Coyaba Beach Resort

I know there are mixed reviews about this hotel so my advice would be to read them carefully and consider what's important to you. We did that before booking and felt we had a good idea of what to expect and were therefore realistic with our expectations (bearing in mind the cost of the hotel compared to others). If you want an ultra all-inclusive hotel where there is non stop entertainment and lots of food and drink choice, then this probably isn't the hotel for you. However, if you want a good value for money hotel, based on one of the best beaches in the Caribbean (and probably the world), this may be the hotel for you. Hotel - I thought the rooms were fine - good aircon and ceiling fans, daily cleaned. We were on the 'umbrella beach bar' side of hotel but never had an issue with noise as the live music at the weekend stopped at 10pm. We had a good view of pool and grounds from our room 211. Grounds were beautiful.. A previous review mentioned water pressure issues. We were also staying at the hotel at that time and it was an issue they were working hard to resolve - and indeed it was resolved when we were there. Food - Breakfast was fine - usual cooked breakfast options and some bagels, fruit etc. Lunch - we preferred the main buffet but you can choose off a menu (burger, club sandwich etc..), Evening meals were usually a set menu of about 2 starter choices and 4/5 main meals. I always found something I enjoyed and felt the portions were sensible. Some evenings were buffets which again were fine. There are a number of comments regarding limited fresh fruit/salad. We were advised by a number of locals that there is an issue with the amount of food that is imported into the country and not produced there (80% apparently). The cost of salad and fruit (with the exception of melon/banana) in the supermarkets is extortionate - £10 for an iceberg lettuce imported from the USA. If you look at the prices you will understand why food choices may be limited and food waste kept to a minimum (bearing in mind the amount you are paying for the holiday in comparison to the other hotels along the same stretch of beach). I do agree with an earlier comment that if you are vegetarian/vegan this may be an issue and you may find it too limited. We ate out 4 nights at Antonios' italian restaurant (amazing but I recommend you book) and at Umbrellas (not as busy on weeknights). This wasn't a reflection on the food in the hotel but just to have a change of scenery. Location - This is the best bit - the hotel leads straight onto an amazing beach - not only that but it's on the 'best part' of the beach - in the middle. The beach is approx 2km long and 1 end the sea is (a bit) rougher, at the other the cruise ship customers use the beach. We felt very lucky. There is snorkeling although you will need to swim out further to reach a reef area - there's not as many fish right by the shore. Unfortunately we didn't spot the turtles but others did. There is a shopping centre across the road from the hotel with a couple of cafes (for a change of scenery), clothes shops and a supermarket (where we brought rum to bring back with us). It's also great for walking (40+ mins) into St Georges or, as we did, catch one of the local buses. This was an experience not to be missed and only cost a dollar each way, each. The 'bus' is a mini van which will pick up at bus stops (turn left out of hotel) or will just stop as going past you to see if you want to hop in. Just make sure you catch a number 1 bus (clearly marked on the bus window). Trips - We did an island trip (booked through hotel). It was with Henry's safari and I would highly recommend it. Drive around St Georges with a commentary from the driver, stop at a waterfall and swim if you want, stop at a chocolate factory with a tour. Lunch and then a rum distillery tour followed by a trip to Grand Etan lake. Fabulous tour and even met the Foreign Government Minister at the restaurant and had a chat with him about Grenada. We went into St Georges twice and visited Fort George and Frederick - the second was a challenging hill climb but worth the view. We went on a 2 site snorkelling trip with Eco Dive (on site at Coyaba). We thought it was great value. We also visited Carriacou island which was a real highlight. We booked this through the agency working on behalf of Virgin. The trip suited us more than the one through the hotel as we were picked up at the hotel, taken to the ferry, handed ferry tickets, met the other site, toured and had a basic lunch and then had time on paradise beach (which was paradise!). The trip through the hotel included a 100 dollar lunch each, which we really weren't interested in. If you decide to go on the trip, I took travel sickness tablets first as was aware the ferry journey over can be challenging...a number of people were ill on the boat. It's a lot calmer on the way back. We thoroughly enjoyed all the trips. Hotel Staff - were professional and when you were courteous to them I always found them friendly and courteous back. We found people generally in Grenada to be very friendly. We chose this hotel as it wasn't ultra all-inclusive. We didn't need activities throughout the day. We ran every morning along the beach and enjoyed swimming and snorkelling. We did take part in Yoga and Thai Chi (both 2 mornings each week) and my husband used the gym a couple of times. We also had complimentary massages. We didn't need any more than this. I appreciate some people do though - and if that's the case this hotel may be too quiet for you. We knew the evenings would be quiet, there were some nights of live music, but it didn't feel like a 'late' night party place. It probably was a bit too quiet for us (for a 2 week holiday) which is why we chose to also go out for a change on a few nights. It is generally an older age group in the hotel, which isn't an issue, but it isn't a young and lively place if you are looking for that (we are in our 50's and felt at the younger age range of the hotel). I hope the long review helps others to decide whether it's the right hotel for them, as we appreciated the reviews we read when we were choosing. We were pleased with our choice of hotel and felt the facilities etc.. reflected the budget we had paid and the amazing location.

Very friendly small resort. The beach was amazing and very quiet. Food was great with lots of variety and choice. If you don't like the set menu in the evening, the a la carte menu had a good choice. The room wasn't particularly modern but it was very clean and had a fan and air conditioning. There aren't many activities on offer but we chose the resort because it was going to be quiet and relaxed.

Pros. - Beach and water were awesome - gardens were lovely - staff helpful and friendly Cons. - food was disappointing, rather limited and not to same quality of other similar hotels in Caribbean, as an example limited fruit, vegetables and salad. Chief did make some effort to cook some dishes for my wife who is vegetarian but the food became ver repetitive with pasta 4 days running - although resort quiet, beach was very noisy most days usually in afternoons and weekends. Day we left loud music was pumping across the resort from 8am from a beach event some way down the beach