Adventure Guide Grenanda, St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Grenada, St Vincent & the Grenadines Adventure Guide has been selected by the Caribbean Tourism Organization as "Best Guidebook to the Caribbean in 2004."

My wife and I took this book with us on a recent "Yankee Clipper" cruise from Windjammer. The book was quite useful with good descriptions (usually a paragraph or two) of the accomodations and restaurants on the islands we visited (Grenada, Mayreau, Bequia, Carricou, Tobago Cays). The authors were very up front about the experiences they DIDN'T like which helped us to avoid frustration. The book also had a nicely organized table of contents which helped navigate the book quickly.Three small strikes against the book... First is the prices given were in ranges. Thus a hotel has its rating of 1 to 4 dollar signs. However, you don't know if the hotel you're staying at with the $$ sign is on the low end ($110-$115) or on the high end ($190-$195). Some people may not mind this, but I found Lonely Planet's "Eastern Caribbean" to be a bit more specific on what kinds of prices you can expect.Second, most of the maps were for the whole island, with the only city specific maps being Kingstown, SVG and St. George's Grenada. The Lonely Planet book had several "city-scale" maps which proved to be helpful.Finally, the book is rather large physically, about one inch thick and almost 6" by 9". This made it somewhat of a hinderence to carry around; we just left it in our cabin and read it on the way to our next island.However, don't let my negative comments discourage you. This is an excellent guidebook for the area and is highly recommended.

This guide is immediate and thorough; it give a host of places and activities that could fulfill even the most bored tourist's desires. The book is salted with the kind of personal experience that makes visiting these islands so special. They take us away from palm beaches, island vistas and rugged emerald mountains and put us in touch with the people who inhabit these beautiful places. From fishermen in Barrouallie to Rastas in the Port Elizabeth market and a botanist in St. George's, we get a sense of the lives that entwine to make up the fabric of these islands. Also, each section begins with a history of the place at hand, so important to understanding the southern Windwards. The authors have produced a journeyman labor, a product of discernment and enterprise tempered with warmth and humor. Those of us who have seen the southern Windwards as a special place for so long have reason to be thankful and relieved.Paul Tyler, Caribbean Compass