Our Cottage

The veranda was my favorite spot in the cottage with a sitting area and a small plunge pool.

I collected many hours lounging or soaking on the veranda, reading a book but constantly glancing up at the gorgeous view.

The french doors opened to the room with the bed, sitting couch, mini bar and TV. To the side was an entry way with the walk-in closet and door to the open air bathroom.

The bathroom was indoors, but allowed in a lot of sunshine and breeze. The outer wall (opposite the sink) was a half wall with a big shade. To one side of the open shower was a swinging door to take you to the plunge pool. The other side had a similar paneling, but did not open. The toilet was in a closet for more privacy.

If you were tall enough (read: not me) you could look out the little windows in the shower and see the ocean. TH laughed at me a lot because I tried to recreate the experience by jumping as I showered.

With the cottages separated by hill elevation and flora, it created the perfect balance of openness to nature and privacy to neighbors.

Maurice, the Anole

The open air bathroom also allowed for a resident. An anole (specifically, a Richard’s Anole) slept on our bathroom light fixture every night, and would disappear when housekeeping arrived. We named him Maurice after one of the Grenadian revolutionaries.

Maurice kept our bathroom bug free, except one night when we saw big grasshopper-looking thing in the rafters. And we couldn’t find Maurice!

Maurice did not come back at all that night. TH joked that the big bug ate Maurice, but we were both secretly worried. TH evicted the bug in the morning. When I walked back to the bathroom, there was Maurice! All three of us were happy the big bug was gone.

Laluna Resort

The resort’s bar area, pool, and outdoor restaurant bordered the beach, most of which we didn’t photograph. (TH came home mainly with photos of lizards.)

Near the gym and yoga pavilion, the Asian Spa sat in the woods (I’m not sure what made it Asian except for the two Asian massage therapists). TH and I splurged and got massages at the beginning and end of the vacation.

We got Balinese massages which were pretty standard to the US except for territory covered. A good deal of my chest and buttocks were massaged. For our second appointment, TH booked an aromatherapy + massage and I booked a Tatami massage where you lay on the floor and the therapist walks on your back, legs, and feet.

Laluna Resort’s Beach

The strip of beach in front of the Laluna Resort was public, but bordered by two cliffs which meant it was not frequented. Occasionally, people would anchor their boats close to shore and eat at the restaurant.

The water was very calm when we arrived and we thought we had all the time in the world for water sports. The resort offers complimentary paddle boards, kayaks, snorkeling gear, and a hobby boat (if you’re experienced). But by Wednesday the water got very choppy which was unusual for Grenada per the locals. We tried to kayak, but dug into the first wave and the water sports guide nixed the idea (which I was glad). The water remained choppy for the rest of the week, so we just waded in the water and enjoyed it from the beach.

The weather was 75-80F with high humidity and a breeze from the ocean. We applied a lot of sunscreen and several of the days we got beach furniture under shade. I was still surprised that neither one of us burned, though.

Grenada

TH and I wanted to experience the island away from the resort, but its secluded spot and our meal plan made it inconvenient at times. We walked to the grocery store and the Spice Market and talked with a lot of the vendors. We sat on Grand Anse beach and talked with a local. We visited the rain forest. I went running. Next time, we will make it the capital, St. George and find some more hang outs. There was just so much of the island left to explore.

During my runs, every person I passed would say “good morning” to me. (The Monday morning runners in Savannah were not pleased with my new habit of greeting them.) The people of Grenada were lovely, friendly, and easy-going. I loved the odd pace of the island – the people were casual and laid back but they drove fast!

Service & Meal Plans

I’m used to southern hospitality, so I had to adjust to the pleasant and taciturn attendance of the resort. Service was unhurried, mirroring the island’s style. It forced me to slow down and enjoy.

Funny note: After a couple of days, we noticed that our bedding was in different configurations depending on the time of day. TH and I had never experienced “turn down service” ; we had to Google it, lol.

Laluna resort offered an all-inclusive package, but it did not make financial sense for us. We got a meal plan with breakfasts and dinners. Dinners included an appetizer, entrée, and dessert, which was a lot of food and we often had leftovers. We supplemented with food from the market (PB&Js) and actually did not buy any lunches from the resort.

At the market, I bought beer and rum to stock the fridge. We also took advantage of the 2 hour happy hour which was buy one, get one half off.

During the trip, we focused our money on indulgences and not conveniences. We drove to Miami for a direct flight and parked with snagaspace.com. We packed 1 carry-on each. (If you’re interested in how to pack for a week-long beach trip in a carry-on, I referenced this article, and Un-fancy recently just posted one as well.) And we ate a fair share of PB&Js. But we got 2 massages each, and got to spend time at this wonderful resort.

I’m going to repeat one more time how proud I am of TH for researching and booking our honeymoon trip. We ended up going some place really cool that I never would have financially chosen. We loved the non-hotel experience of Laluna Resort in such a quiet, sequestered spot. It inspired us to find creative ways to earn and save money so that more trips like this could be possible.

What island would you like to visit? And why?